Yemeni Artists You Should Know

From its striking architecture, to its poetry and music traditions, Yemen has a rich artistic history. Yemen also has a contemporary art scene too. A new generation of Yemeni artists is redefining cultural narratives, using visual art, photography, film, and multimedia to explore themes of memory, identity, migration, and resilience. Both inside Yemen and in the diaspora, these artists are giving voice to stories of displacement, heritage, and imagination. Their work challenges stereotypes, confronts social and political realities, and opens a window into the lived experiences and creative visions of Yemen today. Keep reading to learn about the Yemeni artists whose work is shaping both local and global conversations in contemporary art.

Yumna Al Arashi

Yumna Al Arashi is a Yemeni-American photographer and filmmaker, currently based in Switzerland. She is known for her works commenting on women, identity, the MENA region, and post-colonial narratives. Al Arashi’s work reclaims Arab and Muslim narratives, focusing on female empowerment, body positivity, and spirituality that resists colonial and orientalist imagery. Her work is in the collection of the US Embassy in Yemen and she has also shot the cover of Vogue Mexico. Her recent book Aisha - which was inspired by her great-grandmother - has won a number of awards including from PhotoEspana. She has exhibited widely, including solo exhibitions in Switzerland, Tunisia, Berlin, and the US.

Ibi Ibrahim

Ibi Ibrahim is a Yemeni-American artist and publisher. Having lived across the MENA region, he is now based in the US. A multidisciplinary artist, his practice traverses photography, film and music, touching on identity, migration, and the idea of “in-betweenness.” His work is in a number of public collections including the British Museum, and he has collaborated with Balmain. In addition to his own art, he is the founder of the Romooz Foundation, a non-profit that supports emerging artists and writers in Yemen. In addition, he co-founded Arsheef, Yemen’s first contemporary art gallery. His publishing house, Makan, platforms artists from the global south.

Boushra Almutawakel

Boushra Almutawakel was recognised as the first female professional photographer in Yemen in 1999. Active since the 1990s, in 1996 she founded an artist group called Al-Halaqa in Yemen that provided a space for artistic dialogue and exhibitions. Her work is known for its deep engagement with how Muslim and Arab women are represented, focusing heavily on gender and identity. More recently, her work has also commented on mental health. In 2018, she was one of BBC’s 100 Women and she has worked with major organisations including the British Council, UN, and CARE International.

Hakim Alakel

Hakim Alakel was a founding member of the Yemeni Plastic Artists Association in 1986, later becoming President. His work draws from his childhood memories of Taiz in Yemen. Known for his paintings, his work is colourful and vibrant, commenting on Yemeni culture. He has exhibited internationally including in Russia and Jordan. In addition to his art, he is also a critic and teacher, influencing the younger generations of Yemeni artists.

Thana Faroq

Netherlands-based Thana Faroq is a photography-based artist known for her documentary style. Her work comments on memory, migration, intergenerational trauma, and women’s resilience and belonging. Her process often involves long-term engagement, regularly returning to the subjects in her photographs to build trust and capture how their lives evolve. She has published two photo books - I Don’t Recognize Me in the Shadows and How Shall We Greet the Sun - and received a number of grants and awards from institutions including Arab Documentary Fund, Prince Claus Fund, and Open Society Foundation Fellowship.

Asim Abdulaziz

Aden-based Asim Abdulaziz is a photographer and filmmaker. From the younger generation of Yemeni artists, his work often talks about the psychological trauma of war, as well as masculinity and vulnerability. His first short film 1941 (2021) comments on time and disorientation, meditating on war and agency. It was screened at the Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art and won the award for Best Experimental Film and Best Cinematography at the Canada Short Film Festival. He has won grants from the British Council and the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC).

Alia Ali

Alia Ali is a Yemeni-Bosnian multimedia artist who has travelled to over 60 countries and lived in seven. Her work encompasses photography, video, textile, installation and sculpture, perhaps best known for her use of fabric as a metaphor for borders, migration, history, and power. The figures in her images are often completely covered, exploring how bodies are politicized in diasporic and post-colonial contexts. Her work is in the collections of major institutions including the Princeton University Art Museum and the British Museum. Throughout her career she has been featured in publications including Vogue, the Financial Times, and Hyperallergic.

Arif Al Nomay

Arif Al Nomay was born in Ibb, Yemen, and moved to Saudi Arabia as a teenager where his grandfather ran a photography studio where he learned about analogue photography, printing and colouring. He specialises in documentary photography, often exploring forgotten memory and loss. Much of his recent work came about after a computer crash, where years of work were lost, turning the corrupted images into art, using the glitches as metaphors for fragmented memory, instability, and conflict. He is part of the Arabia Felix Public Art Campaign, a project using art for community messaging and social issues in Yemen.

Karimah Hassan

Karimah Hassan is a London-based Welsh, Yemeni, and Bangladeshi artist. A multidisciplinary artist, she is best known for her paintings, but she is also a poetry and spoken word artist. Her work explores themes of belonging, cultural diversity, identity and memory, having a performative approach to her work, often involving poetry and open-mic sessions to enhance engagement in community spaces. She was a resident at Alexander McQueen’s Sarabande Foundation, and has collaborated with brands including Burberry and Ted Baker.