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Arab News
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Saudi artist Lulua Alyahya discusses the works from her current solo show ‘Nafs'
JEDDAH: Saudi artist Lulua Alyahya's 'Nafs,' running at Jeddah's Athr Gallery until March 25, is her first solo show in her homeland. 'The title means 'self,'' Alyahya tells Arab News. 'I thought that would be suitable for my first Saudi solo. I've exhibited loads in the UK, but the work takes on a completely different meaning when it's home. The work is very much about the Gulf in general, but specifically Saudi in a lot of ways.' The 26-year-old is a graduate of the Slade School of Fine Art and Goldsmiths, University of London. Her work blends personal and collective narratives to explore identity through introspective, minimalist paintings. Alyahya's process is intuitive. Her latest works, primed with black gesso, embrace darker tones and undefined backgrounds. Here, she talks us through five pieces from her current show — something she says she doesn't find that easy. 'It's kind of hard to speak about my work because what I hope is that people see it and see themselves in it. That's kind of the story behind the title too. I wanted a word that people could literally see themselves in and for that to be the underscore behind all the images.' 'Jubbah Petroglyphs' I made this painting in 2023. At the time, I was really fascinated by pre-Islamic petroglyphs in various parts of Saudi Arabia. This one is from Jubbah, near Hail. My family is originally from Hail and when Saudi started to take all these incredible initiatives of uncovering our pre-Islamic history and integrating those stories into our national identity, I just got super interested in looking through, like, Aramco's archaeology archives and all these different things. I spoke to friends and family about their experiences of these places. I really wanted to make a painting of this specific rock where there are these repeated carvings of camels; I'm interested in camels as a symbol as well, because they're obviously visually linked to this part of the world. If you go to a tourist shop in the Gulf, you get camel keychains and stuff. I don't know if 'kitsch' is the right word — probably not — but it's just feels very obvious; it's very on the nose. And I'm interested in taking symbols that feel on the nose and making them mysterious or playing with the effect of that imagery. I pull from different things all the time; there's never just one thing that I'm looking at, it's more that I'm living, reading, speaking and then the paintings come out. There's a painting I have at Hayy Jameel called 'Boardroom' which has these men sitting at a meeting table and looking at a wall which has one of these petroglyph camels on it. Sometimes, there are references to other paintings — little callbacks. There are a lot of inside jokes. Humor is such a big part of the work. 'Smoke Break' The titles always come after the paintings, and I often leave things untitled — but this one kind of lends itself to the title because the guy's having a coffee and smoking a cigarette. This is just a painting about rest, but there's a lot of energy in the way that I've painted it; it's very gestural and there are lots of these marks and splotches of paint. 'Magic Chocolate Ball' These girls are very funny. Like I said, humor is a big part of my work and this is a piece where I had fun and it was fun to show people. It's based on a memory of a dessert that I think is so familiar to people living in the Gulf; you order this chocolate ball and the waiter comes over and pours hot melted chocolate on it and the ball melts and reveals something inside of it. I've seen it so many times and it just came to mind as I was painting, super-impulsively. What I'm interested in is how people see themselves, or others, in the imagery — or how they don't. It's a satirical approach to what's happening in society. Satire is super-important, but it's never just one thing or the other — it's always a combination of various different tones and positions that I'm taking. Like, this is funny to me and I'm choosing to show it, but obviously there's an emotional connection happening as I'm painting it. 'Untitled (2024)' It's this guy on his phone sitting near a pool. He's a solitary figure. Then there's two horses and two palm trees. This took me quite a few months to paint. Sometimes I'll have an idea and paint it and it doesn't work out at all. That happens a lot more than you'd think. So, I'll cover something over, then add something new and then cover that thing and then add something new, just waiting for this moment where the elements carry some kind of poetic logic that I trust will translate to the viewer. It's always hard to articulate — but very easy to know — when it hits that point. 'Guard Dog' I love dogs. I paint them a lot. This one is a German Shepherd, which is a guard dog. It's based on a sketch — it's very similar to a lot of other works I made. Sometimes, I get stuck on something and it repeats itself across multiple works and other times it's a one-off thing. I prefer not to try and control it and just let things direct me.
Arab News
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Ayman Yossri Daydban: ‘The discrepancy between visual appeal and cultural awareness is key'
JEDDAH: In his solo exhibition 'Winter' at Jeddah's Athr Gallery, the Saudi-Palestinian artist Ayman Yossri Daydban provides a compelling exploration of ihram clothing — the humble garments worn by pilgrims for the rituals of Hajj and Umrah — and how it connects to climate change. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ 'This exhibition is part of my Ihramat collection, which uses the ihram to highlight its significance in popular culture, religious identity, and as clothing and fabric,' Daydban tells Arab News. 'The idea behind the color and material is inspired by the climate during Hajj season, the usual hot weather during pilgrimage, and how the ihram fabric is lightweight, designed for enduring the heat.' 'Winter,' he explains, refers not only to the season but also to what climate change could mean for the future of pilgrimage — suggesting that traditions once defined by their specific environmental contexts may eventually be disrupted. 'White, which is symbolically associated with purity and clarity, is a color that reflects sunlight. When you think about the Hajj happening in the summer, and considering new climate realities and changes, you understand that the idea of 'winter' in this context is a metaphor that references the future moments when climate changes may affect pilgrimage,' Daydban says. The exhibition, which runs until March, revisits Daydban's iconic works from previous years, particularly 'Ihramat' (2012) and 'Muss' (1996), recontextualizing the material and its meanings within the lens of contemporary concerns such as climate change and the commodification of culture and spirituality. Daydban, born in Palestine in 1966 and now based in Jeddah, is poised and calm, neatly tying together the philosophical strands of his conversation. His last name means 'watchman' in Arabic, and Daydban is an insightful observer of cultural shifts and national identity. His art features in several major international collections, including the British Museum, underscoring his importance as a leading voice on identity, alienation and belonging. In 'Winter,' Daydban simultaneously weaves together and challenges traditional notions of materiality and spirituality. His use of the ihram fabric in a radically different form emphasizes the fluid nature of cultural objects. Instead of using the fabric as a garment for spiritual purification, he transforms it into everyday items, shifting their role and associations. 'The way I use the ihram fabric here is quite different from its original context—it's more like towels or blankets, which changes the associations we have with the material,' he says. 'For instance, the blankets, although made of similar fabric, are sourced from China. These blankets are available in stores and contribute to my idea of global trade and the commercial aspects of such cultural items.' Daydban has stretched the fabric over identical rectangular wooden panels — uniform, like Muslims praying in rows — with an empty square at the center, seemingly hinting at the Kabaa. One lone piece is the invert of that, furry and full, a rectangle that one could argue fits into the void the others carry. In his transformation of the ihram fabric, Daydban emphasizes the economic and cultural implications of how these objects move through global systems. 'The materials have a significant connection to economic matters,' he says. 'Although the cloths may appear similar, each has its own unique pattern and design. The variations offer a chance to explore cultural identity, to consider how these designs hold individual meaning, yet can be visually selected without awareness of their cultural background. The patterns in the cloth might be taken for granted without understanding the cultural implications behind them. This discrepancy between visual appeal and cultural awareness is key in my work.' Through the juxtaposition of global trade and religious symbols, Daydban highlights the dissonance between the sacred and the commercial. 'What I'm trying to achieve is a reflection on beauty in the details of cultural symbols — taking a material like the ihram and transforming it into something that holds contemporary meaning,' he explains. 'Through 'Winter,' I examine how fabric can transcend its usual associations with ritual to become a statement about today's world. It's a critique of how these items, which once carried deep religious significance, are now sold and consumed globally, detached from their cultural roots.' The exhibition addresses how even the smallest details within the fabric can carry powerful meanings. '(It) is deeply connected to trade, materials, and economics — using the ihram as a tool to reflect on the broader systems that control these items,' Daydban says. 'In terms of design, each square in the exhibition holds a specific visual and symbolic weight. Even though they may seem similar at first glance, they each possess a unique quality that highlights how even the smallest details make a difference when exploring identity. 'The show invites viewers to experience a connection between the material and the emotion it conveys, to understand how ihram is not merely a religious garment but a global symbol of cultural exchange and transformation,' he adds. 'As an artist, I'm trying to make sense of how such materials are used across different contexts, with their significance becoming diluted as they move through systems of commerce.' The idea that art can challenge the commodification of cultural symbols is central to 'Winter,' with Daydban urging his audience to reconsider their understanding of material value and cultural meaning. 'I encourage viewers to reflect on this transformation and the relationship between artistic practice and commercial influence,' he says. 'Take a moment to consider the process of how cultural objects are commodified and how, through art, we can bring awareness to their deeper meanings.'
