Egyptian Illustrator Noran Morsi Captures Ramadan in New York

CairoScene

24-03-2025

Egyptian Illustrator Noran Morsi Captures Ramadan in New York
Egyptian illustrator Noran Morsi is a multidisciplinary creative wearing many hats, an AUC alumna who studied graphic design, currently working as an Editorial Production Assistant at The Drew Barrymore Show, where she coordinates media, props, and logistics for A-list guests like Chris Hemsworth and Sydney Sweeney. But this Ramadan, she's trading Hollywood glamour for ink and introspection.
When Morsi moved to New York, she found that the sound of Cairo's Ramadan drums had been replaced by the hum of subway brakes. To capture her feelings throughout the holy month, she's marking the occasion with a daily illustration series on her Instagram account, sketching out moments of faith and community in the city that never sleeps.
This isn't her first creative pivot. A self-described 'multimedia storyteller,' Morsi has blended photography, poetry, and film in projects like her Tedx Talk; A Love Letter to Photography, which dissects the tension between documenting life and living it.
Morsi's Ramadan illustrations piece together the quiet, often unnoticed rituals of Ramadan in New York: friends gathering under the Manhattan skyline for iftar, late-night diner runs for suhoor, and solitary walks along the East River at dawn. Her sketches move beyond the usual depictions of the city, showing a different kind of New York—one where faith and routine intersect in subtle but meaningful ways.
The project began with a single watercolour painting. Years ago, after photographing friends in Domino Park post-iftar, she turned the image into an illustration. 'That painting stuck with me,' she says. 'It wasn't just about the meal—it was about the moment.'
Her process is spontaneous, sketching fleeting scenes—a subway ride, a quiet prayer, a shared laugh. 'I'm not chasing realism. I love playing with vibrancy and mood,' she says. 'Ramadan is full of texture, and I want each piece to capture that feeling, even if it's subtle.'
New York's fast pace, she argues, doesn't erase reflection—it makes it stand out. 'There are these still, contemplative moments after the rush, like walking home by the river after iftar. I try to lean into those contrasts when I illustrate, capturing both the noise and the calm that coexist here.'
The series also quietly reframes the city itself, quietly challenging assumptions. 'People reduce New York to brunch and nightlife,' she notes. 'And while that's definitely here, it's not the whole story, Art can make those quieter, less-seen narratives visible.'
By the end of the month, her portfolio will hold 30 illustrated fragments of Ramadan—a visual archive of faith, community, and the ways people create belonging in a metropolis that's constantly on the move.