Koga Gallery

I enjoy finding wisdom in everything my eyes fall upon, whether events or stories, and transforming them in my own way into a visual narrative in my artworks.

My goal is to draw a smile on the faces of everyone who views my works, especially when the viewer stands before my pieces and is transported back to their childhood, associated with these sweets.

With my paintings, I allow the little girl within me to connect with the child inside everyone who contemplates my art. Finally, the time has come for the birth of Koga CWGA. Koga is the name I have given to my artistic practice with candy wrappers to distinguish my style. I have passionately worked to develop it, and it stands for ‘Candy Wrappers Ghadah's Art.’ This book is simply a gallery of some of my works.

Ghada Al-Rabea was born in Medina in 1979. She studied home economics and art education at the Teacher Preparation College of Taibah University in Medina. She taught in both private and public schools for a while and organized various art workshops.

She loved painting since the fourth grade and taught herself. She became an active member of the art scene in Medina in 2004 and has showcased her art in many local exhibitions.

The year 2013 was a turning point in Ghada's life; she participated for the first time in the Atheer Gallery in Jeddah as part of their annual exhibition “Young Saudi Artists.” In 2014, she participated in the “Hanging” exhibition, the inaugural event for the first edition of “21.39 Jeddah Art.”

She has also participated in numerous international exhibitions in Kuwait, Dubai, Russia, and the USA, and many of her works have been acquired both locally and internationally.

Her Philosophy: Artist Ghada takes great pride in her veil, which represents an integral part of her identity and beliefs. She sees it as an innovative way to encourage people to seek the woman standing proudly behind the veil, exploring her thoughts and ideas away from superficial judgments and irrational assumptions that affect people's minds based on external appearances.

She believes that the veil is a personal freedom that does not affect in any way those around her or who interact with her. She is confident that the world is heading towards genuine openness, which guarantees her right to wear the veil and gives her the opportunity for equality with others without preconceived judgments about her appearance, allowing her to showcase her works and art without worry.

Ghada's Philosophy on Using Candy Wrappers in Her Art: To many, candy wrappers are considered waste, but to the artist, they are striking and attractive materials; they are the same materials that attracted many to candy when purchasing it. Candy companies compete to package their sweets in eye-catching wrappers, allocating money and effort to stand out from the competition. That wrapper, which initially caught the consumers' attention, is the first thing thrown into the trash after the candy is consumed. What first attracted our attention is often the first thing we dispose of without a second thought.