With the introduction of Vision 2030, The Saudi government is placing a heavy focus on local artists to grow the kingdom’s art scene. The General Authority for Entertainment is launching initiatives to help artists, more art galleries are popping up across the kingdom and all government buildings are decorating their walls with works strictly from Saudi artists. Saudi artists have been creating beautiful pieces for a long time and now, they are getting more support than ever. We put together a list of 10 Saudi artists who have been working hard to push the kingdom’s art scene forward and are now reaping the benefits.
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Faisal Alkheriji
Faisal Abdulaziz AlKheriji is a Saudi contemporary artist. He mixes culture, cubism, and surrealism to create distinct portraits that shed a unique light on Saudi and Arab culture. From customs, and hospitality, to the style of dressing, AlKheriji portrays how Saudi culture is adapting to modernization and actively evolving in the 21st century. Faisal has been featured in various interviews & articles on renowned platforms and has shown work in several shows across the region.
Heba Ismail
Heba Ismail is one of the first Saudi artists to sell her work as NFTs through Open Sea and Nuqtah. Inspired by the likes of Picasso, she specializes in Fauvism and Cubism, featuring Saudi and arab looking characters in her work, creating a fusion between cubism and Arabic culture. Her work is a representation of her feelings and thoughts, each painting possesses a story through which she personifies her thoughts and feelings in these characters. Ismail has released several pieces and a collection as NFTs, making waves in the Web3 space as a Saudi artist.
RexChouk
Hudeld up behind his iconic mask, Rex is a multimedia artist exploring painting and drawing, illumination, and sound. He continues to push the Saudi art scene forward, being dubbed “Saudi’s Banksy.” He creates works that reflect the millennial experience in the Arab world and outside of it, in the process becoming a distinct voice, fusing popular culture and Arab influences. Rex has had many notable collaborations including Fred Perry, and Level Shoes, as well as painted murals in different locations across the kingdom.
Abdulnasser Gharem
Abdulnasser Gharem is a Saudi Arabian contemporary artist and a lieutenant in the Saudi Arabian army. His work comprises photography, video, performance, and sculpture, examining the nature of life in Saudi Arabia. He uses the street as a canvas to construct a social critique often by welcoming collaboration and involving the community within his projects. Gharem helped found the nonprofit arts organization Edge of Arabia, to help promote arts education and to give an international platform to contemporary Saudi artists. Also, Abdulnasser made history when his installation “Message”/”Messenger” sold for a world record price at auction in Dubai in 2011, establishing him as the highest-selling living Gulf artist.
Lulwa Al-Humood
Lulwah AI-Hamoud is a Saudi visual artist who is celebrated for an intricate process that uses Arabic letters to form absorbingly complex abstract works on paper. Al- Hamoud coordinated numerous exhibitions around the world and had her work sold in Sotheby‘s and Bonham’s auction houses in the British capital. She is also the first Saudi woman to get a Master’s degree; specializing in Islamic Arts, from the Central Saint Martins of the University of the Arts in London. From that point on, Al-Hamoud’s work reached many world-renowned institutions such as Jeju of Korea, the Five Continents of Germany, and the LACMA of Los Angeles.
Dana Awartani
Saudi/Palestinian artist Dana Awartani works to define Arab culture through practices Ranging from painting and sculpture to performance and multimedia installation. Her work spans a variety of materials and techniques often revolving around reinterpreting geometric patterns. she draws from a multitude of influences, integrating Middle Eastern and Islamic visual references. she’s had many exhibitions including Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah (2018); Detroit Affinities: Dana Awartani, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (2017); and The Hidden Qualities of Quantities, Athr, Jeddah (2015).
Abdullah Al-Rasheed
Saudi contemporary artist Abdullah Al Rasheed began his art career in 2017 after hosting his first exhibition in Riyadh. His work revolves around people, he paints people, portraying them in different situations, and showcasing the different emotions that come out of them. Al-Rasheed regularly holds exhibitions in Riyadh and has numerous works through the Saudi based “015 Gallery.”
Sultan Bin Fahad Al-Saud
Sultan Bin Fahad is a Saudi contemporary artist who uses art to reinterpret history, stories, and narratives with the use of material culture. Themes central to his practice revolve around reimagining found objects, Islam, as well as Saudi history and identity. He connects the past to the present, by using items and materials from the present to tell stories about the past. Al-Saud presented his work on many occasions including Qounot,’ at Alàan gallery in Riyadh, KSA [2016], Vantage Point, Sharjah Art Foundation (2018); 45th Bahrain Annual Fine Arts Exhibition, Manama, Bahrain (2019) and Saudi Biennial (2021).
Zaman Jassim
Zaman Jassim is a Saudi artist who mixes visually striking and evocative forms by way of symbols, patterns, and calligraphic signs. In 2011, he was the recipient of the Al Kharafi Biennial Award for Contemporary Arab Art in Kuwait. Jassim held solo shows in Beijing, Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait, Muscat, Paris, Riyadh, and Seoul. He also participated in group exhibitions in Asia, Europe and the Middle East, and North Africa.
Tagreed Al-Bagshi
Tagreed is a contemporary Saudi artist and a founding member of the Saudi Society for Fine arts in Saudi Arabia, and a member of the Fine Arts Qatif group. hailing from Al-Ahsa in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, Al-Bagshi likes to portray women, Saudi women especially, showing their strength in their femininity and the challenges and obstacles they overcome. She held numerous exhibitions within the Kingdom and outside the Kingdom (India, Seoul, Germany, and Argentina.)
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