Tasleemah

“Tasleemah, the Arabic expression for greeting or salutation, is also a female personal name rich with connotations: submission, peace and resignation. By means of an introduction, or “salutation” into the work of bint Khalid, Tasleemah serves as a testimony to her ability, almost uncanny, to steer with art through uncertainty and discontent, revealing in the end, the forceful strength of a vital language. Similarly, the conceptual unity of the artist's work, presented in Tasleemah even after decades of constant transformation, bears witness to her perennial commitment to formal expression.” - Arie Amaya-Akkermans, Art Critic

 

Halla bint Khalid is a pioneering artist from Saudi Arabia; trained initially in classical painting, she produced pioneering work around the topic of Saudi heritage between 1980s-2000s, in an atmosphere of subversion around the figurative image, pushing boundaries to continue her practice. At present, she has made a shift toward conceptual art, but still anchored figuration, embracing a witty and humorous approach to feminism, in her new series “A Wife is... A Husband is”, nonetheless still actively engaged with large-scale figurative painting. The artist is also one of Saudi Arabia's best-known writers and illustrators of children's books, as well as a prolific publisher.

 

Halla bint Khalid's work has been on show in the United States, Canada, Italy and Germany, as well as in her native city of Riyadh.