At Buro247 Middle East, we are committed to showcasing and celebrating the extraordinary talent in the Arab world. With our column, #BuroSpotlights, we bring you stories of pioneering artists, innovative designers, tech trailblazers, cinematic visionaries, sports stars, and more.
This week, #BuroSpotlights Bahraini Artist Fatema Alsada.
There’s something magnetic about Fatema AlSada’s work. The Bahraini artist holds the distinct power to translate feelings into form. Every canvas feels like a confession, rendered in bursts of color and geometry that capture the chaos and clarity of growing up, changing, and becoming. Self-taught yet instinctively fluent in visual rhythm, AlSada paints from a place that feels both deeply personal and universally understood.
Her practice draws influence from the greats of Expressionism and Cubism, but what she creates feels entirely her own. Angular figures and fractured planes coexist with soft gradients and sudden shocks of color, building landscapes that oscillate between harmony and dissonance. Each piece is a study in contrast — happiness and melancholy, chaos and control, transformation and stillness — all compressed into captivating compositions.
AlSada’s use of oil and mixed media gives her paintings a tangible intensity. The way she layers pigment feels almost sculptural, as if she’s carving emotion into existence. Color is her most deliberate instrument. Her work often features bold reds and cobalt blues that thrum with urgency, while muted ochres or soft greys introduce quiet reflection. She isn’t afraid to let beauty and discomfort share the same space.
Yet what makes her paintings linger is their invitation to the viewer. AlSada opens a dialogue. The interplay of geometry and feeling draws you in, asking you to locate your own experience within her evolving visual language.
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