Featuring a series of photograms that capture her reflections on the changing cultural landscape of Saudi Arabia, Maha Malluh presents her exhibition Reminiscence at AlUla Arts Festival 2025.
Art often prompts us to look twice, to question what we think we understand. And when placed against the backdrop of AlUla’s dramatic desert landscapes, where the ancient and the modern coexist in harmony, art becomes a powerful invitation to engage with the world in new ways. Maha Malluh’s outdoor exhibition Reminiscence, part of this year’s AlUla Art Festival, offers a deep dive into the complex nature of visual perception.
Sandwiched within the local architecture of AlUla , the exhibition offers an intimate setting for three distinct series of photograms, each one offering a unique lens into the artist’s practice. Capturing Light (2005), the first series, holds a central position in the space, drawing visitors into a meditative transfusion of light and shadow. Malluh holds a special connection with light, one that transcends conventional photography. In Capturing Light, she uses a technique of creating photograms, a process in which light is captured without a camera, creating spontaneous, unpredictable images that feel almost like magic. Instead of using conventional exposure, these works are created in complete darkness, simulating the film development process but adding a degree of serendipity. The end result has an air of surprise and uncertainty since, despite meticulous preparation, the final photographs are never exactly what the artist has in mind. In this case there is a subtle yet enthralling moment when tree branches, waving gently in the breeze, caress the Lightbox displays . This fragile waltz with nature and technology injects life and a sense of malleability within the space.
The exhibition also includes two other photogram series, Shema Mirage (2010) and Tradition and Modernity (2008), both of which expand upon Malluh’s ruminations on the intersection of Saudi traditions and the global influences that are reshaping the country. These works invite questions around how traditional values and modernity coexist, often in tension with one another, and how deeply personal and cultural symbols are altered by the pressures of globalisation. But the most powerful part of this exhibition is not just in what’s on the surface, it is in the subtle undertones, the quiet reflections on the artist’s personal history and the lives of those closest to her.
Reminiscence is fundamentally a deeply personal meditation on memories. Malluh transforms everyday objects that others may consider frivolous or mundane into spiritual symbols of her history. A broken retainer from her child’s upbringing, a stethoscope formerly belonging to the sick mother she cared for, a finger splint from her daughter’s injury – these small and seemingly trivial objects contain profound significance. Malluh fosters these items, demonstrating that the memories tied to them are priceless. The retainer, for example, is more than just a piece of dental equipment; it represents the artist’s relationship with her children, providing a concrete link to their growth and development. The stethoscope is not merely a medical tool; it is a memento of caregiving moments with her mother. They are memories frozen in time, not unlike the photograms that Malluh creates, and constitute a tribute to the invisible threads that connect her to the past.
Another significant element in the show is the wall installation, which offers a glimpse into Malluh’s artistic practice. The wall reflects her roots, the progression of her technique from a photographic collage-maker to the more elaborate processes that she now uses. It offers visitors to chance to witness the artist’s growth as she picks through some of the objects that have inspired her work.
The interaction between the artworks and their environment is especially marked in the evening, when the glow of the lightboxes cast a stark reflection, emphasising the clarity and precision of the photograms. In the darkness, the light softens, revealing new nuances and highlighting the subtle details of the images. The shift between day and night creates a dynamic and evolving experience, showing how both natural and artificial light can alter and enhance the meaning of the pieces in unexpected ways.
Reminiscence is not just a showcase of Malluh’s technical skill, but also an exploration of the intimate connection between art, memory and identity. In this calm yet profound space, the artist invites visitors to question the frameworks of perception and urges us to look at familiar concepts from a different perspective. It is the kind of show that encourages its audience to move from asking “What is this?” towards “How do I know what I think I know?”
Reminiscence runs until 19 April
