Raeda Ashour

Born in Jeddah, KSA in 1958, Raeda Ashour is an Islamic visual artist specializing in
miniatures, motifs and Islamic decorative units, adapting them in modern interpretation to
be palatable to contemporary taste. Ashour studied at the University of Cairo, Egypt,
graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies in 1981. She also
completed a Masters of Arts majoring in Art Education from Rushmore University, USA in
2007. The artist was inspired to pursue art after being compelled with the charm the old
Arabian cities; its famous architecture and aesthetical features. The journey of celebrating
heritage is ever so evident in all old and most recent artworks produced by Ashour. The
architectural elements and depicted detail reveal a strong and confident visualization and
realization of aesthetic components known to be prevalent in the Islamic art and
Ornamentation.


Ashour held solo exhibitions across the region, including; “Paper Conversation” Exhibition
at Hafez Gallery, Jeddah, KSA (2016), “Jeddah Atelier” for Artists in Saudi Arabia (2000),
“The 11th Artists” Exhibition sponsored by the Ministry of Culture in Egypt at the Opera
Grounds in Cairo (2002). She also showcased her artworks in numerous galleries and
festivals, such as; “The Ultimate Journey” at Dolmabahce Gallery in Istanbul, Turkey (2012),
the Saudi Cultural Week in Russia (2007), the Saudi Women Artists’ Exhibition at
UNESCO-Beirut, Lebanon (2001), and the Iranian Islamic Biennial in Tehran, Iran (2001).
Her work has been collected by many institutions; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the
Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia, and Dar Al Funoun in Kuwait.