Art blossoms from win the GCC region and Saudi artists are making the kingdom’s art scene thrive. With an abundance of creative minds and multidisciplinary artists, the Saudi government is placing a focus on local artists to grow the Kingdom’s art scene, with the introduction of Vision 2030. Riyadh Art is also the first national public art initiative in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
With that, GRAZIA brings you 10 Saudi artists to keep on your radar.
Abdullah al-Othman
Saudi Arabian painter and installation artist Abdullah Al-Othman frequently tackles topics pertaining to mass culture and consumerism. He is a poet and conceptual artist whose pieces branch out into text-based, video-based, installation-based and public intervention works. His pieces frequently take the shape of investigations into a variety of enigmatic ideas or encounters. Al Othman recovers veiled or forgotten tales and places them at the centre of public awareness through careful explorations of neglected concepts, places and lives on the fringes of society.
Abdulnasser Gharem
In addition to being a lieutenant in the Saudi army, Abdulnasser Gharem is a modern Saudi artist. His work, which explores the essence of living in Saudi Arabia, combines photography, film, performance and sculpture. He frequently invites community involvement and welcomes cooperation in his work, using the street as a canvas on which to build a social critique. In 2011, Gharem became the highest-selling living artist in the Gulf when his piece “Message”/”Messenger” went up for a world record price at an auction in Dubai.
dana Awartani
Dana Awartani, a Saudi-Palestinian artist, uses a variety of mediums, including painting, sculpture, performance and multimedia installation, to define Arab culture. Her art uses a range of mediums and methods, frequently focusing on reimagining geometric patterns. She incorporates visual motifs and techniques from the Middle East and Islam, drawing from a wide range of sources. She has had numerous exhibitions such as The Hidden Qualities of Quantities, Athr, Jeddah (2015); Detroit Affinities: Dana Awartani, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (2017); and Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah (2018).
Faisal Alkheriji
Saudi modern artist Faisal Abdulaziz Al Kheriji combines surrealism, cubism and culture to produce one-of-a-kind portraits that offer a fresh perspective on Saudi and Arab society. Al Kheriji illustrates how Saudi culture is actively changing in the twenty-first century and adjusting to modernity via everything from customs and hospitality to fashion. Faisal has demonstrated his work in multiple events in the region.
Heba Ismail
One of the first Saudi artists to sell her pieces as NFTs through Open Sea and Nuqtah is Heba Ismail. She is a specialist in Fauvism and Cubism, drawing inspiration from artists like Pablo Picasso. Her work combines cubism and Arabic culture, with characters that resemble Saudi and Arab people. Each of her paintings has a narrative in which she personifies her thoughts and feelings in these characters. Her work is a depiction of her thoughts and feelings. As a Saudi artist, Ismail has made waves in the Web3 area with the release of multiple pieces as well as a collection of NFTs.
Lulwah Al-Humood
Saudi visual artist Lulwah AI-Hamoud is renowned for her elaborate method of creating engrossingly detailed abstract works on paper using Arabic letters. Al-Hamoud organized multiple international exhibitions and had her artwork sold in Sotheby’s and Bonham’s auction houses. She is also the first Saudi woman to graduate with a master’s degree from the University of the Arts in London in Islamic Arts.
Manal al-Dowayan
Multidisciplinary artist Manal Al Dowayan uses a variety of media in her work, including installation, sculpture and photography. She frequently addresses topics pertaining to gender, identity and Saudi Arabian social conventions. Al Dowayan has dedicated a considerable amount of time to challenging the gender-biased traditions that affect women’s circumstances in Saudi Arabia. She is a perceptive yet critical observer of the cultural transformation that is taking place in the Kingdom.
RexChouk
Behind his mask, Rex is a multimedia artist who experiments with music, lighting and painting. Known as “Saudi’s Banksy” he keeps advancing the Saudi art scene. By merging Arab and mainstream culture, he forges a unique voice in his works that captures the millennial experience both inside and outside of the Arab world. Rex has collaborated with numerous well-known brands, such as Fred Perry and Level Shoes and he has painted murals in many places throughout the Kingdom.
Tagreed Al-Bagshi
Tagreed Al Bagshi is a modern Saudi artist and also a founding member of the Fine Arts Qatif group and the Saudi Society for Fine Arts in Saudi Arabia. Al-Bagshi, who is originally from Al-Ahsa in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, depicts women in her pieces, particularly Saudi women, and highlights their resilience in the face of adversity. She had multiple exhibitions across the Kingdom and internationally including in South Korea, Germany, Argentina and India.
Zaman Jassim
Saudi artist Zaman Jassim uses calligraphic signs, patterns and symbols to create visually striking and evocative forms. Over the years, he has presented a number of exhibitions on the international stage including in Bejing, Seoul, Paris, as well as in the GCC in Dubai, Kuwaiti, Muscat and Riyadh. In 2011, he was awarded the Al Kharafi Biennial Award for Contemporary Arab Art in Kuwait.
