Dr. Ghada Ahmed Mustafa Al-Najjar is an Egyptian visual artist. She pursued independent studies in fine arts in Alexandria, including oil painting courses at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Alexandria. She is a member of the Alexandria Atelier for Fine Arts, the Syndicate of Visual Artists, and the Jeddah Culture and Arts Association. She also works as a microbiologist in Jeddah. She has held several solo exhibitions, most notably her solo exhibition at the Jeddah Atelier in 2013 and her joint exhibition at the French Consulate General in Jeddah in April 2014. She has also participated in numerous group exhibitions in Alexandria and Jeddah, and has won several awards, most notably: a silver medal for photography from the Middle East Salon of Small Works in 2013; first place at the university level for four consecutive years; and first place in the Arab Republic of Egypt in 2000 at the Ministry of Youth and Sports exhibition. Regarding her work, the Saudi artist and art critic Abdullah Idris wrote: "The artist Ghada Al-Najjar is captivated by the environmental and heritage landscape, expressed in an artistic form and style that focuses on color and structural spaces. The artist's personal voice emerges from within this landscape in an attempt to assert her presence and leave her mark, which will be evident in her future works."
Ghada Al-Najjar Some circumstances and situations create an artist without them realizing or imagining it. I grew up in a country full of beauty and charm, a fertile environment for any young, contemplative artist, no older than 10. I loved drawing street workers, coffee shops, the sea, fishermen in front of my grandmother's house in Alexandria, and little girls playing and moving about. I received a lot of encouragement from my mother and her friends. I started learning art from a young age in the cultural and creative centers that were widespread, under the supervision of specialized and creative professors such as Dr. Mohamed Shaker, Mr. Esmat Dostashi, Professor Fadel Al-Ajami, and Dr. I studied Abdul Wahab Abdul Mohsen and others, and learned about many art styles and schools through reading and visually observing exhibitions.
I began participating in my first group exhibitions at the age of 16 and received a lot of encouragement. I realized I would continue in this fertile field, full of beauty and life, until I turned to study, research, and exploring all art schools in a journey to find my own unique style, unlike any international or local artist or teacher. The journey was very difficult; I went through the realist school and then surrealism, but I didn't find myself. Then I turned to folk and street art, creating a representational style that reflects reality. I found in the streets, cafes, people's stories, and family what amazed and attracted me artistically to create paintings.
