
Installation shot of
Echoes of Grief in the PAPER section,
Art Düsseldorf 2025.
BIO
Moothy Al-Nwaisir (b. 1991) is a Saudi-American painter and illustrator born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Drawing inspiration from her heritage, childhood, and often changing surroundings, Moothy’s paintings evoke nostalgic recollections of Jeddah’s architectural evolution over time. In her work, she employs a soft, muted color palette, influenced by the distinctive environment and climate of her hometown.
Deeply inspired by nature — trees, plants, flowers, and the ever-shifting weather — Moothy weaves organic elements into her art, echoing the subtle harmony between the built and natural landscapes that shape her memories. Jeddah’s weathered walls and buildings, juxtaposed with its evolving modern architecture, serve as a continual wellspring of creativity. She is particularly drawn to the gradual transformation of structures by the sun and sand, imbuing them with a unique, weathered beauty that serves as a perpetual muse.
Moothy’s artistic techniques encompass a blend of childlike doodles, loose paint strokes, and drip painting, enriched by her experimentation with mixed media. Through a layered approach utilizing materials such as acrylic paint, wax pencils, and colored charcoal, she achieves depth and texture in her compositions.
An early fascination with architecture, fostered by her father’s involvement in real estate, laid the foundation for Moothy’s enduring appreciation of architectural form and function. The intricate process of building construction, from initial blueprints to the development of skeletal structures, has consistently fascinated her. Her artistic journey, initially sparked by simple doodles, has evolved into a profound passion for illustration, which remains a cornerstone of her abstract artworks.
Al-Nwaisir holds a BA in Illustration from the University of Creative Arts in London. Following this, she has participated in several group exhibitions, including Paper, Düsseldorf (2025), Sindbad Edition 3, Jeddah (2023), Young Saudi Artists, Riyadh (2023), Reset, Jeddah (2023), and Margins, Jeddah (2016).