The Lost Sheikh is a performative video art piece by Nawaf Tamim that draws inspiration from the Seven Mu‘allaqat—the pre-Islamic Arabic odes that once hung in the Kaaba. Through original poetry, sound design, and embodied performance, the piece navigates the artist’s personal insecurities and identity struggles as a Bedouin boy living in the Western world. Blending classical Arabic traditions with experimental media, The Lost Sheikh becomes a modern-day lament and declaration—grappling with alienation, cultural dislocation, and the desire to reclaim heritage in a world that often misunderstands it. It is one of the foundational works of The Bedouin Renaissance, the larger movement founded by Tamim to reimagine Bedouin culture for a contemporary global audience.
The official teaser for The Bedouin Renaissance movement premiered on Saudi Arabia’s 3rd Founding Day, February 22, 2024. Serving as a symbolic launch, the teaser delves into the fusion of Western music and aesthetics with Bedouin identity in contemporary Saudi pop culture. It reflects on how modern artists are reclaiming and recontextualizing their roots—using global styles not to erase tradition, but to amplify it. Through bold visuals and sound, the teaser sets the tone for a movement that challenges cultural binaries and celebrates a new era of Bedouin expression.
