A tale of two kingdoms: Saudi artist San Shyn’s mural links KSA and UK
- 22 Jan 2025
Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer
San Shyn, a young street artist from Saudi Arabia, has revealed a new, 80 foot public art mural outside the Saudi Embassy in the heart of Mayfair, London. The project has been realised as part of a KSA-UK cross-cultural collaboration, with the piece being installed by London-based graffiti artist, Cept, one of the UK’s most highly respected and pioneering graffiti artists. Promoted by Edge Of Arabia, the collaboration developed organically through word of mouth within the grassroots street art community. The work demonstrates an artistic exchange at the intersection of two cultures and explores their commonalities.
The public nature of the artwork in London promotes a greater understanding of diverse perspectives and worldviews that Saudi artists draw upon in their contemporary works. The mural was installed over several days at the beginning of the year and will remain in place till mid-February 2025. San Shyn said: “I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to create this mural in London and to collaborate with the incredibly talented UK artist, Cept. The mural’s distorted lines and shapes reflect the imperfection of creative expression, which is at the heart of my work. This project is especially meaningful to me, as it allows me to share the evolving street art culture from Saudi Arabia on an international stage. To create something outside of my hometown and to contribute to the global dialogue of art, is a dream come true.”
The project is part of a series of artistic collaborations between the Embassy and Saudi artists. The venture includes artists Rashed Al Shashai, whose luminous hanging sculpture was installed in the Embassy Garden last year, and Ahmed Mater’s first retrospective held at Christie’s last summer. Mater is exhibiting his iconic Magnetism installation, which debuted in the UK at the British Museum in 2012, at the historic Islamic Arts Biennale opening in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (Jan. 25 – May 25). Saudi Ambassador to the UK, Khalid Bin Bandar Al Saud, who commissioned the artwork, said: “Saudi Arabia is changing, and the rise of dynamic street artists like San Shyn is a great example of this. That’s why I was keen to give her a platform in central London, where we are already showcasing Rashed Al Shashai’s brilliant sculpture. Art is a bridge between cultures, and these works are an opportunity to demonstrate that Britain and Saudi Arabia have more in common than we might imagine.”
In the mural, the artist’s primary aim is to celebrate street culture, capturing the essence of spontaneous, vibrant graffiti. With quick, bold strokes made using spray cans, the work transforms ordinary walls into attractive canvases, bringing ringing life to the streets. Central to the artwork are figures that embody the very act of creating art; it illustrates the raw energy and creativity that define this underground movement, which is dynamic, colourful and unapologetically loud – just like street culture itself.
Stephen Stapleton, Edge Of Arabia founder, said that “this playful, joyful artwork in front of the Saudi Embassy in Mayfair, reflects a new era of cross-cultural collaboration between the UK and Saudi Arabia. The language of art transcends the borders that divide us, and we need that language now more than ever.” Born in Riyadh in 1995, San Shyn is an artist, graphic designer and muralist based in Riyadh and educated at Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, with a degree in graphic design. Inspired by her home city of Riyadh, she blends traditional and digital tools to create her artwork and products.
Her work spans painting murals, designing logos and complete brand identities, and crafting illustrations. She has collaborated and worked with many local and international brands, like Adidas, Purification, Gracia, Shahid, and Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2024. Shyn has also created murals for the Riyadh Street Festival; with the Visual Art Commission of Saudi Arabia for Sunset Park in Riyadh; and for Brew92. Rashed Al Shashai, born in Al Baha, Saudi Arabia, in 1977, holds a Master of Visual Arts degree and is a prominent figure of the contemporary Saudi art scene. He lives in Jeddah and as a conceptual artist and arts educator, has been influential to a new generation of Saudi talent, while also nurturing local artistic practices as a founding member of the Saudi Arabia Fine Arts society and the Art Education Society.
In 2009, he established the Tasami Centre for Visual Arts, an independent space that supports cutting-edge art in the Kingdom and was the organisation’s director till 2014. ln his work, he engages viewers with issues such as the omnipresence of media, a global descent into superficiality, and the growing epidemic of apathy that perhaps has come to define modern life. He is the director of the Madina Arts Center in Al-Madinah. Rashed has exhibited widely in the Arab Gulf and abroad at many venues and events and his works have appeared in notable exhibitions, including Noor Riyadh (2022, 2021) and the Diriyah Biennale (2021).
It is Edge Of Arabia’s belief that artists can be a catalyst for positive change in the world. When artists thrive, the world thrives, according to the arts major. It is an artist-led company that envisions and executes cultural strategy and production worldwide. Founded as a project in the early 2000s, EOA is now an established company that strives to bring art and creativity “from the edge to the centre of global cultural life”.