Zahrah Al Ghamdi

Zahrah Al Ghamdi (Arabic: زهرة الغامدي) is a Saudi Arabian visual and land artist, as well as an assistant professor at the College of Art and Design at the University of Jeddah.^[1][2]

Career

Al Ghamdi grew up in Al-Baha in the south-west of the Kingdom and her experience of domestic architecture there informs her artistic practice.^[3] She graduated in 2003 with a first-class degree in Islamic Arts at the King Abdul Aziz University. She worked there as a lecturer before moving to the University of Coventry to study for an MA, then a PhD in Visual Art.^[3]

Al Ghamdi's artistic practice centres around large-scale pieces inspired and driven by women's experiences of life and craft in the home. In 2017, al Ghamdi created a site-specific land art installation in the Great Court at the British Museum, covering 30 square metres with a village of sand and memory.^[4] As part of the Shubbak Festival, al Ghamdi took part in discussion about women's art from Saudi Arabia.^[5]

In 2019, she was selected to represent Saudi Arabia at the 58th Venice Biennale. The Saudi pavilion was curated by Prof. Eiman Elgibreen.^[6] The installation was made up of 52,000 pieces of re-worked leather inspired by organic forms, her home in Al-Baha and Aseeri ornaments. The exhibition, After Illusion, took its title from a sixth-century poem by Zuhayr bin Abī Sūlmā. All their work bridges poetics and domestic landscapes.^[7]

Desert X Arts Biennial chose al Ghamdi as one its artists for installations in Al-'Ula in 2020.^[8] Her installation was made up of 6000 date tins, placed in the land to reflect the idea and movement of a river.^[9]

Exhibitions

Al Ghamdi has exhibited widely in the middle-east and in Europe, at venues including:

• 2015 - An Inaminate Village - Alserkal Avenue^[10]
• 2017 - Shift - Women Artists from Saudi Arabia - Shubbak Festival, London^[11]
• 2017 - The Labyrinth & Time - Saudi Arts Council^[12]
• 2019 - After Illusion - 58th Venice Biennale^[13]
• 2019 - Mycelium Running - Jameel Arts Centre^[14]
• 2019 - Streams Move Oceans - Athr Gallery, Jeddah^[15]
• 2020 - Glimpses of the Past - Desert X, Al-'Ula^[16]

References

1. Magazine, Wallpaper* (13 May 2019). "Land artist Zahrah Al Ghamdi's tactile encounters in Venice". Wallpaper*. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
2. "Saudi artist Zahrah Al Ghamdi goes back to her roots for installation at the Venice Biennale". The National. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
3. "Who's Who: Zahra Al-Ghamdi, Saudi academic". Arab News. 2019-10-15. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
4. "Fourth Plinth artist Michael Rakowitz to serve up Iraqi-Jewish 'ghost feast' in London". www.theartnewspaper.com. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
5. "Bing video". www.bing.com. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
6. "Biennale Arte 2019 | Saudi Arabia". 2 May 2019.
7. "About Me – Zahrah Alghamdi". Retrieved 2019-11-21.
8. Hill, Lauren Jade. "Desert X AlUla: The Art Event Enticing Travelers To The Desert Of Saudi Arabia". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
9. "ZAHRAH ALGHAMDI". Desert X. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
10. AlSerkal. "Zahra Al-Ghamdi". alserkalavenue.ae. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
11. "Zahrah Al-Ghamdi". Shubbak Festival 2019 - the UK’s largest festival of contemporary Arab culture. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
12. Harris, Gareth. "Jeddah 21,39". Frieze. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
13. "Biennale Arte 2019 | Saudi Arabia". La Biennale di Venezia. 2019-05-02. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
14. "Zahrah Al Ghamdi". Jameel Arts Centre. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
15. "Streams Move Oceans | Press Release | Athr Gallery". www.athrart.com. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
16. "Desert X installs 14 site-specific works in Saudi Arabian desert". Dezeen. 2020-02-05. Retrieved 2020-02-26.