The “Saudi Crafts” exhibition, organized by Naila Art Gallery in honor of the 92nd Saudi National Day, brings together 30 studios, artists, and artisanal businesses to display their artistic endeavors from September 20–30.
May Hamdan is one of the well-known artists in Saudi Arabia, along with Abdullah Hammas and Najla Al-Saleem. Her first exhibition features works that combine traditional and modern elements and techniques. The two Arabic terms for “past” and “present” are combined to form the title of her piece, “Mader.”
The artist combines her distinctive modern, crystal-like resin elements with the Kingdom’s ancient Sadu weaving technique for her expanding series, which presently only consists of two pieces of art.
The fledgling artist’s desire to portray the country’s development and demonstrate his patriotism made the lengthy execution—which took three to four hours every day for four weeks—worth it. He reflected on how far the Kingdom has come and added, “National Day is an event beloved by every Saudi citizen and resident.”
Visitors and other artists alike are drawn to Hams Muryh’s work, which aims to preserve ancient Southern crafts. Al-Qatt Al-Asiri, a type of Saudi art that is typically painted by women in the southern part of the Kingdom, and Al-Haseer, a traditional hand-weaving technique using date palm leaves, are both incorporated into her work.
“A variety of regional collective craft studios and designers, including Desert Designs, Herfa Association, Sadu Tarha, Wuhah Studio, and others, were also represented at Saudi Crafts.
Morouj Al-Shatri founded the Saudi company Keramos Studio with the goal of reviving the region’s ancient pottery-making tradition. Keramos Studio draws inspiration from Islamic art, Saudi folklore, and regional history.
In this specific exhibition, the featured items were Daf, a Middle Eastern frame drum constructed from genuine leather, which was hand-painted with regional and traditional iconography. The highlighted scenes are reenactments of traditional Saudi desert settings, including horseback riding, tent parties, and the ancient Diriyah wall.
