During opening weekend of Phantom Punch: Contemporary Art from Saudi Arabia in Lewiston at the Bates College Museum of Art, I had the pleasure of meeting contemporary Saudi artist Nouf Alhimiary to speak about her featured work in the exhibition, The Desire to Not Exist. In addition, I had the opportunity to share a conversation with Loring Danforth, Co-curator of Phantom Punch and Charles A. Dana Professor of Anthropology at Bates College. Professor Danforth offered insight into the organization of the show and described his first encounter with artist Nouf Alhimiary in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

In my interview with Nouf Alhimiary, she described her inspiration for the series The Desire to Not Exist and her interest in existentialism. She successfully captured and communicated the psychological states of isolation, confinement, and vulnerability through her images of a young woman drowning. Further, Alhimiary expressed the Internet’s significant impact on her life and the lives of Saudi women who find liberty in expressing concerns of conventions through social media platforms.

In both of my conversations with Alhimiary and Professor Danforth, each shared meaningful information for audiences to better understand the Saudi works exhibited in Phantom Punch.

Created by,
Lillie Shulman

Art History & French

For more information on the artist Nouf Alhimiary follow the link http://noufling.com/.