Hayat Osamah

Born 1992 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, lives and works between her place of birth and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Hayat Osamah is a multidisciplinary artist and has been a self-taught photographer since 2009. Her practice explores self-presentation and manipulation of fabrics. In 2014 she focused on the theme of diversity and started using analogue photography as her main tool of documentation. Osamah worked with international publications such as Vogue, WWD, Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, did the first Farfetch Middle East Campaign, and was named artist of the year by GQ Middle East in 2020.
Her artistic practice addresses the transience of life and matter, often using biodegradable materials. She exhibited at Noor Riyadh (2023), and was artist-in-residence at Intermix, Riyadh (2023), Masaha residency, Misk Art Institute, Riyadh (2022), and Cortona On the Move, AlUla (2022).

Soft Gates

Within the vibrant and densely populated neighborhood where the artist was raised in Riyadh, there exists a softness that defines aspects of both the self and the space, often achieved through the ubiquitous use of fabric.

This softness is evident in the way they are draped around unpolished brick and how community members use textiles to create a sense of warmth. The artist collected familiar fabrics, among which are remnants from her neighbors’ celebrations, to create this installation as a festive passageway and striking monument to the community’s caring abilities and enduring spirit.
Soft Gates is also a memorializing testament to the community’s evolution and how it has given birth to its own culture, dialect, and aesthetic. With today’s youth vigorously building upon this unique blend, businesses thrive—from dressmakers to henna artists, florists and cooks—who add color to a drab backdrop of gray brick and metal. Emerging as a majestic representation of her community’s intangible customs, the installation honors how its inhabitants rediscover each other through social rituals, adorning their lives with the vivid hues of celebration, union, and love.