When we where here 20 years ago, the art really consisted of traditional artisan crafts. In lieu of paintings, we hung gorgeous hand-woven rugs on our walls and framed boxes of Bedouin jewelery and silver daggers.
All of this traditional art is still available and one of the best places to buy it in Al-Khobar is Desert Designs. This store has been a favorite of ours since it opened in the late 1990s and when we went there is on this trip, we found they've expanded their collection. Recently the owner has installed a gallery upstairs dedicated to contemporary Arabian art.
We almost missed it as we were so engrossed in all the treasures downstairs, but we got stuck inside during the mid-day prayer and the owner suggested we wonder upstairs to pass the time.
I was really impressed by what I saw. It was a small gallery featuring a show of a local artist named Hussain Al Ismail. He had a variety of work that integrated traditional Arab symbols, like the gutra, with contemporary techniques, like single line drawing.
We had an interesting discussion about his inspiration and the various techniques he has been experimenting with. I really loved the abstract nature of one of his collections - I think the juxtaposition of old and new was really amazing - so I went home with one of the single line originals.
With all the modernization in this country over the past decade, it was fascinating to see that art is part of the movement.
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