Maha Malluh Saudi Arabian, b. 1959

Installation shots
Maha Malluh, Food for Thought ‘Abraj’ , 2016, Jeddah Sculpture Museum. Jeddah. KSA 
Biography
Bloom, 2019
Bloom, 2019

Born 1959. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 

Lives and works in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  

 

Maha Malluh’s work offers a critical and sensible reflection on the immense impact of globalization and consumer culture on everyday life, behaviour, and social values, particularly within the context of her native Saudi Arabia. Living and working in the Kingdom, she examines the rapid transformations brought about by oil wealth and modernization, and the ways in which these forces have reshaped urban life, rural environments, and material culture. Her practice explores the complex tension between deeply rooted traditions and the emblematic symbols of contemporary consumerism, revealing how this new social and economic order continues to redefine cultural identity, values, as well as natural and architectural landscapes. 

 

Through a wide range of media, including mixed-media installations, sculpture, photography, and collage, Malluh investigates the cultural and symbolic elements of Saudi Arabian civilization in a modern context. She is particularly known for her use of found objects sourced from flea markets and junk shops, whose worn and discarded condition speaks to cycles of use, neglect, and cultural loss. Referencing architectural forms, everyday domestic objects, and materials tied to religious, social, and economic life, her work reflects an attachment to the historic region of Najd while offering a broader critique of material excess and the growing prioritization of consumption within a globalized world. 

 

Malluh’s works have been shown in several international institutions and biennales, such as the 57th Venice Biennale (2009, 2017), Venice, Italy; the Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris; Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai, U.A.E; Dom Museum Wien, Wien, Austria and The Louvre Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.  

 

Her works can be found in public collections, including The British Museum, London, UK; Tate Modern, London, UK; The Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France; Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, U.A.E; The Louvre Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E; Art Jameel Centre, Dubai, U.A.E; The MAK Museum, Vienna; Greenbox Museum Amsterdam, The Netherlands and UBS Art Collections, International.  

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Works
Food for Thought (Tuwaiq - طویق), 2025
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