Arab Artists To Keep An Eye On In 2023

Be on the lookout for these Arab painters who subvert conventions with their vibrant work.

By NATALIE KEBBE

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Maitha Abdalla

Maitha Abdalla is a well-known Emirati multidisciplinary artist who works in a variety of media, including video, photography, sculpture, painting, drawing, and performance. Abdalla's art is characterized by nostalgic, evocative compositions that examine her experiences. She recently displayed her work in London's Cromwell Place.

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Hashel Al-Lamki

Al-Lamki, who was born in the United Arab Emirates, witnessed its transformation from a dunes-and-ancient-culture scene to one of steel, glass, and technology. He makes his masterpieces, which frequently make a statement on social innovation and sustainability, using this juxtaposition.

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Fatimah Al-Nemer

Saudi photographer Fatimah Al Nemer depicts images of gripping human reality as well as her own personal experience. In order to examine the difference between social rank that is inherited and gained, Al-Nemer delves deeply into her Saudi heritage.

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Miramar Muhd

Muhd is a self-taught visual artist, muralist, and activist from Iraq. The artist, who is based in Amman, utilizes art to critique injustice and gender inequality and to spread awareness of these issues. She has also been a participating artist at numerous festivals, projects, and awards.

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Nasser Al-Mulhim

Al-Mulhim, a sculpture and painter from Riyadh, investigates the relationship between geometric and organic shapes and the psychological effects they have on viewers in his complex palette. AlMulhim's vivid works, are inspired by the masters of New York Abstract Expressionism, specifically Robert Motherwell, Franz Kline, and Jackson Pollock, and feature vibrant, floating structures superimposed on one another within a small composition.

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Alymamah Rashed

Rashed is a Kuwaiti native, and her heritage strongly influences most of her work. She is a visual artist who switches between viewpoints from the east and the west to examine issues of identity and the environment via the narrative of her body. Her art explores how her feminine subjectivity interacts with local mythology, ordinary items, and local botanical findings.