With one of the most valuable currencies in the world, Kuwait breeds wealth. The wealth spans wide from culture to the arts in the modern metropolis. It boasts a thriving art scene with some of the region’s talented artists being from Kuwait. Through a variety of mediums, the Kuwaiti art scene is definitely one to keep your eye on. With that, GRAZIA brings you the Kuwaiti artists to keep on your radar.
Aseel AlYaqoub
Aseel AlYaqoub is an artist and researcher whose interdisciplinary practice varies from drawing and printmaking to video, sculpture and installation. Her work is influenced by her academic approach across fields of history, architecture and cultural sociology. She has had numerous exhibitions in Quebec, London, Kuwait and New York.
Fatemah Dashti
Boasting over 50,000 followers on Instagram, Fatemah Dashti is amongst the talented Kuwaiti artists in the region. Her artworks consist of a variety of acrylic paintings, oil paintings and digital pieces. She is a graduate of architectural engineering from the University of Liverpool. Her artwork frequently follows the theme of self-love.
ghadah alkandari
Ghadah Alkandari is a Kuwaiti multidisciplinary artist who graduated from the American University in Cairo and majored in Mass Communication. Her painting style was shaped during a six-week painting course at the School of Visual Arts. With creativity that knows no bounds, she has had numerous solo exhibitions in Kuwait and Egypt. What makes Alkandari stand out within the art scene is her unique and eccentric art style.
Monira Al Qadiri
Monira Al Qadiri is a visual artist from Kuwait who was born in Senegal and educated in Japan. She is also the daughter of renowned artist Thuraya Al Baqsami. Her incredible artwork spans wide across sculpture, installation, film and performance. Her multi-layered practice follows the theme of research into the cultural history of the Gulf region. She has had multiple exhibitions globally in Germany, the Netherlands, UAE, Japan, Australia and Saudi Arabia, to name a few. She is currently based in Berlin.
Sami Mohammad
Sami Mohammad is a Kuwaiti sculptor and artist renowned for his bronze sculptures. His artwork runs deep including themes of suffering, genocide, liberation and oppression. His most famous work includes his Box series, Sabra and Chantila and Hunger and Mother. The first time Kuwait participated in the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013, his work was presented.
Thuraya Al Baqsami
A pioneer in Kuwaiti art, Thuraya Al Baqsami was one of the first female artists in the GCC. She began by publishing short stories and exhibiting her art in her teenage years during the mid-1960s. Al Baqsami is an artist and poet who studied fine arts in Cairo and then received her Master’s degree from the Surikov Institute in Moscow. After living through the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, she wrote her book “Cellar Candles” where she turned her experiences during the war into poetic fiction. With talents like hers, it is no surprise that she has held 60 solo exhibitions across the world.
