Sara Al Abdali

Sarah Al Abdali is an artist and researcher based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Her work, which primarily explores identity and material culture through painting, delves into the complexities of belonging and historical narratives. She has worked as a consultant on traditional arts and crafts, advising prestigious international and governmental clients, including the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities and Turquoise Mountain Trust. In 2023, she made her curatorial debut with her solo exhibition The Growing Vines of Sodom at Hafez Gallery in Jeddah, and was also appointed assistant curator for the second Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah. In 2025, she published her first novel, Departure in the Depths of Madinah, further expanding her practice into literary storytelling.

Al Abdali made a groundbreaking debut with her graffiti work In 2012, which was the first of its kind to be showcased internationally. This marked the beginning of her ongoing exploration of various media. In 2023, she founded Tabaa’, a studio brand that collaborates with designers and brands to reimagine art in the context of consumable culture.

Her artistic practice focuses on bringing overlooked historical contexts into the spotlight, particularly those related to women, architecture, and social structures. Through her paintings, she seeks to tell the untold stories of these subjects, often marginalized in art and culture.

Al Abdali has exhibited at the British Museum in London and participated in numerous international and local exhibitions, including the First Islamic Art Biennale: Awwal Bayt (2023) in Jeddah, the 13th Cairo Biennale: Eyes East Bound (2019), Art Paris at the Grand Palais (2018), the Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival (2017), the START Art Fair at Saatchi Gallery, London (2014), and #COMETOGETHER in London (2012) and more.