Ithra and Barjeel Art Foundation host works of Arab women artists in KSA

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), a leading cultural institution located in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, has launched the exhibition Horizon in Their Hands: Women Artists from the Arab World (1960s-1980s), from September 18 to February 14, 2026, at the Ithra Museum, with ticketed access to the museum gallery available through booking on the Ithra website.

- Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

Presented in collaboration with the Barjeel Art Foundation, a prominent UAE based art initiative with an extensive collection of modern and contemporary Arab art, the exhibition brings together 50 women artists from across the Arab world whose work from the 1960s to the 1980s, played an instrumental role in shaping the visual and cultural narratives of the region.

Spanning generations, geographies and movements, the exhibition shines a light on how the pioneering artists used craft, tradition and innovation, to expand the possibilities of artistic expression. Including painting, sculpture, glass, brass, tapestry, ceramics and mixed media, the works on display explore themes of identity, memory, place, tradition, and renewal. The myriad perspectives presented in the exhibition are shaped by their cultural, political, and personal contexts, offering new readings of modern Arab art history.