MAKKAH: Saudi visual artist Bdour Al-Maliki has emerged as a distinct voice in the local art scene, transforming her personal pain and lived experience into colorful works.
Al-Maliki’s childhood was shaped by her artist father, who nurtured her visual awareness from an early age.
“My father being an artist had a profound impact on my early years,” she said. “I would watch him paint with passion, handling colors and tools with love. That instilled in me the understanding that painting isn’t just a hobby, it’s a form of expression and a way of life.”
Her father did not impose art on her, she stressed. Rather, his inspiring presence made her turn to it naturally, as if it were part of her identity: “Even now, I feel that every painting I work on carries a part of his artistic spirit,” she said.
I draw inspiration from the environment, the stories, and the feelings we experience, and I try to express them in my own way. My art carries the spirit of the place to which I belong.
