Sami Al Turki was born in 1984 to a Saudi nationality. He was raised in the port city of Jeddah and obtained his BA in Photography from American University in Dubai, UAE. His Saudi father and Irish mother ensured an upbringing with a broad vision between the two different cultures and traditions, bridging the gap between east and west.

His impressions of his home country, Saudi Arabia, and the city he lived in, Dubai, is the driving force behind his concepts and visions. Turki’s eclectic and varied style is a reflection of both his diverse cultural upbringing and the confused occidental vs. oriental atmosphere of Dubai.

After graduating from university, he worked as a freelance photographer on commercial projects before finding his true calling in the art world.

With his camera, Al Turki ventures to bring to light questions about humanity and the changing times we live in, particularly in his region. Working primarily with photographs and video, his works have become increasingly more visually complex, often focusing on landscapes, structure and construction with a metaphoric sensibility.

Sami Al Turki has participated in many international exhibitions including Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage exhibition at the 53rd Venice Biennale in 2009, curated by Catherine David, a solo exhibition titled CONSTRUCTAKONS at Downtown Dubai’s The Pavilion in 2011, Edge of Arabia’s Grey Borders/Grey Frontiers (Berlin 2010), TRANSiTION (Istanbul 2010), Terminal (Dubai 2011) and We Need To Talk (Jeddah 2012), and most recently in the touring exhibition 25 Years of Arab Creativity of L’Institut Du Monde Arabe in Paris, where he underwent an artist residency at La Cite Des Arts (2013). Al Turki has also recently completed his residency at the Art Omi International Artist Residency in New York (2013)