(B. 1995, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)

Somaya Alsayed is a lens-based artist and a published fiction writer. Guided by personal experiences, womanhood, and identity, Alsayed works in the mediums of film writing. She pursued a degree in advertising communication, graduating in 2019 with a bachelor’s followed by virtual courses in filmmaking.  

In 2020, Alsayed participated in the Imprint  (Arabic: Wasem) exhibition by Misk Art Institute with a short video, Portrait of Fatima, which focused on her grandmother’s roots. In 2019, Alsayed completed a one-month internship with the Saudi National Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, an experience that enriched her knowledge of art.  

She has published short stories focusing on individual struggles, emotions, and sentimentalities in online Saudi magazines such as  Ward  and  Sard Adabi, as well as The Literature, Publishing & Translation Commission in “Tales From Saudi Arabia 2019.” In addition, inspired by human experience in the pandemic, she published a book, Letters to Zohour in the Time of the Ghoul, which tells the story of a writer sending letters during the pandemic to her friend who has disappeared. 

In 2022, Alsayed pursued a residency at the Misk Art Institute, where she focused on Al Rahmani/Al Sabi’a celebration for newborns in the Hejaz region. She is working on turning her writing into a short film, pursuing a master’s degree in documentary filmmaking, and becoming a film director and screenwriter.