Creativity and Conservatism: A praxis investigation into the formation of Saudi female artistic identity

Abstract

This praxis research investigates the formation of Saudi female artistic identity within the context of religious and social values and customs. It proposes a theory about the uniqueness of this identity in terms of the way Saudi female artists test the boundaries of creativity in a conservative culture. It considers the influence of two main factors: Islamic–doctrines and sociocultural norms. The research explores how these factors relate to artists’ temporal and spatial limitations. It investigates both factors theoretically and expands this research creatively through two art series: Green–Path (2017–2018) and Black–Path (2019–2020). Both series reinvent a vision of the Islamic grid pattern. The research uses praxis as a synthesis of both theory and practice without assuming the primacy of either. The dissertation includes the theoretical research and an analysis of the studio experimentation comprising two series of artworks that engage with and extend the theoretical research through art making. The project firstly investigates the extended influence of Islamic doctrines on contemporary Saudi artists by returning to the different doctrinal roots existing in Saudi society before the current homogenization of doctrines with the Hanbali school of thought since 1744. It discusses Najdi artists with a Hanbali doctrinal background, and the way they managed their creativity through compromise, and the classical style of Hijazi artists influenced by the Maliki doctrine and its flexibility of religious thought. Further, the research discusses the high mysticism of Asiri, an artist of the Shafi'i doctrine and her iconic style that maintains the spirit of the Shafi'i school which prevailed in Asir before the propagation of Hanbalism. Additionally, it examines the romantic style of Shia artists influenced by Shia revolutionary ideology. From a pro–faith perspective, it explores the ambivalent relationship between some Muslim scholars' thoughts and the concept of creativity. It examines how this ambivalence can be overcome by a re-reading of the holy texts and extrapolation of their correct historical context. Secondly, the project analyses the intellectual and cultural factors that have shaped the collective mind of Saudi people in relation to the arts, incorporating significant events within Saudi history, and their impact on artistic practice and reception. It discusses how Saudi citizens interact with the arts and explores the underlying conditions that have led to a relative lack of arts–awareness in Saudi society. The creative practice supports these findings by expanding the research into a new vision of the Islamic grid pattern. This is achieved by applying an action research spiral in two separate series of artworks: Green-Path (the first cycle of inquiry) and Black–Path (the second cycle of inquiry). The research draws significant new insights into the ways that Saudi female artists manage tensions between creativity and conservatism, freedom and limits in their artwork, and in doing so, challenges stereotypes about Saudi female artists