Abeer Jay

Abeer is a student of English Literature and Linguistics. She is deeply interested in different languages and different cultures and how they manifest themselves in art. She is also interested in social and political justice and the role of art as agent of change.

Amr Bogari

عمرو بوقري، أبحث في كل شيء من خلال الفن المفاهيمي، لذا اطلق العنان الذي بداخلك فما نحن إلا دوائر متصلة. عالم الفن جزء من عوالم أخرى متصلة، ونحن هنا في رحلة مع النفس، لذا اطلق العنان الذي بداخلك، فما نحن إلا دوائر متصلة. أنا عمرو صالح بوقري، كن وميضا حتى تصل.

Adhwa Alsoughayer

I’m Adhwa, a graphic designer and illustrator currently based in the US. I create artwork with a colorful and joyful vibe. For me it is the simplest things that bring the most beauty and joy, both in life and in art. In everything I do, I try to keep it simple and fun.

Ahd Niazy

Ahd Niazy is a writer, a daughter, a student, and a fierce advocate of choice. She's interested in social entrepreneurship, identity as it relates to art, and women’s initiatives in the Middle East. Ahd currently resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she is pursuing a PhD in Middle Eastern Studies, focusing on the writing of Arab women and its impact on gender norms and culture in the region. Ahd is the founder and editor-in-chief of Jahanamiya.

Asma Ibrahim

Asma is marketer. She’s also a planner and struggle to live in the moment because she likes everything to be planned a head. She’s interested in Arts and how we can express ourselves creatively.

Akram AlAmoudi

As a practitioner, Akram strictly believes that the process of design is based on the unison between practice (making) and theory (thinking and writing). With an engrossed appetite for learning and a severe case of curiosity, this has led him on a never-ending path in constantly pursuing knowledge to help further explore the visual arts.

Alaa Alshalan

Alaa is an accountant student. She was the representative of her college because she loves helping people. She's very much an outgoing, bubbly person. She's fond of books. As a matter of fact, she prefers books over people. She loves the archaic beauty that the Arabic language represents. Her favorite movie is Clueless and she might've watched it over 1,000 times.

Alanood Alsudairy

Alanood is currently working on getting her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in studio art from the University of Arizona. Through her art she would like to further explore themes of womanhood, culture, race, body image, and the diaspora of middle eastern culture throughout the world, and how that all ties into her own identity. She is a mental health advocate and is interested in the nuanced ties art often has with the psyche. Her aim is to hopefully strike up important conversations within the community, as well as other folks with shared experiences and privileges. Alanood’s work largely revolves around more traditional means of painting and drawing although she never wants to restrict herself to using only one medium and jumps at any opportunity she can to expand her knowledge and experiment.

Alia Scheirman

Alia was born in the Midwest and grew up moving around - living with her mother in Kansas, Iowa, Japan, and Minnesota. As an adult, she has done an extensive amount of world travel, including two years in Ukraine while in the Peace Corps. One consistent aspect of Alia's life has been her love of artistic expression; she has been involved in theater and dance, plays the violin, and enjoys writing. She also cares deeply about human rights, feminism, and humanitarianism. Alia currently lives and works full-time in Texas.

Aljohara

Amal Salamah

It is in the kitchen where I truly find myself. I am the Head Chef of Arabika Catering. I enjoy literature and have a growing interest in writing. Nothing makes me happier than the warmth of the sun, the sensation of water and the everlasting dream of traveling around the world. A mother of three and a lover of humanity

Amani Alnahdi

Ameera Alnujaim

Ameera is a creative writer and a poet. She has published two English books of poems and prose. Ameera is also a facilitator of improvisation and theatrical techniques. In pursuit of healing and claiming her voice, Ameera has received her training in psychodrama and sociodrama in NY as a spontaneous and creative approach to healing and expression, all of which has also shaped her as a writer. Ameera is a TEDx speaker and intercultural and interfaith dialogue representative.

Anonymous

Balqis AlRashed

Balqis Al Rashed was born in Riyadh, Saudi and raised in Beirut for sixteen years where she graduated from the American University of Beirut with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. It was during this time that she found and cultivated her voice and artistic expression as one that expresses her multiculturalism as well as her individuality. When she returned to Saudi in 2009, Al Rashed threw herself into work, and by 2010, she had co-founded Qabila Apparel, a homegrown Khaleeji clothing line. Her prolific activity and online presence have led to her March Project Residency 2015 at Sharjah Art Foundation where she exhibited her first big scale installation "Once, we fell from the sky and landed in Babel". Al Rashed has been featured in various media platforms and has recently been selected as Nike ambassador. She is currently the first international artist in residence at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, and is working on pieces that focus on the the creation of meanings, practices, and dichotomies in respect to the collective, identity, and the self.

Dahlia Baeshen

Dahlia explores topics that are sometimes controversial, whether it be about social issues, gender inequality or diving deep into the psychological realm. At the same time she weaves in the surreal and the magical. She is an expert at crafting fantastical worlds that are full of color and charm. She is very passionate, not only in her writing, but in experiencing life. She studied Global Communications and Film studies in the American University of Paris and Creative Writing in California College of the Arts in San Francisco. She is interested in human development, culture and the arts.

Duha Matrafi

ضحى أخصائية تمريض و طالبة ماجستير العلوم في التمريض المتقدم، محبة للأدب و عاشقة للكتابة. أبدعت في مجالها المهني و توجهت لشغفها و هوايتها في الأدب و تطوير الذات. تؤمن ضحى بشدة أن تطوير الذات اللبنة الأولى لبناء شخصية الإنسان الرائعة. يتملك شعور الفضول لديها لمعرفة زوايا روح الإنسان الداخلية.

Dalyaah Yassin

Dalyaah Yassin is a Palestinian artist and sociologist based in Stockholm, Sweden. Practicing art therapy, social development, and creative program facilitation, as well as her own visual works often focus on strength and inner growth by embracing feminine energy. Today she is active with her photography project - GODDESS as well as her installation work “Crossing borders Crushing walls”, where the artist built a brick wall and tore it down. In her work she speaks about being a Palestinian woman in a western country. The universe is a recurring concept in her art as she uses it to speak of overcoming boundaries and limitations.

Ebtehal Taha

I’ve always been passionate about art since I was tiny. I am completely self taught, started traditional, and I’ve worked with a lot of mediums. But I mainly create digital art now. I have a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and won the Microbiology art competition (drawing with bacteria on petri dish) two years in a row at King Abdulaziz University Hospital. I believe that life is an adventure, and I’m an explorer and love challenging myself when it comes to art. I’m also into graphic design, sculpting, illustration and crafting handmade accessories.

Faisal AlKheraiji

I started drawing when I was a kid - I never formally learned it or had anyone in the family that paints or draws. It was just something I did when I was bored. 2006 or 2007 was when I first bought my first canvas and acrylic colors and painted a "real painting"; it was just black circles with colored centers. After that I started painting on canvases and really got into art. One of my first inspirations was Michael Godard, who I was fortunate enough to meet last March at his art show in Las Vegas.

Faisal Bundakji

Faisal is a Saudi artist currently based in Portland, Oregon. His body of work is heavily focused on life drawing and the study of the human form.

Filwa Nazer

Filwa Nazer is a Saudi artist who lives between London and Jeddah . Her work explores various themes relating to emotional and psychological identity within the Saudi culture . By using collage and digital print as tools she dissects & reassembles visual imagery creating ambiguous and multilayered narratives . Writing and sketching are the starting point to all her work .

Ghada AlMuhammadi

فنانة بصرية وقاصة.. شغوفة بالفن الوثائقي وسرد القصص مهتمة بالتصميم الداخلي والمساحات .و بالعلوم السياسية والجنائية مؤمنة بالعدالة..

Ghalyah Zaini

A girl with big emotions who chooses to express them through writing. A lover of poetry, vulnerability, and empathy. Ghalyah believes in sharing her truth and using her vulnerability to give others the courage and safety to do the same. She is currently a University student studying Psychology and hoping to make an impact in the mental health field of Saudi Arabia.

Hadeel Abdulghaffar

Hadeel Abdulghaffar is student with a fondness for writing and all forms of self-expression. She has a deep appreciation for the power of words that sway through ones soul only to leave beautiful footprints. Her interests include travel, long talks and an endless list of movies and TV shows.

Hagar Elsayed

Hagar Elsayed is an Egyptian-born filmmaker, graphic designer, student, and activist. She strives to use art and media as a tool for social change. She is an avid reader and foodie, and appreciates art of all forms.

Hajar Al-Zerma

Hajar is an Emory university graduate living in Vienna. She enjoys traveling and photography. She is an advocate for the intersectionality of art and science and a firm believer in the importance of self-expression and self-exploration.

Hana Kanee

Hana Kanee (b.1992, Jeddah) is a painter and mixed media artist. Her work aims to expand the limits of landscape and portraiture through abstract representations and themes of everyday life within the context of Saudi Arabia. Capturing conflict is a recurrent subject for Kanee, be it through depictions of traditional landscapes of Tendaha, the village she was raised in, located in the South of Saudi Arabia, or the changes in the region’s urbanization, the relationships between millennials and the generations preceding them, or the struggle to find balance of identity, embracing heritage and/or its modernization.

Hatem AlAhmad

Born in 1998, Lives and works in Abha, Saudi Arabia. Known for his unique style in painting, Al Ahmad combines the legacies of surrealism, figuration and Pop with visual traditions, incorporating the colours and detailing of international arts and crafts in his work. Fascinated with everyday reality, he regularly paints portraits that weave through different narratives and episodes of daily life. The use of colour in his compositions reflects his own sensibilities and psychological states, exploring the ambiguity of his imagination and its representation on the pictorial plane. The figures in his paintings, sometimes in the guise of characters, display complex allegorical ideas. Reflecting on society and the condition of the world that surrounds him, his paintings seem to present aesthetic and personal preoccupations. Wars, famines and migration are some of the subjects emphasised. Referencing social practices and historical traditions from diverse contexts, Al Ahmad creates transhistorical and transnational bridges, engaging with multiple contexts at the same time. Part of his objective is to allow the viewer to question culture and materiality and the condition of contemporary society.

Haya Zedan

Dr. Haya Zedan is a mom and an advocate for maternal mental health and wellbeing in Saudi Arabia. With a background in psychology and public health, she teaches and conducts research at university. Dr. Haya is a Perinatal Mental Health Counsellor, Motherhood Studies Practitioner, Women's Wellness and Childbirth Educator and Lactation Counsellor. She is a writer and lifelong learner and believes there is untapped potential for women to thrive in their selves and their motherhood experiences

Hayfa Alqethami

Iman AlDabbagh

Iman is a self-taught documentary photographer from Jeddah whose works focus on issues that are a blend of societal observations and personal experience; displacement, national and ethnic identity, self-image, gender and women’s stories are some of the topics she exhibits through her work. She’s also a professional kids photographer @kisphotosbyiman. Her #wheres_layla project that started in 2012 explores the early blur of motherhood and chronicles her child’s humor and experiences. In 2016, Iman received a grant for the Arab Documentary Photography Program (sponsored by Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, Magnum Foundation, and Prince Claus Fund) for her project on daring artists in Saudi Arabia. Iman is currently freelancing between Jeddah and Sarajevo. She’s a regular contributor at The Everyday Projects @EverydayMiddleEast and @EverydayEasternEurope

Jalel F

My name is Jalel and I’m from Jeddah, SA. My work focuses mainly on embracing normality and day-to-day life through photos that are minimal yet personal.

Jawhara Safi

Core humanist. Major foodie. Visual poet. Creative writer. Tree hugger. Book romanticist. Night owl. Street photographer. Communications enthusiast. Social butterfly. Dedicated professional. I cling and clatter; forever in search.

Joseph Sheridan

Serial entrepreneur currently based in Lebanon. First experience in the Middle East was working as a real estate developer in Saudi Arabia. Continuously inspired by the artists, chefs, musicians, writers, entrepreneurs, entertainers, and small business owners that are consistently creating and investing in the region.

Kholood Alhussami

Kholood is a Saudi/Moroccan hybrid and a dentist who finds her passion in cooking and drawing. Freestyle is the definition of her artworks in calligraphy. She believes in art that is a reflection of multiple cultures, feelings and different opinions.

Kholoud Alkhaldi

Kholoud Al Khaldi, a mother of two girls, is responsible for training and professional development in the field of education. She is interested in community service and an expert in the field of literature. Hobbies include walking, particularly along the sea front, and traveling. While she relishes moments of serinity, she also successfully proves to be a very social person. Mindful of the value of time, she utilizes any free moments with reading and writing which has been a keen hobby of hers since childhood.

Kholoud (Anonymous)

Layal Niazy

The occasional writer, expert doodler, food lover, swim coach, terrible singer, and mediocre comedian. Layal Niazy is also a devoted daughter and loving sister. She is from Saudi Arabia, although she has lived in the states for many years while growing up. She is currently pursuing her degree in international relations at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. Layal mostly writes realistic fiction, and she hopes to pursue writing as a hobby.

Lujain AlKhateeb

Lujain is 27 years old. She fell in love with writing over 20 years ago and identifies as a writer and as a book dragon*. She’s always on the lookout for delicious prose, and she’s currently writing her debut novel Three Words while balancing the mothering of two little girls. Lujain also translates press releases, writes newsletter articles, and more for Phenomenal PR & Events from the comfort of her living room couch. She learned to crochet by watching YouTube, and she loves to paint, sing and binge on Pinterest. *the badass version of bookworm.

Maha Ismail

I am Maha Ismail. I appreciate beauty and I love to smile. I am in love with all means of arts: colors, painting, sewing, cooking, and sculpting. My writing aims to fulfill my passion in all these areas. I write to connect with my soul (true self) and to capture the value and wisdom found in every situation. I enjoy spreading love and happiness even when I am blue.

Maha Khalawi

Maha is a Graphic Designer, an artist, an entrepreneur, a logical creative, if that paradox exists. Her work is inspired by both daydreams and night dreams. She has a soft spot for start-ups, frozen yogurt, and a good book on the beach.

Maha Rukun

Dr. Maha has been practicing dentistry since 2011. She also indulges in the world of literature as a reader, a writer occasionally, and an admirer of poetry. She prefers to express her thoughts and feelings in written words more than spoken ones.

Mai Julaidan

Mai graduated from Dar-al Hekma university with a bachelors in Graphic Design. She went on to get an MFA in Performance and Visual Practices from University of Brighton. Currently, she is a working member in the cooperative company Medd Cafe.

Majda Gama

Majda Gama is a Saudi-American poet based in Washington DC. Her poetry has appeared in Gargoyle, Beltway Poetry Quarterly, Beloit Poetry Journal, The Fairy Tale Review and is forthcoming from Hunger Mountain.

Majed Munshi

Majed Munshi is the Design Director of urbanphenomena, a multidisciplinary design studio. He graduated from Michigan State University with BFA in graphic design. Majed worked at 3points Advertising from 1999-2013 as the Creative Director for brands like Bison, Rabea Express and Dominos Pizza. He's also designed many corporate identities, among them: King Abdallah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, Saudi Industrial Property Authority and Hala Arabia. Majed is now focused on environmental graphic design projects that are at the intersection of Graphic, Interior, Architectural and product design.

Manal Dabbagh

Manal is an embodied parenting coach, somatic educator, and expressive dance facilitator. She's the host of Start the Conversation podcast. She loves books, music, reusable bags, long chats with friends, sustainable and ethical living nontoxic living, and laughter.

Marwa Al Hothali

Marwa Al Hothali is a Pediatric Dentist and PhD student Living in Amsterdam. She is interested in travel, food, world cultures, yoga, reading and mindfulness. I believe in two things: “life is short,” so I have to spread positivity and love everywhere, and “more knowledge, less ego” so I have to read and learn more.

Maryam Sindi

Maryam Sindi, a high school student in Jeddah, loves to take pictures. She has a passion for creating and showing people the world through her eyes. She's a very active student. She's hardworking and is part of many clubs in school, including Yearbook. Maryam creates travel films on youtube and posts travel pictures on Instagram.

Mawaddah Bishara

Mawaddah is an art enthusiast who inhales too much paint fumes and drinks an excessive amount of paint water. You can find her at the nearest Starbucks, or on Instagram as @breakdoodles

Mina Sayed

I can’t wait to be the next Picasso of my generation, but for now I am just an artist with an ambition to grow and learn from the art legends. Some of the many people whose artwork inspires me are Margaret Keane, Roman Frances and Caravaggio. I have always been fond of drawing people and studying the structure of the human face and body, and people with different cultural and ethnic backgrounds particularly inspire my artwork.

Modia Batterjee

Dr. Modia Batterjee has long provided a voice of advocacy and support in the international health community. She has served as an educator, teaching classes for college students, mothers, and healthcare workers. Dr. Batterjee is also an active entrepreneur, whose ventures include the Albidayah Breastfeeding Resource and Women's Awareness Center, Date Middle East and the Beejewel Boutique a cause-oriented jewelry brand that supports compassion, resilience and community through philanthropic contributions.

Mohammed Labban

Architect student by day, @labbouf by night.

Mohammed Naseem

Mo[hammed] Nassem is a designer, artist, and writer from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and currently based in Los Angeles, CA. His work is an amalgam of typography and wordplay rendered into effective visual solutions and expressive language. He holds a BFA from Boston University (2016) and MFA from RISD (2019), both in Graphic Design. He has been a guest a guest critic at Boston University. His work has been recognized by the AIGA, Type Directors Club, and Communication Arts.

Mubarak K.

Self-taught artist heavily interested in surrealism and abstract painting. Books and his dreams/nightmares are what inspire him the most. He was born in Medina and kept living between Riyadh and Jeddah, where he studied for his second degree in Prosthodontics.

Muhannad Shono

Muhannad Shono is older than he looks and is self taught by other people. He's into this, that and the other thing. He was born here but lives there and his parents come from that place with the mountains and the fur hats. His work can and should be summed up.

Nada Purlo

Self-propelling skeptic

Nadeen Almubarak

Nadeen is a Saudi feminist counsellor and writer. In her writing, she is interested in complicating the narrative about Arab women, especially Saudi women, and their experiences. She hopes that, in her stories, she is able to complicate concepts such as freedom, rights, agency, and choice, in an attempt to move from victimizing discourse to empowering, loud, and more accurate narratives.

Najat Hashem

Norah AlSubaie

Norah is a Toronto-based freelance illustrator who loves doodling, painting, baking and being a mama to two beautiful little ones. She finds inspiration in books and in deep conversations over coffee.

Nouf Abdulkarim

Nouf Abdulkarim is a law student, she loves indulging in great books and loves to express herself through writing and speaking. Yet, she has a compassionate way of listening. She enjoys having new adventures but also loves her regular go to’s. She appreciates a good conversation with a stranger every now and then. And waves are her most favorite melody.

Nourah Quzani

Noura Mutaz Quzani is a 19 year old who enjoys the simple life. Noura discovered her passion for fashion and arts at an early age. When she was in the 6th grade, she started sketching dresses, but as the years flew by she began to expand her options by learning how to sketch animation. Noura has participated in various kinds of competitions revolving around the subjects of arts and design, and she has won a few. She graduated year 2015 from Dar Al-Fikr School and hopes to become a fashion designer in the near future.

Nur Taibah

Omar Saadah

Omar Is a graphic designer in urbanphenomena, primarily working on design + research. He graduated with BCA degree from Arena Animation Collage, Bangalore, India. Omar enjoys pushing the edge of graphic design, photo editing and retouching. He loves to travel to explore and photograph new locations and cultures.

Raghad Fathaddin

Raghad Fathaddin is the founder of Sangha “Estidama Hub” and an Internationally Certified Holistic Health and Wellbeing Coach, with a MA in Public Policy and 5 years professional experience in International Relations, Political Analysis, Advocacy and Project Management in various NGO’s and IO; such as Oxfam, United Nations for Education, Science and Cultural organization (UNESCO), Counterpoints Arts and Singa UK. Raghad is a strong believer and advocator of the power of arts and education in the promotion of sustainability and social wellbeing. Through Sangha Estidama Hub, Raghad is keen to play a positive and a leading role in supporting nations transition towards a wellbeing economy and accelerate human progress through facilitating a culture of inner wellbeing for the Saudi future leaders.

Reema Motib

Reema is a Riyadh based illustrator and artist. She gathers imagery from her childhood, heritage, and aspects of movement to create artwork that is both simple and thought provoking.

Reem Bakheet

Reem Bakheet is a social and educational consultant who has worked extensively since 1994 in the training and educational sectors. And in 2001, she established the Future Experts Group. Bakheet's passion for the environment sparked her love for diving, yet her belief in education made her a partner in the red sea conservation project Mer-Mates. These values of Bakheet are often translated into writings, a passion of hers since childhood.

Rozana Al-Banawi

Rozana Al-Banawi is a loving, curious, and creative soul. Her academic and professional background in education, human relations, and coaching (MA, CPCC, ACC) has impacted her work and allowed her to grow through life as a heartist, mother, third-culture kid, writer, and learner. She finds reading and journaling essential life tools that ignited within her a sense of spirituality and resilience. Rozana loves to work with diverse groups of people and is most fulfilled when she witnesses their realized potentials and positively transformed lives.

Samiah Khashoggi

Samiah has a Bachelor degree in interior design from Kingston University in 1983, and a Master degree in Fine Arts from De Montfort University in Leicester, UK in 2006. Samiah’s life has been divided between her job as a lecturer of Interior Design at Dar Al Hekma University in Jeddah and her art practice since 1990- to present. Samiah has exhibited in numerous group shows. Her first solo exhibition, ‘Reflections’ was held in 2000 at Al Alamiya Art Gallery in Jeddah. Her art developed from conventional realism to a more stylized expressionist approach. Women and nature have been her main subjects, moving from oil painting to acrylics, collage and mixed media, constantly exploring different methods of visual expressions. In 2005, Samiah founded Saudiaat, a women artists’ group diverse in their styles and techniques united by their gender and solidarity. Her second solo exhibition, Mashii Mashii debuting her "Patches" series, was held on May 5th 2014 at Tashkeil Art space in Jeddah. She later curated "Anonymous… Was A Woman" at Hafez Gallery, Jeddah in 2015, showcasing the representation of women by women artists in a range of diverse art media.

Sara Gama

Sarah Albaiz

Sarah is a software engineering student, designer, and digital artist based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Sarah's creative practice explores cultural themes and the concepts of dichotomies, narrative, and context through the use of algorithms, and hopes to one day become a successful data scientist and continue to explore those ideas through research and taking the time to create. When not doing that, she can be seen making a playlist over a strong cup of coffee.

Sarah Taibah

Hello, my name is Sarah Taibah. My work is more of a diary. Everything I draw or write is connected in a way. I am a very straightforward artist who admires experimenting with a lot of materials which shows in "JUNK", the book I published in 2011. Mixed media gives every project I work on extra flavor. It explains indescribable feelings and surreal thoughts. I do not seek crystal clarity all the time, sometimes I prefer the blur and I believe that this is clearly reflected on my work.

Sara Masry

Sara Masry is a SOAS MA graduate in International Studies and Diplomacy. She most recently obtained an MA in Iranian Studies from the University of Tehran, where she lived for two years while keeping a blog on her personal experiences and regional developments at www.saudiiniran.com. She now lives between London and Jeddah, and is deeply interested in issues of politics, culture and society in the Middle East. Her passion lies in promoting cross-cultural communication and understanding.

Shaimaa Fatani

Shaimaa is a Saudi advocate woman for women’s narratives and mental health for all. She recently graduated with her Ph.D. in Language, Education, and Society from The Ohio State University, focusing on the identities of Saudi women artists, visual culture, and formal and informal art educational experiences. She is passionate about teaching and learning and has worked as an educator in different settings and with different age groups (all the way from 3 to 40 years old). Shaimaa was raised in a family full of artists and loves arts in its all beautiful forms!

Shaker Kashgari

Shaker Kashgari, is a half Saudi & half Moroccan Arabic Calligrapher who is based in Jeddah. He started the art of Arabic Calligraphy in 2013, starting with Diwani & Farsi as a start, then he switched to: Freestyle, Kufi Square, Al-Wissam, Light Calligraphy, and Arabic Chinese Style as artistic fields. Shaker has participated in 4 exhibitions in (Jeddah & Riyadh) with Athr Gallery, Tashkeil & Behance and 1 in Sharjah. He enjoys merging the art of Arabic Calligraphy with other arts, especially photography.

Shurooq Amin

Shurooq Amin is a mixed-media interdisciplinary artist and Anglophone poet whose purpose is to instigate change in society. She has a PhD in Ekphrasis and has been published and anthologized internationally. She has also been a guest speaker and judge at various universities and events, and is the first Kuwaiti woman to appear on BBC’s HARD Talk (Nov 17, 2014). Shurooq has had 12 solo exhibitions and more than 40 group exhibitions. Her paintings have been sold at auctions, commissioned privately and publicly, awarded prizes locally and internationally, and shown at biennales and art fairs. Despite the shut down and censorship of her show, It’s a Man’s World, in March 2012 by Kuwaiti authorities, Shurooq was awarded the title of Artist of the Year by the Arab Woman Awards in April 2013. She has since become the first Kuwaiti female artist to be auctioned at Christie’s auction house and to exhibit at the Venice Biennale (56th International Venice Biennale, Italy, May to November 2015). Shurooq is currently preparing for her 2016 show: It’s a Mad World.

Tara Aldughaither

Tara Aldughaither is a researcher, writer and interpreter on the Arabian Peninsula's culture. She is also an Assistant Interpreter for a London-based exhibition design company currently based in Muscat, Oman. She received her BA in Mass Communication in 2013 from the American University in Sharjah and soon after completed an MA in Culture, Criticism and Curation from Central Saint Martin's London in 2015. Tara has lectured on the importance of intangible cultural heritage in the Annual CAA Conference in Washington DC in the same year, and continues to find opportunities to write/research on this topic in various institutes in the Arabian Peninsula.

Yara Y. AlSuraihi

I am a graphic designer and an illustrator, interested in philanthropy and ethical designs that leave a beneficial impact on people’s life. My style is versatile; I change my techniques based on the message that needs to be delivered. I believe in the empowerment of a man’s hand, therefore I prefer to work freely with my hands at first start.

Yasmeen Arafeh

Yasmeen Arafeh is half Palestinian, half Syrian, and born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. Yasmeen is a young professional engineer, a wife, a mom (to cats), and a friend to all. She enjoys long naps on the couch, snacks, tea, and game nights. When not at work or home, Yasmeen has an eye for capturing Instagram-worthy photographs.

Yusef AlAhmad

Yusef Alahmad is a Saudi graphic designer and artist based in San Francisco, California while completing his MFA degree in graphic design at the Academy of Art University. Yusef’s work is colorful and usually consists of Arabic typography and patterns. He also enjoys printmaking and mixing different media to come up with unique results. He often describes his work as a combination of his past and present - inspired by traditional elements from his childhood and Saudi background fused with influences from his present life in the US.

Zahra Bundakji

Zahra Bundakji is a Saudi painter, installation, and video artist. Her works are narratives on social topics such as gender, deviance, feminism, and arab identity. She works to liberate the female form by attempting to redefine it conceptually from within the context of modern Middle Eastern culture. Between residencies and projects around Europe and the Middle East, and having lived in Montreal and San Francisco since 2008, Zahra’s work often expresses the embrace of a journey, be it physical or emotional.

Zakia Attar

Zakia is a homemaker by choice, a wife, and a mom. She is a communications major turned modest wear designer and boutique owner, and she is a social activist at heart.

Zoya Zalatimo

Zoya is a Palestinian visual artist and storyteller. Her creative work is largely inspired by her experiences as a woman growing up in the Gulf, UK, and returning to the US for her undergrad studies, and what it means to be a diasporic Palestinian. She studied Near East Studies at the University of Michigan and now resides in Dubai. Zoya launched @AgonyPita on Instagram in 2019 inspired by her love of storytelling. In her final year of University, she had the idea to document some of the experiences and microaggressions her close friends and herself had on campus." By visually communicating these stories on Agony Pita, my goal was to shed light on these issues through satire and humor, and let people know they're not alone."