April 2016 www.womanthismonth.com 54 PEOPLE | interview Dreaming in Colour Sabine Algosaibi’s essence is on every inch of the impressive property she calls home, yet she manages to remain an enigma. Ankita Mamgain tries to uncover the many layers that make up this elusive artist. The March sun had a generous presence in Sabine Algosaibi’s 1,905sq/m villa. The 55-year-old met me with a beautiful smile that travelled straight to her eyes. She wore a crimson dress that adorned her delicate frame and a hat that brought out the bohemian child within. I met her in her magnificent home in Janabiya where her friend Steven and dog Salsa occasionally kept us company. The first thing that strikes you is the feast of colour that surrounds Sabine. How did she come to develop this variegated sanctuary for herself in a desert? The answer has much to do with her inherent sensibilities as a person, deeply influenced by a childhood spent in Africa. Born in Austria, she moved to South Africa with her mother and step-father at the age of six. “We were always on the road. I don’t Sabine Algosaibi remember a single weekend in my childhood when I was at home. [We were] always camping outside, exploring new areas,” she reminisces. And there was a lot of moving. She went to 13 different schools and moved house 21 times in eight years. “As a child it was really exciting,” she says of the impact of such a life. “It brought a lot of openness to my personality; I learnt to take people for what they are, to be more tolerant as we were always with all kinds of people.” It also made nature a huge part of her life and, of course, fuelled her love for colours. “I am a colour maniac; I think that has a lot to do with South Africa.” After high school, she left for Switzerland to study commercial law. “I was following a boyfriend, so I took up whatever course was available, just to be able to be there,” she declares with a matter-of-fact innocence. So what brought a person so free, open and uninhibited to the Middle East? “Love,” she says. “Oh, I’m such a hopeless romantic!” At 21, Sabine visited her parents, in Khobar, Saudi Arabia (KSA), and met her husband at a party. She moved in with him and never left. This was the turning point for her, as up until then, her uncontainable energy had always had a vent. In KSA, these avenues were very limited. “KSA really bored me. My husband was really busy and I didn’t do the tea party thing; I wanted to do something with my hands. I didn’t know what, but it had to be something with my hands.” She found a book of pottery she had purchased in Austria, got the supplies and
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