On the occasion of Saudi National Day, there are many reasons to celebrate those working in the country’s creative industries. We present some of those who inspire us with all that the are achieving.
Huda Beydoun
Huda Beydoun
Huda Beydoun had a career teaching children with autism, but her passion for art and photography led to her explore this further. In 2010 she began painting and working with mixed media and photography to create innovative works. Beydoun moved to Paris in 2017 to further her journey where she studied fashion photography under the direction of Paolo Roversi and Dominique Issermann. She soon found her unique style and moved back to Jeddah to establish herself as a renowned artist, art director and photographer.
Beydoun has exhibited her works in various exhibitions including Dismaland by BANKSY, Edge of Arabia in 2013 and the 2013 Venice Biennale. In 2013 Beydoun released a body of work titled “Documenting the Undocumented.” This street photography series captured candid images of illegal immigrants living in Saudi Arabia.
Today, Beydoun is based in London where she runs her own creative industry “MishMosh” which aims to provide a platform for local talent, specifically women hoping to put the Middle East at the forefront of the global industry.
Lulwah Al Homoud
Lulwah Al Homoud
Artist and curator Lulwah Al Homoud is famed for her digital artworks which feature intricately placed Arabic letters to form abstract works of art. She is seen as a pioneer in the industry and one of the few Saudi women to create abstract art. Homoud studied in London and was the first Saudi to graduate from Central Saint Martin’s College of Arts and Design in.
After obtaining her Master’s Degree she went on to train with Pakistani calligrapher Rasheed Butt, as well as taking inspiration from Egyptian artist Ahmed Moustafa. After being inspired by Islamic art, the Riyadh-born artist went on to create unique works that embrace tradition and contemporary style. Her pieces have been displayed in many galleries in Saudi Arabia, The United Kingdom, France the UAE and even in the Saudi Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Lulwah Al Homoud also has an Art Foundation which publishes books, promotes cross-cultural research and organises exhibitions. Al Homoud hopes to encourage the young generation of Saudi creatives to discover the world of art and embrace all the opportunities the industry will see in the coming years.
Mohammed Al Turki
Mohammed Al Turki
Mohammed Al Turki has been a close friend of A&E for many years and we have followed his championing of the film industry in Saudi Arabia very closely. The film producer is on a path to successfully bridge the gap between the East and West when it comes to the film industry and he has become a force of change in the region and beyond. Despite cinemas being banned in Saudi Arabia during the time Mohammed grew up, his great passion for film led him to a successful career in the industry.
He has produced and directed Hollywood movies, working with actors like Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Gary Oldman and Armie Hammer. But despite global success, Al Turki has made it his mission to support the growth of the film industry in his home country, and he now holds the position of CEO of The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation, Saudi’s first international film festival. Mohammed has been working closely with the festival since its first event in 2021, attracting global talents to the event.
Moving forward he will spearhead the growth of the Festival building on the success of the inaugural edition which welcomed over 30,000 filmgoers along with 3,155 industry professionals for a 10-day celebration of the best of global and Arab cinema.
Amira Al-Zuhair
It’s been quite a year for Saudi model Amira Al-Zuhair. At the recent Paris Haute Couture Week, the 21-year-old beauty walked the runways for some of the industry’s most renowned designers including Giorgio Armani and Lebanese designer Georges Hobeika. As the first Saudi Arabian model to reach this level of global success, Al-Zuhair has been making headlines and attracting global attention, so much so that she’s just landed an international campaign with Carolina Herrera.
But Al-Zuhair seems to be taking it all in her stride! She recently graduated from University in London and sees modelling as an addition to a future career as a lawyer. While she grew up between the UK and Riyadh, Al-Zuhair feels a strong attachment to her country and takes on the responsibility of promoting more acceptance of Middle Eastern women on the international runways. She sets her boundaries and feels a deep sense of cultural responsibility in the work that she takes on. We think this girl will be making even bigger headlines in the years to come.
