By Peter Frank

Fahad Alhumaid  makes art that seems almost edible, even as it posits something close to a narrative. In what seem to be blocks of aspic, Alhumaid suspends the detritus—and the social and commercial messages – of a society he now inhabits but which he originally knew from afar. In Alhumaid ’s native Saudi Arabia, particularly in the later part of the last century, the West represented itself with a constant cascade of fanciful forms and formal fantasies. Candy packaging, doll wardrobes, action figures, children’s toys and accessories, all rained down on potential and actual consumers in the Middle East – a wealthier and thus perhaps even more responsive market at the time than that of Africa, South America, or even the Far East. It was at that moment Alhumaid  felt drawn to the source of all this consumerist matter. Moving to America as a young adult, the artist went from Riyadh naïf to Los Angeles scenemaker. But if he moved here and became a star, he moved here to become an artist. In effect, Alhumaid made an aesthetic pilgrimage, bringing the pocket icons of American culture back to where they originated, now frozen in the resin-amber of cross-cultural confabulation. This is how the world gets smaller: not just with globe-girdling media, but with things in real life, transformed handily by some restless mind who sees magic in the mundane. Fahad Alhumaid ’s restless mind has not come to rest; it has come into focus.                                        

Los Angeles

June 2025

ISSUE 25 AVAILABLE

In this 25th edition of the ACCA Journal, we are honored to shine a spotlight on outstanding artists and entrepreneurs who have distinguished themselves in their respective fields. Read the Issue. Purchase the Issue.