“I like to define myself as a Muslim artist, sprung from my native Saudi culture and history. In my art I am seeking to show signs of the Divine in nature and in Man”
Born in Jeddah Reem Al-Faisal studied Arabic Literature at university before moving on to study photography in Paris. In Jeddah in 1994 she held Saudi Arabia’s first exhibition of black-and-white photography. Since then she has exhibited internationally. Al-Faisal now alternates between Jeddah and Paris, having photographed throughout the Middle East, America and East Asia. She has read widely and counts among her inspirations Shakespeare, Blake, Donne and various medieval Sufi poets.
Her series Nation of Islam comprises photographs taken between 1999-2001. The Nation of Islam is a religious organization born of Christian, Muslim and Masonic influences. Founded in 1930 by Wallace Fard Muhammed, they believe Fard to be the reincarnation of the Prophet Muhammad. If her aim as an artist is to capture The Divine across the globe, this group represents an entirely unique interpretation of Islam. Her photographs document the first time an outsider was allowed to photograph the Nation of Islam’s ‘Savior’s Day Convention’ in Chicago. Al-Faisal documents not only the tightly-drilled performative aspect of the day but the preparation, anticipation and construction of the event.
Al-Faisal is also one of the first women to be granted permission to photograph in the Holy cities of Makkah and Al-Medinah. Pictures from her Hajj series manage to capture the spirituality and beauty of the pilgrimage above and beyond the logistical difficulty of taking these photographs.
