Every expat I have ever met in Jeddah, artist or no, has always been absolutely certain of one fact: there is no room for the expat artist to grow in Jeddah’s local art scene. Yes, you can get a teaching job, yes, you can even visit art galleries superficially, but to be part of it all? Nope. Not happening. And for the longest time I believed them. After all, it IS daunting to step out of your comfort zone, to put yourself out there without even knowing the language, and try to find a space for yourself. But after the first Skype …
Category: My events and exhibitions
Blog posts regarding the events I manage to organize and collaborations I end up being part of.
Expanding my horizons
I love Jeddah, I sincerely do. It’s been the place where I discovered my own strength and independence, and it has become home for me. So it hurts when I admit this, but arts and culture are severely impeded here. That is not to say that there is nothing artistic or cultural happening here, there is! There are numerous art galleries, art classes, bazaars and one-off music/film/comic conventions taking place. They just aren’t advertised so as to be accessible to all, since freedom of speech and behavior is slightly restricted here, and people don’t want to get on the wrong …