Hadeel Alhussain is a unique and talented individual living the life of an artistic nomad. In her young life of 21 years, she has called four countries home. She was born in Riyadh, but raised half of her life in Lebanon and the other half in Saudi Arabia. After a time in Bahrain, she currently resides in Denmark. Her lifestyle has created what she calls a “life on the run,” never physically nor mentally settled in one place, which in turn is captured in her art.

Alhussain’s roaming has brought her to her latest destination in Denmark where she is enrolled in the Copenhagen Academy of Fashion and Design and majoring in Fashion Design. She believes that the search for inspiration “is a never ending journey,” and she considers her whole life a source of inspiration. This wandering artist counts her thoughts, feelings, memories, and dreams, as well as external factors, such as music, poetry, photography, and change in seasons as major contributors to her inspiration; “I’m constantly collecting images that speak to me by keeping my eyes open to appealing colors, patterns, textures, or even texts.”

There is a prominent focus on the human form by Alhussain, and specifically the way she captures emotions through facial expression. When asked how she would categorize her work, Alhussain described it as “abstract portraiture, which also involves gestural expressionism using expressive methods.” She encapsulates emotions, expressions, and movements. Her art took this direction as a result of her desire to express her own thoughts, feelings, and moods through her art. She does it in such a way that turns her emotions to actions as she finds art a therapeutic method to relieve tension.

She showcases a wide range of diversity in canvases from disposable coffee cups, sketchbooks, dress mannequins, to actual canvases. However, she finds her voice is the strongest when painting on a canvas, “I honestly appreciate art in all its forms, but I must say painting on canvases expresses my voice the most.” Whether using vibrant colors or muted tones, Alhussain’s portraits convey simple emotions dramatically. Moreover, there is sincerity in her work that imparts utterly relatable statements to the viewer. As an artist, she evokes empathy through her presentations of universal sentiments such as struggle, serenity, compassion, or despair. Her fashion designs, on the other hand, are edgy, yet elegant; she brings together elements of modern and classic to exude captivating style. Alhussain’s long-term goals include starting her own fashion line, however, she’s not in a hurry, “I would like to take my time to explore and get more involved in the fashion world. There is so much to see, so much to learn, and so many ideas to experiment with!” Ultimately, she believes her first step is to find her identity as a fashion designer, which will lead her to create fresh and original designs.

Although, self-motivated and dedicated to her art and talent, Alhussain acknowledges her support system as being extremely instrumental in pursuing her passions. She credits her parents as being her biggest supporters and crucial advocates when it came to her following her artistic calling. She explained, “They really believed in me and readily provided me with everything that I needed to pursue my art career.”

The recent growth and regularity of art events and exhibitions in Saudi Arabia over the years leaves Alhussain excited for the future. She elaborates by explaining that not only is the Saudi art scene significantly advancing, but also support and patronage of Saudi art has increased. As a Saudi artist and Saudi woman, Alhussain recognizes the major talent and passion of her fellow Saudi colleagues. She uses Saudi Design Week as an example: “[It] exposed me to many female talents that left me inspired and impressed.” In general, she asserts that Saudi women are substantial contributors to the cause and is encouraged by the emergence and number of Saudi female artists and designers. The fact that the role of art is changing in Saudi Arabia and becoming more vital makes her nothing less than proud.

Although there is an encouraging surge of Saudi art, she cannot deny that there is still a long way to go when it comes to society’s acceptance of art as a profession. Alhussain concedes that pursuing an artistic career is a challenge in such a society that considers art a hobby as opposed to a livelihood. However, her advice to people contemplating this career path is to be brave. “Even if this means standing alone in a crowd full of doctors, lawyers, and engineers, my honest advice is never be afraid to stand out and do what you love the most.” For a glimpse into the world of Hadeel Alhussain, the traveler, the artist, and the designer, follow her on Instagram (@hh.art). More importantly, follow her to witness her heeding her own advice and living by example: being brave.

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