Inside the World of Maha Alessa: A Journey Through Memory, Art, and Style

Oct 2, 2025

Maha Alessa, is a Kuwaiti creative whose work reflects a deep commitment to culture, memory, and storytelling. With over a decade of documenting Kuwait's architecture, art, and forgotten spaces, she has built an archive that serves as both a personal treasure and a public contribution.

a cultural explorer, storyteller, and creative who finds magic in forgotten buildings, old songs, and timeless garments. For Maha, happiness lies in health, peace, and creating work that makes others smile.

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?

With time, I realized that true happiness is very simple, Elhemdellah: enjoying good health, living in peace with loved ones, and feeling useful. Once these core elements are satisfied, I find happiness in working on new projects, creating, learning, and contributing in a way that makes others happy too.

2. Which talent would you most like to have?

If I could pick one talent to add, it would be to play the oud. I have a deep love for music from this region, and the oud feels like the instrument closest to my heart. One day, I hope to learn it.

3. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Mainly worrying.

4. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

If a person, then certainly a woman again. I have a deep admiration for women navigating life in this region, often against many constraints, and playing such vital roles in family, culture, and society. If not a human, then a bird. I'd love the freedom to fly, to see the world from above, and to land whenever and wherever I wish.

5. What is your most treasured possession?

The archive I've been building for over a decade, my life's work of documenting Kuwait's architecture, art, and cultural concepts. If I were to lose everything else, this would be the one thing I could not bear to lose. It holds memory, effort and contribution.

6. What is your favorite song, book, and movie?

Song: I love songs deeply, I find in them a format to express myself. It's very hard to pick one over another, but mainly traditional songs from the region are my favorite because they are like a portal into another time, showing me what life once felt like.

Book: Too many to count, but 1984, One Hundred Years of Solitude, My Name is Red, books that layer imagination with history and all of Agatha Christie novels.

Movie: I have a long list of favorites, and it's hard to name just one ultimate film. Among them: Groundhog Day, Stranger Than Fiction, and It's a Wonderful Life.

7. What is your most marked characteristic?

I am reliable, extremely organized, and I love order. I love to wonder and search for answers. I am patient, consistent, and deeply emotional. What once felt like a weakness, being emotional, has actually given me the passion to pursue my goals with intensity.

8. What do you most value in your friends?

Their passion, dedication, and hard work. I love friends who inspire me with their projects, who think deeply, and who care about the things that matter. I flourish in conversations with them, and I admire not just who they are, but what they do.

9. The three words that describe me best are…

Caring. Dedicated. Productive.

10. I feel most inspired when…

When I am alone, letting my mind wander and ask questions. That quiet "thinking mode" inspires me to discover, wonder, and connect ideas.

11. The place I would love to visit is…

The ancient worlds of Iraq, Iran, and Yemen, so close, yet so hard to reach. Also, Samarkand and Jordan are at the top of my list. These places feel like living gateways to history.

12. My favorite journey is…

My discovery walks through abandoned buildings. They could be a little scary, but the reward of finding traces of architecture, documents, furniture, or forgotten notes makes it magical.

13. My style icon is…

Blair Eadie, my long-time favorite.

And closer to home, Asma AlMulla, she has a true talent when it comes to styling.

14. The best item in my wardrobe is…

Pieces that stand the test of time. I especially cherish those from Ecru, Raw Mango, and Salim Azzam, beautiful garments with quality and stories behind them, ones I return to year after year.

15. The motto I live by is…

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now."

Don't be afraid of change, if something doesn't make you happy, change it. Trust your intuition. Believe in small actions, because they build up to something meaningful. Live with consistency, gratitude, and courage. Be the change you want to see in the world. Life is so rich, there is so much to see and do, you are the master of your story.

Bader Al-Kulaib

Sheikh Fahad Nasser Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah

Dr. Noura Almashan

Dr. Munira Al-Arouj

Nour Abdul

Eisa Alhabib

Deema Al-Ghunaim

Lama AlOraiman

Alymamah Rashed

Nadia Bader Al-Hajji

Henadi Al-Saleh

Jafar Islah

Abdullah Ghazi Al-Mudhaf

Abeer Al Awadhi

Shahad Alsabeeh

Abdulrahman Bedah Al-Mutairi

Faisal Alagel

Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi

Shaikha Al Majed

Farah Almutawa

Donna Sultan

Dana Al-Mutawa and Sheikha Sharifa Al Sabah and Alzainah Albabtain

Laila Almutairi

Adel Alwasis

Hashim and Amna Naseeb

Dr. Abdullah Al Sumait

Shaikha Al-Hajeri

Shaima Hassan

Sheikha Bibi Al-Yousef Al-Sabah

Free Jabriya

Lulowa Al-Mulla

Salman Al-Kandari

Al-Jawhara-Al-Mahdi

Abdullatif Al Mishari

Hussain Bumejdad

Soaad Al-Faqaan

Maryam Alrefaei

Abdulmohsen AlMarzouq‏

Dr. Faisal Al-Roomi

Noor Al-Nafisi

Shaymaa Al-Terkait

Khalid Muthafar

Dalal AlHajeri

Yousef Alomran

Fahad Al Ghanim

Abdullah Behbehani

Sara Al-kattan

Dr. Manal Aldaihani

Ali Khajah

Raheel Al Roudhan

Bader Al-Kulaib

Sheikh Fahad Nasser Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah

Dr. Noura Almashan

Dr. Munira Al-Arouj

Nour Abdul

Eisa Alhabib

Deema Al-Ghunaim

Lama AlOraiman

Alymamah Rashed

Nadia Bader Al-Hajji

Henadi Al-Saleh

Jafar Islah

Abdullah Ghazi Al-Mudhaf

Abeer Al Awadhi

Shahad Alsabeeh

Abdulrahman Bedah Al-Mutairi

Faisal Alagel

Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi

Shaikha Al Majed

Farah Almutawa

Donna Sultan

Dana Al-Mutawa and Sheikha Sharifa Al Sabah and Alzainah Albabtain

Laila Almutairi

Adel Alwasis

Hashim and Amna Naseeb

Dr. Abdullah Al Sumait

Shaikha Al-Hajeri

Shaima Hassan

Sheikha Bibi Al-Yousef Al-Sabah

Free Jabriya

Lulowa Al-Mulla

Salman Al-Kandari

Al-Jawhara-Al-Mahdi

Abdullatif Al Mishari

Hussain Bumejdad

Soaad Al-Faqaan

Maryam Alrefaei

Abdulmohsen AlMarzouq‏

Dr. Faisal Al-Roomi

Noor Al-Nafisi

Shaymaa Al-Terkait

Khalid Muthafar

Dalal AlHajeri

Yousef Alomran

Fahad Al Ghanim

Abdullah Behbehani

Sara Al-kattan

Dr. Manal Aldaihani

Ali Khajah

Raheel Al Roudhan