Art & Culture

A Curator’s Guide to the Saudi Female Artists That Should Be on Your Radar

BYKhaoula Ghanem

July 23, 2026

There are few endorsements more meaningful for an emerging artist than the belief of a curator. Long before museums, collectors, or the wider art world take notice, it is often a curator who recognizes something worth paying attention to. They identify potential where others see uncertainty, place new voices into conversation with established ones, and help shape the narratives that define a generation of artists. Their choices influence not only what audiences see, but whose work enters the cultural conversation in the first place.

Few people understand that responsibility better than Shadin AlBulaihed, a curator at Misk Art Institute whose work is rooted in the contemporary Saudi and Gulf art scene. Through her curatorial practice, Albulaihed has championed artists working across a range of disciplines while helping introduce new perspectives to wider audiences. So, when it came to rounding up the Saudi artists you should have on your radar, she was the perfect person to ask. From painters and photographers to multidisciplinary practitioners, these are the Saudi female creatives AlBulaihed believes are worth watching right now.

Lulua Alyahya

Saudi artist Lulua Alyahya is part of a new generation of Gulf painters gaining international recognition. A graduate of the Slade School of Fine Art at University College London, she is currently completing her MFA at Goldsmiths University while exhibiting regularly across Saudi Arabia and the UK. Her paintings draw on themes of masculinity, youth, and beauty, placing candid figures within dreamlike desert landscapes that feel both familiar and otherworldly.

Abeer Sultan

Riyadh-based multidisciplinary artist Abeer Sultan works across moving image, sound, installation, collage, and archival research to explore memory, identity, and personal histories. After earning a degree in Graphic Design and Digital Media, followed by a Master’s in Museum Studies, she developed a practice rooted in reimagining family archives and overlooked narratives through immersive, research-driven works. Her work has been exhibited across Saudi Arabia, Europe, and the UAE, with recent presentations at SAMoCA, Noor Riyadh, and Paris, alongside residencies at institutions including the Delfina Foundation in London and Berlin Art Institute.

Hayfa Algwaiz

Hailing from Saudi Arabia, artist and architect Hayfa Algwaiz explores the relationship between memory, place, and identity through paintings informed by her background in architecture. Her work often focuses on domestic interiors, landscapes, and the spaces in between, using them as a lens to examine culture, family, religion, and the subtle rituals that shape everyday life. Based in Riyadh, Algwaiz has exhibited across the Middle East, Europe, and the US, and has participated in residencies in Paris, Jeddah, and Accra while earning recognition through the 2023 Misk Art Grant and ATHR Foundation’s Young Saudi Artists program.

Madhawi Algwaiz

Riyadh-based visual artist Madhawi Algwaiz draws inspiration from Saudi heritage, everyday life, and the cultural rituals that shape contemporary Khaleeji identity. Working across painting, illustration, and installation, she combines acrylic and colored pencil to create nostalgic works infused with references to local pop culture, social gatherings, and personal memory. Algwaiz has exhibited at Noor Riyadh, Misk Art Institute, and Very Public, while participating in residencies in Riyadh, Paris, and Milan that have helped cement her place as one of Saudi Arabia’s most exciting emerging artists.

Hayat Osamah

Originally trained as a photographer, Hayat Osamah has since expanded her practice to encompass film, installation, and textile-based works. Drawing on her Middle Eastern heritage, the Jeddah-born artist explores themes of identity, memory, and impermanence through analogue photography, biodegradable materials, and fabric. Her work has been exhibited at Noor Riyadh and Cortona on the Move, while residencies with Misk Art Institute and the Diriyah Biennale have cemented her reputation as one of Saudi Arabia’s most compelling multidisciplinary artists.

Hawazin Alotaibi

Moving effortlessly between painting, performance, music, and curatorial practice, Hawazin Alotaibi is one of the Gulf’s most multidisciplinary creative voices. The Saudi-American artist, who earned degrees from the University of the Arts London and the Royal College of Art, and is currently completing her second MA in Curating at Goldsmiths University, examines gender, masculinity, censorship, and self-representation through works that draw on social media imagery, personal archives, and contemporary Arab visual culture. Now based between London and Riyadh, Alotaibi has exhibited internationally at institutions and galleries including the Saatchi Gallery, IRL Gallery, and Outernet, while continuing to expand her practice through music and curating.

A Curator’s Guide to the Saudi Female Artists That Should Be on Your Radar

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A Curator’s Guide to the Saudi Female Artists That Should Be on Your Radar

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