Curated by the Artistic Director of BIENALSUR, Diana Wechsler, the exhibition includes more than 20 artists from 13 countries, including Ahaad Alamoudi, Darren Almond, Dania Alsaleh, Joël Andrianomearisoa, Hugo Aveta, Cécile Bart, Daniel Canogar, Tanja Deman, Sève Favre, Lina Gazzaz, Gabriela Golder, Chris Larson, Anaïs Lelièvre, Sujin Lim, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Valérie Jouve, Angelika Markul, Marín Matilde, Filwa Nazer, Tony Oursler, and Muhannad Shono.

As part of the program of the International Biennial of Contemporary Art of the South (Bienalsur ) , born within the National University of Tres de Febrero, the young Saudi artist Ahaad Alamoudi exhibits at the Kirchner Cultural Center The green light , a video installation focused on the ways in which information circulates and, at the same time, involves the subjects of a society.

"I love that the work is and can be seen in Argentina because -although it seems like a crazy dialogue- I think they are two cultures that have faced the need to understand different points of view," says the artist, only 30 years old, who grew up between England and Saudi Arabia and who today lives and works in Jeddah, the second largest city in her country, on the shores of the Red Sea.

Is Art Basel’s Noah Horowitz a glutton for punishment? Ten years ago, he was the director of the first ever online art fair, called the VIP Art Fair, an ambitious initiative that crashed on launch and left scepticism of online art platforms in its wake. Now Horowitz, director of Art Basel Americas, finds himself also overseeing the fair group’s virtual showings — known as Online Viewing Rooms (OVRs) — which must seem uncannily familiar. This week sees the opening of OVR: Portals (June 16-19), the second of three standalone, online-only fairs planned for this year.

Highlights include works by the Los Angeles sculptor Karon Davis, who references the US government’s violent prosecution of the Black Panther Party members (shown by Jeffrey Deitch) and two Saudi Arabian artists — Ahaad Al Amoudi and Mohammad Al Faraj — who look at the future of their country from a millennial generation’s perspective

A new wave of NFT art from the Gulf is set to enter the virtual realm as more artists and gallerists from the region join in on what seems to be a crypto art gold-rush.

NFT art, or digital art that is tokenised on the blockchain and purchased using cryptocurrency, made headlines in March following a Christie’s auction where a digital artwork by artist Beeple sold for a staggering $69.4 million.

It wasn’t just the price tag that caught the world’s attention, but the technology through which the artwork was sold, too. NFTs, which stands for non-fungible tokens, are digital certificates that authenticate ownership of certain digital assets – videos, music, drawings, or even tweets, memes and articles – through blockchain technology.

In the region, a number of people, including Bandar Al-Wazzan, founder of Bawa digital art gallery in Kuwait, have seen an opportunity to be a pioneer for dealing crypto art.

DUBAI – In the age of Instagram and all digital outlets, it is so  important to see art and appreciate the artist’s work in person. In its 14th iteration, Art Dubai was one of the first institutions in the world to provide the opportunity of attending a physical art fair since the coronavirus outbreak in March 2019.

My name is Stephany Sanossian and I attended this year’s Art Dubai and brought to artmejo my favourite picks from the fair! After seeing over 100 works by artists from all over the globe, I was truly inspired by each and it was tough to pick and choose! Out of everything, here are my highlights of Art Dubai 2021:

What makes you stop and stare at a particular artwork?

For me, it is two things. One, the uniqueness of the work. Two, the artist’s ability to take me inside their thoughts and own world using a simple piece of work.

ATHR Art is a Saudi Arabian contemporary art gallery with a spectacular booth at Art Dubai. Curated by Alaa Tarabzouni, the gallery was representing artists Sara Abu Abdallah, Mohammad Alfaraj and Ahaad Al Amoudi.

Misk Art Institute (MAI), under the auspices of the Misk Foundation established by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, has launched Imprint, a photography, film and digital exhibition (Oct. 4, 2020 — Jan. 28, 2021).

Curated by Latifa Abdul Rahman Al Khalifa and featuring the works of 17 Saudi and Gulf artists, the show is being held at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Fine Arts Gallery (or Masaha, meaning ‘space’ in Arabic), established in 1985 in Riyadh as a governmental hall dedicated to fine arts. It was renovated by MAI and reopened in 2019.

JEDDAH: From New York to Paris and from Barcelona to Beirut, Saudi artists are being given a great opportunity to further their knowledge and experience, as well as explore new ideas. Jeddah’s Athr Gallery, a strong supporter of contemporary art, is sending established Saudi artists to cities around the world for inspiration and self-challenge.

The art-residency program, entitled “Out of Place,” began as an open invitation to all Saudi-based artists during Athr’s 10th-anniversary exhibition.
“The title refers to the notion of home and comfort zones, both of which get shaken when artists root themselves in a new city and environment for a residency program,” Alia Fattouh, director of Athr Gallery, told Arab News.

The main goal of an art-residency program is to inspire and broaden the horizons of those taking part, by allowing them to experience art and culture in different contexts.

The main exhibition, titled Public/Private, is an artist-led initiative comprising a series of temporary exhibitions spanning visual art, performance, publications, and street art as well as sculpture, interactive sound installations, photography, video and sound art.

Under the leadership and vision of architect duo, Abdulrahman and Turki Gazzaz, Bricklab has set up various locations in Jeddah’s Historical Area to exhibit works of art. These locations included Rubat Al-Khunji Al-Sagheer, Sharbatly Annex, Bait Al-Sharbatly, Xenel Building and Barahat Al-Hazzazi.

Speaking on the occasion, Abdulrahman Gazzaz, Curator of 21,39 Summer Edition, said they have selected works by a range of local and international artists, from young and emerging to established international figures. “The participating artists are Ahaad Alamoudi, Alaa Tarabzouni, Aziz Jamal, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Emy Kat, Hajra Waheed, James Turrell, Manal Al Dowayan, Mammafotogramma Studio, Nasser Alshemimry & Blank Studio, Rashed Al Shashai and Traumnovelle.” he said.

Abdulrahman pointed out that this year’s Summer edition of 21,39 takes as its central theme questions about the development, restoration, and revival efforts initiated and supported by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, in Al-Balad and its potential to establish a fresh perspective on our understanding of the values of civic life.

It features Ahmad Angawi, Dana Awartani, Rashed Al-Shashai, Ajlan Gharem, Zahra Al-Ghamdi, Ayman Yossri Daydban, Jameela Mater, Ahaad Alamoudi and Ali Mogawi working within the confines of their studios between Jeddah, Abha and Riyadh. The movie is shot around the Kingdom showcasing the stunning landscape and never-seen-before footage of rural and present-day spaces in a manner that transports one to Saudi Arabia via a VR headset. “Reframe Saudi is a VR documentary about the art scene in Saudi Arabia, 

“What was interesting for me is that I was able to refine my practice during my fine art master’s program. I was able to see more clearly the links within my body of work – and now I see my work as a form of anthropology, studying the ethnography and culture of my country and society. My work also helped me identify with my national identity on a more profound level.”
This evolution led her to the current focus of Alamoudi’s work, exploring the links between the ancient and modern.

21,39 is back for its fifth edition under the theme 'Refusing To Be Still' and will show across multiple venues in Jeddah from 7 February to 5 May.

Featuring over 30 Saudi and international artists, this year’s edition of 21,39 takes a fresh look at the growing Saudi contemporary art landscape. Taking place across three venues, the main group exhibition Refusing To Be Still will be held at the Gold Moor Mall, Rubat Al Khunji and an empty PepsiCo factory. A second group exhibition is hosted at ATHR gallery entitled The Clocks Are Striking Thirteen, while a third exhibition will showcase works by Ahmed Mater in Drum Roll, Please at King Abdullah Economic City. A diverse offering of family activities, book launches and trips are also scheduled.