Artistic Vision of Saudi Cities with Lively 'Feminine' Figures

One of the artist's paintings on display at the exhibition.
One of the artist's paintings on display at the exhibition.
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Artistic Vision of Saudi Cities with Lively 'Feminine' Figures

One of the artist's paintings on display at the exhibition.
One of the artist's paintings on display at the exhibition.

Every city is female. This is what Saudi artist Sawsan Al Sajjan believes. She paints Saudi cities with lively feminine characters. Across 30 works she presented in her first solo exhibition titled "She" ("Hiya") at the Naila Art Gallery in Riyadh.

The exhibition concluded on Thursday, after astonishing visitors who can now appreciate these cities with a new artistic light.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Al Sajjan said: "Cities captivate me with their old neighborhoods, the walls of their buildings inscribed with sweet tales of bygone days full of fragrance and memories. Buildings and cities are living figures standing tall in the face of nature and time."

She explained that she depicts the city as a colorful female, prompting onlookers to discover the treasures and magic of its mysterious beauty.

In a tour of the exhibition, there is clear contrast between each of the artworks, as each painting tells a completely different story. This, Al Sajjan said, comes as an expression of the rich diversity that characterizes Saudi cities.

Referring to a painting describing the northwestern city of AlUla, she said: "We see a woman with only her red lip visible, as if it were an invitation to the beauty and charm of AlUla radiating between two mountains. Her hair is inspired by the green oases of AlUla, while her braids came in the form of palm trees."

In another painting, describing the southern city of Abha in Aseer, she said: "I imagined a woman looking like a mountain, surrounded by green spaces, and standing tall in front of heritage buildings, as an expression of the woman's connection with family in that area. She’s wearing a purple head covering, inspired by the bright colorful jacaranda trees in the streets of Abha, with edges decorated with Aseeri inscriptions."

The city of Diriyah received the lion’s share of Al Sajjan’s paintings, expressing her fascination with the rich legacy of this historical site through seven paintings bearing the following names: Diriyah Gate, Modern Diriyah, Diriyah in the Time of Corona, and Diriyah After the Rain, Diriyah Season, Diriyah the Mother, and Diriyah at Night.

Al Sajjan depicted the city of al-Ahsa as feminine, surrounded by pink mountains and wearing a crown on her head as if in a palace, as an expression of the famous historical Al-Qaisaryah market in al-Ahsa. As for the city of the future, Neom, Al Sajjan painted it full of bright colors, titled "Neom, Bride of the Red Sea," which depicts a charming girl whose hair is made of coral reef.

Other Saudi cities were present in these paintings such as Makkah, Jeddah, Yanbu, Farasan Islands and Shaqra province.

Asked about the philosophy behind her work, which revolves around the connection of places with women’s worlds, Al Sajjan replied: "Everything in life is feminine; the city, the village, the palm and the tree. With the creation of Eve, life began, so I see that everything that represents giving, growth and glory is feminine."

Al Sajjan pointed out that her paintings are an invitation for viewers to visit and discover these cities, believing that art should play a pivotal role in advertising the beauty of cities.

Al Sajjan’s style is characterized by bold and bright colors that bring life to heritage, as well as abstract paintings. She says that her desire is to make her heritage paintings as pieces of art that bring joy to every place and time. This is the conclusion of many years of practicing art and participating in several local and international exhibitions.

Plastic artist Sawsan Al Sajjan holds a PhD in Politics and International Relations and an MA in Diplomatic Studies from London, in addition to an MA in Diplomacy from Paris. An independent researcher in international relations, she has loved colors since her childhood, and her love for the arts deepened during her travels around the world to study, where she was introduced to different civilizations, arts and cultures.

These travels were evident in her paintings, whose subjects varied from the picturesque natural landscapes and flowers in its early days, to archeological sites and ancient buildings in Saudi Arabia, especially Diriyah, which confirms that it occupies a special place among her works. Al Sajjan is a symbol of the pride of the founding of Saudi Arabia, and a living example of the strength and fortitude of the Saudi state.



Vietnam Scraps Two-Child Limit as Birth Rate Declines 

A grandfather talks to his grandchild inside a kindergarten in Hanoi on June 4, 2025. (AFP)
A grandfather talks to his grandchild inside a kindergarten in Hanoi on June 4, 2025. (AFP)
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Vietnam Scraps Two-Child Limit as Birth Rate Declines 

A grandfather talks to his grandchild inside a kindergarten in Hanoi on June 4, 2025. (AFP)
A grandfather talks to his grandchild inside a kindergarten in Hanoi on June 4, 2025. (AFP)

Vietnam's communist government has scrapped its long-standing policy of limiting families to two children, state media said Wednesday, as the country battles to reverse a declining birth rate.

The country banned couples from having more than two children in 1988, but a family's size is now a decision for each individual couple, Vietnam News Agency said.

The country has experienced historically low birth rates in the last three years. The total fertility rate dropped to 1.91 children per woman in 2024, below replacement level, the ministry of health said this year.

Birth rates have fallen from 2.11 children per woman in 2021, to 2.01 in 2022 and 1.96 in 2023.

This trend is most pronounced in urbanized, economically developed regions, especially in big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as the cost of living rises.

Tran Minh Huong, a 22-year-old office worker, told AFP that the government regulation mattered little to her as she had no plans to have children.

"Even though I am an Asian, with social norms that say women need to get married and have kids, it's too costly to raise a child."

Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thi Lien Huong, speaking at a conference earlier this year, warned it was increasingly difficult to encourage families to have more children, despite policy adjustments and public campaigns.

She emphasized that the declining birth rate poses challenges to long-term socio-economic development, including an aging population and workforce shortages.

She urged society to shift its mindset from focusing solely on family planning to a broader perspective of population and development.

Vietnam is also grappling with sex imbalances due to a historic preference for boys. On Tuesday the ministry of health proposed tripling the current fine to $3,800 "to curb fetal gender selection", according to state media.

It is forbidden to inform parents of the sex of their baby before birth in Vietnam, as well as to perform an abortion for sex-selection reasons, with penalties imposed on clinics who break the law.

The sex ratio at birth, though improved, remains skewed at 112 boys for every 100 girls.

Hoang Thi Oanh, 45, has three children but received fewer benefits after the birth of her youngest, due to the two-child policy.

"It's good that at last the authorities removed this ban," she said, but added that "raising more than two kids nowadays is too hard and costly."

"Only brave couples and those better-off would do so. I think the authorities will even have to give bonuses to encourage people to have more than two children."

Vietnam's neighbor China ended its own strict "one-child policy", imposed in the 1980s due to fears of overpopulation, in 2016 and in 2021 permitted couples to have three children.

But as in many countries, the soaring cost of living has proved a drag on birth rates and the moves have failed to reverse China's demographic decline -- its population fell for the third year in a row in 2024.