Coronavirus: Saudi artist runs out of canvases, paints furniture amid lockdown

When Saudi Arabia announced a lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, artist Nahla al-Ghufaily quickly found herself running out of canvases to paint on, so she turned to what was readily available around her: furniture.

“What happened to me when we were on lockdown is that I didn’t have any more canvases and no shop was able to deliver to me,” al-Ghufaily told Al Arabiya.

“So, I decided to use my furniture and change its look. I started designing and looking for ways to spread the colors and preserve them on the furniture,” she added.

Al-Ghufaily said that her main effort was to show everyone that staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic was beneficial to the individual and the society as a whole despite the challenges posed due to the recent lockdown restrictions and curfews imposed.

“We don’t want to “have minimal damage” [during the lockdown]. On the contrary, we want to have maximum achievements and creativity,” she added.

Last November, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Culture confirmed that music, theater, and the arts will now be included in the curriculum of both public and private schools in the Kingdom. The announcement at the time comes amid recent changes in Saudi Arabia that are transforming the Kingdom into a hub for concerts, art shows, and cultural and entertainment eve vts in the region.

Klakh said he stopped drawing graffiti for several years before 2015 when he moved to Jeddah but was encouraged by his older brother to draw again.

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Saudi Arabia has partially lifted the curfew restrictions it imposed across the Kingdom starting April 26 while maintaining a full lockdown on Mecca and previously isolated neighborhoods. The announcement at the time confirmed that public movement would resume from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day until May 13, the twentieth day of Ramadan.

Artists across Saudi Arabia have seen a resurgence in attention being paid to their craft in recent months as the Kingdom places efforts in recognizing and highlighting artistic achievements.