5 Powerful Women Artists from the Middle East You Should Know

These women aren’t just creating art — they’re creating change.

The art world has long overlooked the talent, stories, and voices of women artists from the Middle East. But today, a new generation of powerful female creators is gaining global attention — not just for the quality of their work, but for the cultural, emotional, and political depth behind it.

At No.35 Gallery, our mission is rooted in uplifting these voices. In this post, we spotlight 5 incredible women artists from the Middle East whose work is bold, beautiful, and breaking boundaries.

1. Hayv Kahraman (Iraq)

Hayv Kahraman was born in Baghdad and later fled Iraq due to war, eventually settling in the United States. Her experience as a refugee shapes much of her work, which often portrays ethereal female figures in poetic, surreal compositions.

Her signature style blends Persian miniature painting, Renaissance portraiture, and traditional Arabic calligraphy, creating a visual language that explores identity, vulnerability, trauma, and survival.

Her recurring themes include displacement, memory, and the fragmented female body, especially within contexts of migration and violence. Hayv's work pushes against the objectification of women and speaks powerfully to those navigating cross-cultural identity.

✨ Exhibited at: The Broad (LA), ICA Boston, and The Sharjah Art Foundation

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2. Zahrah Al Ghamdi (Saudi Arabia)

Based in Jeddah, Zahrah Al Ghamdi is known for her site-specific installations that use natural and local materials such as sand, leather, clay, and metal. Her work is deeply influenced by her upbringing in the southwestern region of Saudi Arabia.

She often draws inspiration from Najdi architecture and Bedouin textiles, embedding her personal history into each piece. Through labor-intensive repetition and meticulous composition, Zahrah investigates the role of women, heritage, and land in shaping identity.

Her installation for the Venice Biennale in 2019, titled "After Illusion," used 52,000 pieces of leather to explore the tension between presence and absence — both personal and collective.

✨ Exhibited at: Venice Biennale, British Museum, Desert X AlUla

3. Laila Shawa (Palestine)

A pioneer in modern Arab art, the late Laila Shawa (1940–2022) was one of the most prominent Palestinian visual artists of her generation. Educated in Cairo and Rome, she used her multidisciplinary practice to confront themes of occupation, resistance, and gender.

Her powerful work combines photography, painting, installation, and silkscreen to document and challenge the realities of life under Israeli military control. One of her most iconic pieces, "Hands of Fatima," blends Islamic symbolism with feminist undertones, speaking to empowerment and repression simultaneously.

Shawa was deeply committed to both artistic innovation and social justice, creating work that was aesthetically arresting and politically fearless.

✨ Exhibited at: The British Museum, The Ashmolean, The National Museum of Women in the Arts

4. Shirin Neshat (Iran)

Shirin Neshat is one of the most internationally recognized women artists from the Middle East. Born in Qazvin, Iran, and now based in New York, Neshat is known for her black-and-white photography, film, and video installations that explore the complex intersections of Islam, gender, exile, and cultural identity.

Her iconic photographic series, such as "Women of Allah," juxtaposes female figures in veils with Persian calligraphy written over their skin and clothing, challenging Western stereotypes of Muslim women.

Her films like Women Without Men (Silver Lion Winner, Venice Film Festival) offer poetic, multilayered narratives about power, repression, and liberation. Neshat's work invites viewers into both personal and collective dimensions of Middle Eastern womanhood.

✨ Exhibited at: Guggenheim Museum, Tate Modern, Venice Biennale

5. Farah Al Qasimi (UAE)

Born in Abu Dhabi and currently working between New York and the UAE, Farah Al Qasimi is a rising star in contemporary photography. Her vibrant, colorful compositions investigate the intersections of consumer culture, femininity, tradition, and aesthetics in Gulf societies.

Farah often photographs domestic interiors, beauty salons, and everyday rituals, focusing on the subtleties of identity formation within a rapidly modernizing Arab world. Her work is humorous yet sharp, capturing both beauty and critique in equal measure.

She challenges orientalist representations by telling stories from within, offering an insider’s lens that is both intimate and globally resonant.

✨ Exhibited at: MoMA PS1, Art Basel Miami, Jameel Arts Centre

Why Women Artists From The Middle East Work Matters

These women artists from the Middle East are not just contributing to art — they’re redefining it. Their work offers perspectives the global art world urgently needs — complex, layered, and grounded in lived experience.

By supporting platforms like No.35 Gallery, you help these voices reach further, louder, and stronger.

Final Thoughts

At No.35, we don’t just showcase art. We amplify stories. These artists — and many like them — deserve more than representation. They deserve reverence.

Follow us for more artist features and submit your work to be part of our next curated exhibition.