These are the Arab women ceramic artists you need to have on your radar.
In contemporary craft and design, the humble and personal practice of working with clay is fast becoming a coveted mainstream artistic medium. Executed with the delicacy of the human touch, whether carried out on the wheel or with other hand-building techniques, pottery is proving to be more than just decorative or functional; after all, ceramics contain a skin-deep layer of stories, revolving around heritage, grief and language. And these nine Arab women ceramic artists, living between North Africa and the Gulf, are telling their stories loudly and proudly.
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Hala Matta
Coming from a background in finance, Hala Matta shifted her career to ceramics, which she practices in Beirut. The Lebanese creative produces colourful vases, glazed pots, candle holders, funky partitions and statue-like objects, which she calls “totems,” made of a vertical stack of shapes. Matta has displayed her work in fairs in Dubai, London, Paris, Miami, New York, among other places. A pottery technique that she is particularly fond of is the old Japanese ‘raku,’ where the glaze gives off an imperfect, crackled effect. @namika_atelier
Lena Kassicieh
“All of my work is a deep meditation on my internal world, and is deeply personal,” says the Palestinian-American ceramicist and multidisciplinary artist Lena Kassicieh. Usually painted with bright hues and decorated with joyful symbols and meaningful words, Kassicieh’s pieces – from plates to vessels and beyond – exude playfulness, spontaneity and a feeling of letting go. Her pieces, which have been exhibited at Dubai Design Week and Amman Design Week, are inspired by personal family memories, history, anthropology, loss and acceptance. @lena.kassicieh
Mirna Bamieh
Another ceramicist hailing from Palestine is Mirna Bamieh, who was trained as a chef and is known for exploring culinary topics through her experiential work, encompassing elaborate installations, dinner performances, interventions and emotionally-charged wall pieces. An issue that is especially close to Bamieh's heart is revitalising traditions of Palestinian cooking and fermentation methods that are being lost in the current political climate. @mirna_bamieh
Rand Abdul Jabbar
Next on our list is the emerging Baghdad-born artist Rand Abdul Jabbar, who is a former recipient of the Richard Mille Art Prize (initiated by Louvre Abu Dhabi) and has also experimented with sculpture and installation art. Through her multifaceted practice, Abdul Jabbar makes small and intriguing pottery symbols that refer to stories of archaeology, iconography, mythology and myth-making, mostly pertaining to her rich Iraqi heritage. In 2019, the Abu Dhabi-based artist started an ongoing series, entitled “Earthly Wonders,” which contains 100 ceramic objects, each of which has its own tale to tell. @randabduljabbar
Shamsa Juma
Shamsa Juma is an Emirati entrepreneur who is sharing her love of pottery with the Dubai community through her workshop atelier and art gallery, House of Clay. A practising ceramicist herself, Juma typically experiments with the slab building technique, by which slabs of clay are formed into a variety of geometric shapes. Many of her stoneware pieces feature curvy Arabic calligraphy, where the letters are sometimes integrated within the clay itself or are whimsically fluttering around the piece. @houseofclayae
Bouchra Boudoua
The Morocco-based Bouchra Boudoua, who has a degree in spatial design, is deeply inspired by the traditional craftsmanship of her native country. Such an influence can be sensed in her creations that pay tribute to her heritage in a modernised and lively fashion. Produced in a rustic atelier in Marrakesh with local potters, her vibrantly coloured pieces are highly patterned with waves, lines, geometric patterns and naïve symbols. @bouchraboudoua
Shirine Osmansoy
A common and charming motif found in Lebanese-Turkish ceramicist and architect Shirine Osmansoy’s delicate pieces is the rounded bird, a symbolic animal in Levantine culture, that is quietly resting on the edge of hand-built bowls and hollow trays. “They are often seen as messengers of peace, hope, and spiritual freedom. Because of their ability to migrate, birds also reflect themes of displacement, longing for home, and resilience – experiences familiar to many in the region,” the Dubai-based creative says. @s.o_ceramicstudio
Zein Daouk
The Beirut-based ceramicist Zein Daouk first started experimenting with clay back in 1999, but it was only five years ago that she decided to professionally devote herself to pottery. Daouk has participated in several international and regional events, such as Expo 2020 Dubai and Design Miami, showing her asymmetrical, biomorphic pots. Daouk has birthed her own species, where each sea creature-like being has its own personality, from the feminine to the regal and whimsical. @zein.daouk
Xeina AlMalki
Rounding up our list of the best Arab women ceramic artists to buy from, is Xeina AlMalki. Originally from Syria, she established her space, Slō Ceramics, in Dubai with the goal of practising pottery in a grounded, process-led way. In her bespoke, handmade collections – comprising speckled tiles, ceramic objects and nature-inspired furniture – no two pieces are exactly alike. According to a statement published by Slō, AlMalki is “rooted in material exploration, [where] her practice sits at the intersection of design and craft, centred around repetition, process and precision, with room for softness and unpredictability.” @sloceramics @xeinamalki
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