Lahd Gallery presents The Gulf Re-Veiled, the first group exhibition of women artists whose art relates to the society and culture of the Gulf. The featured women artists include Shurooq Amin (Kuwait), Tagreed Al Bagshi (Saudi Arabia), Nabeela Al Khayer (Bahrain), Hind Bin Demaithan (United Arab Emirates) and Huda Totonji (Saudi Arabia).
Against the backdrop of the Middle Eastern society as their common denominator, these women artists show us, using their own thought-provoking styles, how we can rethink cliches, assumptions about Middle Eastern culture and generalisations about the Gulf.
Using mixed media, both Shurooq Amin and Nabeela Al Khayer articulate their own perspectives of societal influences, with Al Khayer giving us a more personal and intimate facet. On the other hand, Tagreed Al Bagshi demonstrates that in spite of common stereotypes, a different view of women is still possible, as evident in her self portraits. In contrast, Hind Bin Demaithan uses digital photography to illustrate the contextual beauty of poetry. The exhibition also features an extraordinary multimedia installation by Huda Totonji, the first of its kind in London, that brings together Arabic calligraphy and writings from the walls of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.