This episode of The Misk Art Library Podcast highlights Moroccan artist Amina Agueznay and Saudi painter Fahad Hajailan. The discussion reflects on Agueznay’s journey from architecture to wearable art, the role of craft within contemporary practice, and Hajailan’s colorful and expressive portraits. Together, they consider the vibrant art communities of Morocco and Saudi Arabia, and the connections that bind artistic practices across regions.
Their work is featured in the volumes Amina Agueznay: Unmuted Narratives and Fahad Hajailan: Poetry in Color within the bilingual Misk Art Library series.
00:00 Introduction
00:22 Amina Agueznay's First Monograph
00:57 Cecilia Ruggeri on Hajailan's Work
02:42 Artistic Upbringing in Casablanca
07:10 Hajailan's Community and Practice
08:29 From Architecture to Wearable Art
12:19 Blurring Craft and Art
17:31 Cultural Influences in Hajailan's Work
21:29 Portraits of Women in Hajailan's Practice
26:18 Deconstructing and Reconstructing Jewelry
35:36 Hajailan's Horse Series
41:55 Agueznay's Installations and Projects
47:19 Book Recommendations
48:30 Closing Reflections
Fahad Hajailan (1957-2018, born in Bilbeis, Egypt) is a Saudi painter, poet and teacher, with a career spanning four decades in painting based between Bilbeis, Riyadh and Jeddah. Between 1979 and 1999, he was employed as an art teacher at the Saad bin Abi Waqqas School in Riyadh and subsequently worked as a designer at two of the Kingdom’s leading dailies, Al Jazirah and Al Riyadh, where he explored digital art. In 2000, he helped found the Riyadh Fine Arts Group and thereafter focused strictly on his art practice, exhibiting extensively until his death. A central figure of the Saudi art scene, he sits firmly among the Kingdom’s pioneering artists, not only for his artistic practice but also for his contributions within the nation’s cultural domain.
Cecilia Ruggeri is a curator at Misk Art Institute, Riyadh. Her practice bridges historic and contemporary art, exploring diverse subjects, themes, and display techniques. Informed by her experiences in classical art historical spheres and contemporary spaces, her research aims to redefine art promotion and consumption, while raising transnational dialogues and institutional critiques regarding museum developments. With a B.A. from Institut d’Etudes Superieurs des Arts (Paris) and an M.A. from the Courtauld Institute of Art (London), she is completing a PhD in Art History at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
Connect with Cecilia Ruggeri 👉 https://instagram.com/ceciliaaruggeri
Amina Agueznay (born 1963, Casablanca) is an artist, jewellery designer and architect based in Casablanca. Her practice leads her to the borders of the diverse yet complementary fields of architecture, design and traditional weaving methods. An advocate for ancestral techniques and traditional craft, her ideas take shape via collaborations with artisans of exceptional skills. In 2010 she was a laureate of the prestigious Mediterranean Fashion Prize, and her work can be found in the Bank Al-Maghrib collection, Société Générale Maroc, Musée d’Art Contemporain Africain Al Maaden and CNAP France.
Connect with Amina Agueznay 👉 https://instagram.com/aminaagueznay
Hosted by Mikey Muhanna 👉
https://instagram.com/mikey_mu
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