Sara Alabdali was born in 1989 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Her work explores Arab culture and Islamic philosophy through various innovative media, including painting, ceramics, and woodwork. After completing a master’s degree at The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts in 2014, she has experimented with traditional crafts of the Islamic world, such as woodwork, ceramics, miniature painting, mosaics, and plaster carving. She has also served as a consultant on traditional arts and crafts for clients, including the Saudi Commission of Tourism and Antiquities and Turquoise Mountain Trust.

Alabdali has held two solo exhibitions: The Simorgh Always Rises in 2018 and Growing Vines of Sodom in 2024. Her work investigates paradoxes surrounding identity and belonging, highlighting forgotten historical contexts. Through painting, she focuses on telling the stories of women, buildings, and social structures that often remain unrepresented in art and culture.

She is currently based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where she continues her art and research on Islamic art and architecture, with a focus on the material culture of the Hijaz. Her work has been exhibited at the British Museum, London, and she has participated in numerous local and international group exhibitions, including The 13th Cairo Biennale: Eyes East Bound (2019); Art Paris, Grand Palais (2018); Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival (2017); START Art Fair, Saatchi Gallery, London (2014); and #COMETOGETHER, London (2012).