Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Monday, Mar 27, 2023

Ghadeer Sadeq: A researcher with a mission to fill gaps of Saudi Art History

Ghadeer Sadeq: A researcher with a mission to fill gaps of Saudi Art History

Ghadeer Sadeq is an art history aficionado and cultural researcher who recently won the inaugural Art Jameel grant for her paper titled: Mapping the Arts in KSA 1940-2000, which will be completed in about a year.
Born and raised in a small Saudi village, Ghadeer began her academic journey abroad by studying political theories at Suffolk University in Boston. She then pursued her first master’s degree in public policy at Northeastern University.

Ghadeer’s life changed course after taking an elective art history subject in her undergraduate course and made her realize that art and politics are intertwined in so many levels. Especially when it comes to Arts in the Middle East where it is inherently political and reflective of political unrest and social change.

This course piqued her interest in the field and inspired her to apply for her second master’s degree in Cultural Management at Pratt Institute in New York. It was the only program for which she applied and was accepted.

Ghadeer began interviewing Saudi artists for her research, including Abdulrahman Solaiman, who sold the most expensive Saudi painting, ‘Worshippers Leaving the Mosque’ in Sotheby’s auctions. It went for £137,500. She quickly became friends with him, and he generously welcomed her into his studio to conduct interviews with him and learn more from him about the early days of art in Saudi Arabia, he also gave her access to his archival materials, art library to help her more with her research topics and interest.

As a researcher, she realized that she has come across something that is bigger than her. “I discovered throughout my research that there isn’t many written content, books, and papers about the history of art in the Kingdom. I soon realized the urge to start writing and documenting the art movements, the first exhibitions, the institutional history of arts education, and the lives of the early pioneers needs to be properly documented.”

Ghadeer sought to fill these gaps, “I decided to start interviewing more Saudi artists, write more about them, and spread knowledge about them to other people. Knowing more about our history of art allows us to reconnect with our visual heritage and strengthen our sense of identity. Throughout my very new journey as a researcher the more I knew about these artists and their great contribution to forming our visual modern culture here in the Kingdom the more I feel an immense pride in my identity as a Saudi.”

The cultural researcher continues, “Mohammed Al Saleem and Abulhaleem Radawi were the early pioneers who laid the foundation for art in Saudi Arabia and forming Saudi aesthetics and visual culture during the oil boom before the 1960s. They were among the first to be sent abroad to study art in Italy. They had a deep, profound appreciation for their culture, and they were determined to create an authentic form of art and style that celebrated their heritage rather than simply imitating European artists.”

“For example, Abulhaleem Radwi, most of his paintings centers around celebrating Hijazi culture, like ‘Raqsat Almzmar’ (The Flute Dance) and ‘Hajj Day’ painting, where he paints pilgrims around Kaaba.”

“And Mohammed Al Saleem, who was a shepherd, that was greatly inspired by the desert nature. He created a whole artistic style, a whole school of aesthetic, called Al Afakyiah (horizonism style), where he wed abstraction with Arabic calligraphy and the nature of the desert. It is a wonderful reflection of his upbringing.”

“Another leading painter, Safeya Binzagr, whose whole practice as an artist is research-based. She traveled to villages and areas in Saudi Arabia and met with people so she can make sure that she was painting traditional Saudi attires for women accurately. Her work is deeply influenced by social realism where it reflects the domestic lives of women in Hijaz in addition to Hijazi wedding’s, festivities, and the architecture of Al-Balad historical district where she spent her early years of life before moving to Egypt then returning to Saudi later.”

Ghadeer believes that documenting the Saudi Art history is important for the current and future generations as well, “I feel like it is important for the new generation to reconnect with their history and know more about the art movements that took place in the 60’s, 70’, 90’s. The history of modern art in Saudi is a missing piece of the puzzle that we desperately need to study, document, and shed light on its importance in laying the foundation for the contemporary art movements to take place.

“The more we know and reconnect with our history, the better we understand our present and shape our future. It is important to know more about how our visual culture came about. Through the stories I write about Saudi artists I attempt to spread knowledge about some forgotten stories about modern Saudi art. The more one knows about their art the more they connect and value their culture.”

She is very optimistic about government support and empowerment of Saudi artists and celebrating their work. “I love how Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman always has paintings of Saudi artists in his office and meeting rooms. When someone with his status and position does such a move, it really inspires everyone to follow his footsteps and support Saudi artists.”

Ghadeer currently works as a research assistant at the Ministry of Culture. Through her work, she was exposed to a diverse set of projects such as UNESCO world heritage projects, cultural policy, and documentation of art history in the Kingdom.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
Close
0:00
0:00
Gordon Moore, a co-founder of Intel Corporation, died at 94
Powell: Silicon Valley Bank was an 'outlier'
Donald Trump arrested – Twitter goes wild with doctored pictures
Credit Suisse's Scandalous History Resulted in an Obvious Collapse - It's time for regulators who fail to do their job to be held accountable and serve as an example by being behind bars.
Paris Rioting vs Macron anti democratic law
'Sexual Fantasy' Assignment At US School Outrages Parents
Credit Suisse to borrow $54 billion from Swiss central bank
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
If this was in Tehran, Moscow or Hong Kong
A brief banking situation report
We are witnessing widespread bank fails and the president just gave a 5 min speech then walked off camera.
Donald Trump's asked by Tucker Carlson question on if the U.S. should support regime change in Russia?.
Elon Musk Is Planning To Build A Town In Texas For His Employees
The Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse effect is spreading around the world, affecting startup companies across the globe
Market Chaos as USDC Loses Peg to USD after $3.3 Billion Reserves Held by Silicon Valley Bank Closed.
Banking regulators close SVB, the largest bank failure since the financial crisis
Silicon Valley Bank: Struggles Threaten Tech Startup Ecosystem"
The unelected UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, an immigrant himself, defends new controversial crackdown on illegal migration
Man’s penis amputated by mistake after he’s wrongly diagnosed with a tumour
In a major snub to Downing Street's Silicon Valley dreams, UK chip giant Arm has dealt a serious blow to the government's economic strategy by opting for a US listing
It's the question on everyone's lips: could a four-day workweek be the future of employment?
Spain officials quit over trains that were too wide for tunnels...
Corruption and Influence Buying Uncovered in International Mainstream Media: Investigation Reveals Growing Disinformation Mercenaries
European MP Clare Daly condemns US attack on Nord Stream
Tucker Carlson called Trump a 'demonic force'
US Joins 15 NATO Nations in Largest Space Data Collection Initiative in History
White House: No ETs over the United States
Saray Street in Hatay-Antakya before and after the earthquake
U.S. Jet Shoots Down Flying Object Over Canada
Nord Stream terror attack: David Sacks breaks down Sy Hersh's story
Being a Tiktoker might be expensive…
Miracle: El Salvador Search and Rescue teams, with the support of Turkish teams, rescued a woman and a child from the rubble 150 hours after the earthquake
SpaceX, the private space exploration company, made a significant breakthrough in their mission to reach space.
China's top tech firms, including Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, NetEase, and JD.com, are developing their own versions of Open AI's AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT
This shocking picture, showing how terrible is the results of the earthquake in Turkey
President Joe Biden delivered the 2023 State of the Union Address , in order to help Americans that missed the 2022 speech, do not have internet, and suffer from short memory.
The desk of King Carlos Alberto of Sardinia has many secret compartments
Today's news from Britain - 9th February 2023
The five largest oil companies in the West generated combined profits of nearly $200 billion in 2022, which has led to increased calls for governments to impose tougher windfall taxes
2 earthquakes in Turkey killed over 2,300 people
Powerful Earthquake Strikes Turkey and Syria, Killing More Than 1,300 People.
Turkish photographer Ugur Gallenkus portrays two different worlds within a single image. Brilliant work
Charlie Munger, calls for a ban on cryptocurrencies in the US, following China's lead
Shell reports highest profits in 115 years
EU found a way to use frozen Russian funds
First generation unopened iPhone set to fetch more than $50,000 at auction.
WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT - US Memphis Police murdering innocent Tyre Nichols
Almost 30% of professionals say they've tried ChatGPT at work
Interpol seeks woman who ran elaborate exam cheating scam in Singapore
What is ChatGPT?
×