Saudi female art show

It could be a breakthrough of sorts, this all-female art show in Saudi Arabia.

Maybe.


Carmen Bin Ladin would no doubt applaud it while at the same time express concern that one all-female art show does not indicate fundamental changes have been made in a Saudi culture dominated by males that treats females as inferior human beings.

Carmen Bin Ladin, an independent European woman of Swiss/Persian descent, living in Switzerland, married Yeslam, a younger brother of Osama Bin Laden, in 1974. She was very much in love. For nine years she lived among the bin Laden clan in Saudi Arabia. During that time she gave birth to three daughters.

Carmen tells the story in her book, Inside the Kingdom, (Warner Books, New York, 2004). It is a fascinating glimpse of life behind the scenes, of how the rich and powerful live in the ultra-conservative desert kingdom ruled by the Saud family but beholden to the Wahhabi mullahs.

Upon her marriage, Carmen entered "a complex clan and a culture she neither knew nor understood. In Saudi Arabia, she was forbidden to leave her home without the head-to-toe black abaya thaqt completely covered her. Her face could never be seen by a man outside the family. And according to Saudi law, her husband could divorce her at will, without any kind of court procedure, and take her children away from her forever."

While the bin Laden clan shared and enjoyed great wealth, the bin Laden wives' lives were "so restricted that they could not go outside their homes--not even to cross the street--without a chaperone."

Eventually, Carmen left Yeslam and moved back to Switzerland with her daughters. After a long and difficult struggle, she divorced Yeslam in 2006.


The all-female art show was held at the French Embassy in Riyadh. Seven Saudi women artists were involved, offering their paintings and sculptures to public view. Amazingly, one abstract painting of a woman showed clearly one breast. This could not have been done in another venue, as nudity is a no-no in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi religious (morality) police are not allowed in foreign embassies.

The Saudi interest in art is something new and a few women have been allowed to participate. An article in philly.com notes that "The first nongovernmental arts society was established a year ago, with four women on its 10-member board."

The battle for female equality in Saudi Arabia is far from won, however. In some ways it hasn't even begun. But because the prevailing view in many Muslim countries holds "that the depiction of human form violates Islamic law and that sculptures look like idols," this art show may signify a willingness to modify some of the more restrictive laws.

But maybe not. Saudi Arabia in many ways exhibits a national schizophrenia that can lead to unexpected and occasional violent eruptions, often against those who violate religious law or somehow "insult" the kingdom. While the House of Saud ensures that the mullahs are well paid, the mullahs, in turn, look the other way and fail to see the profligate lives of the wealthy Saudis.

That quiet agreement has not yet been extended to allow personal freedom for women. The sexes remain strictly segregated in Saudi Arabia.

But, again, this all-female art show may be a sign of new possibilities. Donna Abu-Nasr, writing at philly.com, describes the work of Eman Jibreen, which expresses "the dichotomy between a Saudi woman's public appearance and her inner self. A series of tall boxes were painted on the exterior with images of Saudi women swathed in the mandatory black cloak. Inside each box were pictures of Albert Einstein, a child, a kitchen - an expression of each woman's individuality that is masked by the cloaks.

"A nearby caption read:

"'We may look the same to you

'A scarf and a featureless black blob

'But it is just a cover over our heads. Our faces maybe.

'But it has never been a cover for our brains.'"


Carmen bin Ladin would approve. A step in the right direction. But one hell of a long way to go!