Asma Bahmim on Folktales, Islamic Miniatures, and Her ATHR Show

Saudi artist Asma Bahmim discusses her solo exhibition 'Fantasia: A World Between Reality and Imagination' at ATHR in Jeddah, which ran until 15 April 2023. The show featured over 30 dialogues between animal characters inspired by the Arab and Persian fable collection Kalīla wa-Dimna. Bahmim's work subverts traditional symbolism: her wolves represent disloyalty rather than loyalty, and the hoopoe bird delivers gossip instead of good news. Her style draws from Islamic miniatures, particularly Arab miniatures, which allow freer brushwork and a wider color palette. Bahmim's fascination with myths began in childhood, listening to her grandmother's folktales from Hijaz, Riyadh, Najd, and Palestine. She notes that scary figures in these stories were often female, like the Nemnem creature. The interview appears in Canvas 109: Smoke and Mirrors.