By Ayesha Sohail Shehmir Shaikh
The second edition of Purificacion Garcia’s ‘Thinker Program’ has spread the initiative to the Kingdom of Saudi, focusing on emerging female talents from the region. The program involves reinterpreting the brand’s iconic bags with the participating artist’s own creative spin.
Hailing from Jeddah, the three female artists; painter Huda Beydoun, calligrapher Mawadah Muhtasib and Chef Nawal AlKhalawi, created exclusive works for the project which were also exhibited at Riyadh’s Naila Art Gallery.
So who are they? Muhtasib is famed for incorporating lines and forms seen in Arabic letters and merging them together. For this project, the artist drew inspiration from the geometric shapes featured in the ORI bag and crafted a work of art which symbolised the challenges women experience and the strength they garner to overcome them.
AlKhalawi, a gastronomy nutritional consultant and a holistic health coach, fashioned bold and colourful products on six different platforms, reflecting truth and transparency. Her work was inspired by the brand’s Tandem bag.
Observing aspects of the Origami bag, such as the design and texture, multidisciplinary artist, painter, fashion photographer and creative director Beydoun created a bespoke painting featuring evocative geometrical forms.
Through Purificacion Garcia’s combination of colour, geometry, functionality, minimalist features and most of all, creativity, the works celebrate diversity and female empowerment.
Originally published on Harper’s Bazaar Arabia