Horizon in Their Hands

Women Artists from the Arab World (1960s-1980s)

brings together more than 70 works by pioneering women artists from the Arab world. Artists who helped shape the modernist art in their region. This exhibit is presented in collaboration with the Barjeel Art Foundation, and showcases the artists’ exploration into the relationship between fine art and crafts, and how it influenced 20th century art, through painting, tapestry, sculpture and mixed media.

The 1960s to the 1980s was and still is especially significant when looking at the evolution of art and dialogue in the region. Many Arab countries were experiencing post-independence shifts, and it was a time of profound political, social and cultural transformation.. Meanwhile the artists were navigating changing identities, emerging national narratives and the re-evaluation of local heritage. 

During this period, the artists featured in this exhibition blended traditional techniques with contemporary practices to express personal and wider cultural narratives. They challenge the distinction between “fine art” and “crafts,” as well as the dichotomy of autonomy versus functionality, questioning the hierarchies of what art is and could be.

The contributions of women artists from the Arab world have often been absent from the story of art. Yet, as demonstrated here, female artists working across North Africa, the Levant and the Gulf have challenged conventional ideas, materials and forms. Now, through this exhibition, their work reclaims its important place in this narrative, weaving memory, identity and resistance into the modernist canvas. The exhibition offers a critical resource for researchers, educators and students, inviting new academic enquiry.

The exhibition will open on September 18, 2025, Celebrating female artists and their artistry which is inspired by their history, culture and personal stories.

Rémi Homs

Curator, Barjeel Art Foundation