She achieved her goals by becoming a voice for Saudi women and is now preparing to soon launch an art exhibition and a fashion show in the US under the theme: “Revolution.”
According to Ben Abboud, this exhibition will change traditional idea foreigners have of Saudi society:
“Most foreigners think that Saudi society is a set of tents, palms, a cup of coffee, desert and camels, but in fact, the opposite is true. We have many developed forums, conferences and international events, but most of these events are not under the spotlight of the foreign press as these societies are concerned about their local financial issues,” she says.
As a result, she urges Saudi artists to prove them wrong through their work. “Every Saudi leader, artist, poet or fashion designer should contribute so that the rest of the world will have a new message of the Kingdom.”
The exhibition will target artists and other well-cultured groups, whereas the fashion show will target actors, singers and normal women who want to find out how Saudi women can contribute to the fashion world.
Ben Abboud started her journey in the art and fashion world by holding a number of art exhibitions and fashion shows that deliver a message of peace and love of one’s country. She held exhibitions in several countries including: Italy, Lebanon, Egypt, France and the US. She also displayed her artwork on her clothing line, as she believes that ever person can deliver a message through his/her clothes. As a result, her efforts were divided into several categories where she focused on unique and interesting approaches and creative designs so that she could target the West.
Ben Abboud doesn’t blame the West for not having the right idea of Saudi society, however, but blames local artists for not sending out the right message. She says that artists holding exhibitions abroad tend to focus mostly on Saudi Arabia’s past rather than its present and future.
“My coming exhibition will deliver a message about modern life in Saudi Arabia,” she says. It did not come easy, however, as it required her to meet with William J. Burns, the Under Secretary for Political Affairs in the US, to decide when and where to hold the exhibition and who from today’s leaders and seniors to invite.
“Targeting the leaders of Saudi society is the aim of every artist in Saudi Arabia,” says Ben Abboud. However, she explains that it is difficult to do that since many exhibitions and fashion shows get cancelled by the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Hai’a).
Recently, Ben Abboud presented an art exhibition called “Angels” and she held a fashion show carrying the same theme and ideas. The message was to renounce violence and extremism in all its forms and to spread peace and love among people. Her “Angels” collection was awarded the “Oscar Golden Palm” at the Carnival European Film Festival in Italy in 2009.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t showcase her work here in Saudi Arabia since the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Hai’a) cancelled both the exhibition and fashion show at the last minute.
Nonetheless, she states that the restrictions she faces as a woman will not stop her from achieving her goals. “I bought a palace here in Jeddah, where I will be soon presenting my ‘Angels’ fashion collection. This way, I can invite people from different social classes and be able to freely discuss my collection,” she says.
Ben Abboud posted her touches in several fields, such as art exhibitions and fashion design, but her ambitions did not stop there. As a matter of fact, she has a huge interest in designing cars, especially since most of the available cars in the kingdom are not suited to the needs of Saudi women.
Since painting cars with bright colors is not popular in Saudi society, Ben Abboud prefers to contribute in designing cars, so she can meet their needs. “Saudi women are always looking for change, and being able to drive a car is a dream for every woman, but style and car accessories will be a concern for them,” she explains.
Since Ben Abboud is a Saudi woman who loves sports cars, an Italian company asked her if she would be interested in contributing to design a first-of-a-kind 12 cylinder car of six tires and unique, traditional colors. “Because these tires are linked to automatically work in a special mechanism, such design is of a very sensitive nature,” she explains.
“We are planning to have 10 or 20 cars maximum so that only high-end people can own it. Each car would cost around one million Euros; however, the project is now postponed until 2012 due to the World Financial Crisis,” she adds.
Ben Abboud seeks to portray a new modern image of Saudi society to the world. Her future plan includes designing cars. “My next step will be to design a low-priced car that is economical, easy to use, and suitable for the needs of employees and university students,” says Ben Abboud.
