Saudi painter transforming Jeddah cars to paintings

The Saudi artist, Shalimar Sharbatly, became the first woman to perform artistic work in the streets, through many initiatives and ideas, the last of which was painting on old and damaged cars in the city of Jeddah. The Saudi Czech artist was able to transform old and damaged cars in the streets of Jeddah into aesthetic scenes that adorn the streets and squares of the Bride of the Red Sea.

The launch of the Saudi artist to the world

The plastic artist Shalimar Sharbatly appeared with her paintings in the porsche911 car, which was exhibited at the Louvre Museum in France, which made her reach the world in abstract art by painting on cars by using the same dyes that are used to dye cars in workshops.

The Saudi artist took a decision during the year 2020 to present aesthetic works in painting on old cars on the streets, after coordinating with the Jeddah Municipality.

The story of the beginning of painting on cars in the streets of Jeddah

Shalimar said in her interview with Al-Arabiya.net, “The story of painting on old cars came after a long journey in which she presented her work worldwide in a process that began in 2013.

The plastic artist added that while walking on Tahlia Street in Jeddah, she was enthusiastic about the idea of ​​painting on old and damaged cars before launching the “Draw a Nation” initiative, which achieved her ambition, especially after she received a wide welcome from those interested in the world.

She continued: “I finished drawing on two cars and a small boat to place them in the squares of Jeddah, as an expression of my love for this dear country, and I am currently planning to train artists and amateurs in this type of art, and I recently participated in the Kingdom’s preparations for the 90th National Day celebrations.”

“Draw a nation” initiative

This coincided with the Jeddah Governorate Municipality launching this initiative under the slogan “Drawing a Homeland” to paint on a number of old and ruined cars and vehicles, transforming them into artistic masterpieces and displaying them in the new waterfront and main squares of Jeddah.

 This initiative seeks to invest in old tools that societies dispense with, by recycling them and transforming them from environmental pollutants into works of art.

In its second phase, the initiative includes all Saudi cities, before it goes global by exporting these works of art abroad and delivering Saudi art to all parts of the world.

Shalimar goal of the initiative

For her part, the artist confirmed that she wanted to achieve the equation of art in the face of ugliness, placing them in squares instead of murals, and in response to the vision of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to publish Saudi art paintings in the squares and government sites.

And she went on to say that pursuing her dream of spreading Saudi art on old cars, with a free initiative, is the least that she can offer to the Queen, especially since she has been a lover of art since childhood with the support of her mother, as she has been painting since she was 13 years old.

It is worth noting that Shalimar’s most important and famous works are the decorated and custom-designed porsche911 car and the Formula One racing car known as La Torq.

The porsche911 was shown at the Paris Motor Show, and was watched by more than a million people, and La Torq was displayed in Mannakle, and in 2017 it was displayed at the Negresco Hotel in Nice, France, and the two cars were displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris at the Moving art exhibition. The artist has also designed Ferrari360, Minicooper and yamaha Tricity, and one of her paintings is currently on display at Oxford University.

The Saudi plastic artist also painted the most expensive car in the world (Pagani Zonda) in Italy, and it is currently in the Pagani Gallery and is described as the most expensive and most famous car in the world, with an estimated price of $ 3.5 million.

While the Saudi artist participated in the Who’s Next exhibition in one of the most famous art installations in Paris (Port de Versailles), which represents a destination for all those interested in the world of situation and its arts, and the exhibition included 700 of the world’s leading brands.

During the year 2000, the artist Shalimar Sharbatly entered the list of the most influential figures in art and culture in Jeddah, and also participated in the (French Autumn Salon) competition with the participation of 36 countries and 500 international artists, and won the competition to become the first Arab artist to achieve this achievement.

She was also chosen in 2016 as a Goodwill Ambassador for her role in volunteering and contributing to Saudi culture, and in November of the same year she was one of the sponsors of the Foreign Journalists Association Awards in London.