Zayn Qahtani

Zayn Qahtani (b. 1997) is a painter, drawer and sculptor based between Bahrain and London. Her work is a dance between what is seen and what is felt, compiling a personal mythology along the way. Drawing on ancient cultures and nature’s diverse ecosystems, Qahtani forms visual stories which seem to exist in the twilight zone – too distorted to be real, too familiar to be a dream. Her figures seem to be suspended in a space of no-time, navigating a world which harkens to the post-human society of today. In this altered state, a sense of safety is offered, allowing the creatures within the walls of her works to explore life’s more tender, nostalgic, and often painful feelings. Working on recycled materials, and hand making her own paints and tools from plants and minerals, Qahtani allows the works to take on a life of their own, truly vibrating with the energy of the land itself.

Qahtani earned a BA in Fashion Design from The Royal University for Women, Bahrain (2019) and completed The Drawing Intensive from the Royal Drawing School.

Solo exhibitions include ‘Angels In Purgatory’, VITRINE, London (2022). Selected group exhibitions include ‘NEW NOW: Part II’, Guts Gallery, London (2024); ‘Dreamer's Eye’, Arusha Gallery, Edinburgh (2023); ‘Hawthorn and the Feast of Julian’, Arusha Gallery, New York (2023); MENART Fair, HUNNA, Brussels (2023); ‘Unannounced: The Other Voices Of Silence’, LAMPO Milano (2023); ‘Chorus’, Arusha Gallery, Edinburgh (2022); ‘Serndipity’, MIA Art Collection, Dubai (2022); ‘the form of spirit to the spirit of form’, ATHR Gallery, Jeddah (2021). 

Her work is held in collections including Dalloul Art Foundation, Beirut; Soho House, London and Oxfordshire; and The Ned, Doha; and her work has been in publications such as Art Maze Magazine and Vogue Arabia.