Hend Al-Mansour

Hend Al-Mansour’s artwork reflects the female culture of her hometown of Hofuf, Saudi Arabia. She holds a degree in medicine from Cairo, Egypt, as well as Master of Fine Arts and Master of Art History degrees from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and the University of St. Thomas, respectively. Al-Mansour's work is inspired by Islamic art and addresses gender politics in Arab communities. She creates screen prints featuring stylized figures, Arabic calligraphy, and Sadou and henna designs, and builds shrine-like installations using printed fabric. Recently, she has begun creating digital images and animations.

Al-Mansour has received numerous awards, including the Minnesota State Art Board's Creative Support in 2022, the Artist Initiative grant in 2019, the McKnight Fellowship in 2018, the Jerome Fellowship of Printmaking in 2013/14, and the Juror's Award of the Contemporary Islamic Art exhibition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2012. She has exhibited worldwide and lectured on Arab art and her personal journey. Al-Mansour is a member of Rosalux Gallery, the Interfaith Artists group, and The Habibties, a group of multiethnic women artists that promotes cultural diversity in the US.

About this mural, Hend writes:

My mural, “Coming Home,” addresses the issue of immigration with its emotional turmoil for all concerned. The painting depicts two people from different cultures and ethnicities who see each other across a barrier.  The American takes a break from reading in her living room, and the other, a woman from the Middle East, carries a suitcase. They examine each other through a telescope.  Two styles of geometric design provide the background.  The one behind the American woman is a variation of the Log Cabin Quilt pattern. The other consists of a ten-star Islamic pattern. The Arabic word for home is placed twice. There are two images of the head of Lady Liberty looking kindly at the women. On the far right, there are flying flock of birds. There is hope in the complementary colors of the women’s dresses which anticipates harmony and synergy.

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