Dana Awartani

The Jeddah-born artist’s installation is typical of her focus on the destruction or erosion of cultural heritage. Its subject, the ancient Grand Mosque of Aleppo, was seriously damaged during the Syrian Civil War.

Zahrah Al-Ghamdi

The Jeddah-based artist’s work “explores tensions between the country’s traditions and globalization, often through the lens of her hometown, Al-Baha,” according to the show catalogue. “She is inspired by the domestic architecture of the city as well as the natural beauty of the area, though her work also considers what is lost to the Kingdom as it undergoes breakneck urban development.”

The Noor Riyadh festival of light and art is running until April 3, held at sites across Saudi Arabia's capital city.

An exhibition of historical artworks that use light, from international explorations in the 1960s and 1970s to more recent works from the kingdom, is also on until June 12 at the King Abdullah Financial Centre.

4. 'Diwans of the Unknown' by Dana Awartani (2021). Location: Light Upon Light, King Abdullah Financial Centre

Arranged like a miniature screen, in Diwans of the Unknown the Palestinian-Saudi artist Dana Awartani projects lines of poetry from female poets of the pre-Islamic age to the 12th century. The phrases are stitched into gauzy sheets of silk that are lit from the side, so that the words float like ghosts from another age. The work is a continuation of Awartani’s 2018 large-scale sound installation, in which the whispers of these poems swirled around gravestone-like silk cloths, embroidered in complex geometry.

As the world slowly begins to emerge from the global COVID-19 pandemic, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia seeks to reengage its population with cultural activities. Noor Riyadh - which translates from Arabic to "Light of Riyadh" - is a citywide light and art festival illuminating the Saudi capital of Riyadh for the next three months.

Due to the global pandemic, 2020 was hardly characterized by cultural events or communal gatherings. But globally, society has gradually begun to emerge from a state of self-preservation, lockdowns and solitude, and begun a return to normalcy. As the Saudi public re-integrates into post-pandemic society, the Noor Riyadh festival aims to transform urban spaces into art that immerses and engages the community.

The second half of the festival, which takes the theme "Light Upon Light," is a retrospective exhibition tracking light art from the 1960s to the present. It runs until June 12 in the King Abdullah Financial District Conference Center.

Saudis are eager to leave the challenges of 2020 behind and look to a "brighter future," according to Director of Riyadh Art Khaled Al-Hazani. The festival, "a celebration of light and art on an unparalleled scale," has already proven popular with Saudis, who have flocked to see the exhibitions on display. Lulwah Al Homoud, one of the Saudi artists exhibiting her work, considers the inaugural festival as the beginning of a "golden age of Saudi art," she says.

The artworks, which encompass a range of media, including music, sculpture and performance, can be found in two main areas: The King Abdul Aziz Historical Center and the King Abdullah Financial District, where visitors can also view “Light Upon Light,” an exhibition of light art from the 1960s to the present, which is on view until June 12.
While the global art community will have to view the artworks virtually, Saudis have already been flocking to the venues in record numbers.
“One of the most critical aspects of Vision 2030 is the flourishing of the Saudi creative economy, which we are trying to foster, and this is one of the main highlights of Noor Riyadh as a program,” Anas Najmi, adviser to the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, told Arab News. “Despite all of the challenges of the pandemic, we managed to give the experience to 15,000 visitors in just one day. Secondly, over 1,200 jobs were created as part of the Noor Riyadh festival, half of which are for Saudis.”

RIYADH — The “Light Upon Light” Exhibition, which is being held at the King Abdullah Financial District as part of the first edition of Noor Riyadh, is the largest group art exhibition that monitors the artistic movement in the lighting arts since 1960s until todate.

It includes 30 masterworks of light art divided into four sectional “rays” that survey light as an artistic medium: “Perceiving Light,” “Experiencing Light,” “Projecting Light,” and “Environmental Light.” Each ray blends time and unites established artists of diverse geographic origin.

From immersive installation to video and sculpture, visitors to “Light Upon Light” will experience a richly illuminated exhibition in all its spatial and sensory phenomena. This historical presentation of light art is a groundbreaking event for culture in Saudi Arabia. Noor Riyadh, one of the world’s most exciting festivals of light and art combining the highest quality of light artworks across the city, began on March 18 and will run through until April 3. Filled with spectacular installations, the fest will light up the night sky of the capital city of Riyadh.

The “Projecting Light,” pavilion presents artworks that use the transmission of light to create the work instead of focusing on light as a medium. In 2019, Saudi artist Sultan Bin Fahd worked on the art piece titled “Once he was a ruler”, which is a collection of photographs, in which ancient sculptures depicting the kings of the ancient Lihyan Kingdom in Northern Arabia are shown, where he modified them by placing layers of X-ray images, and these images were collected, superimposed in illuminated light boxes at the event.

Through his abstract drawings, paintings, sculptures and installations, the artist tackled cultural issues related to his homeland in the Kingdom. The artist also re-narrates historical stories and novels using art, and transmits these narratives through contemporary means to reconstruct them with a personal character.

While Saudi artist Dana Awartani is participating in the event with her work “Divan Al Majhoul 2021, which combined textiles, hand embroidery and poetry.

دبي، الإمارات العربية المتحدة (CNN) -- شهدت المملكة العربية السعودية، مساء الخميس، انطلاق احتفالية "نور الرياض" والتي تضمنت عرض أعمال فنية تفاعلية تعتمد على الإضاءة في مواقع متعددة بأنحاء مدينة الرياض

وتضمنت الاحتفالية مشاركة 60 من كبار الفنانين في مجال فنون الإضاءة، ينتمون لأكثر من 20 دولة حول العالم، منهم 23 من الفنانين السعوديين، وفقاً لوكالة الأنباء السعودية "واس"

وتشتمل احتفالية "نور الرياض" على 60 عملاً فنياً، تضم جميع أشكال فنون الضوء، من بينها أعمال تاريخية وهندسية وضوئية، ومنحوتات، وعروض للإضاءة، وعروض تفاعلية، وقطع حركية، وتركيبات وأعمال خارجية، ومجموعة من أشكال الفن الخفيف، يتاح لسكان وزوار مدينة الرياض الاستمتاع بها عن قرب في مختلف أرجاء المدينة، مع تخصيص مركزين رئيسين للاحتفالية في كلٍ من مركز الملك عبدالله المالي ومركز الملك عبدالعزيز التاريخي بالمربع

Recognising the traditional miniature’s capacity for carrying multiple narratives and its unique relationship with text and image, Turkish curators Azra Tüzünoğlu and Gülce Özkara are demonstrating the contemporary miniature’s farreaching subversive potential in the Miniature 2.0: Miniature in Contemporary Art exhibition at the Pera Museum in Istanbul.

The show features 14 artists across Turkey, South Asia and the Middle East. Exploring their shared cultural heritage, works by Halil Altındere, Dana Awartani, Fereydoun Ave, CANAN, Hayv Kahraman, Imran Qureshi, Shahzia Sikander, Saira Wasim and others readapt the traditional miniature to delve into colonialism, identity politics, forced migration and representation.

"Growing up in a multicultural society allows you access to a plethora of tastes, cultures and mentalities. It gives you a superpower – to be able to feel empathy for what is other and what is foreign,” comments Saudi-Palestinian artist Dana Awartani, on growing up amidst a melting pot of cultures in Saudi Arabia.

Middle Eastern art is more than the sum of its parts – there is a misconception that art coming from our region, specifically from female artists, tackles topics of either suppression or exile, exclusively. Dana’s art breaks free from these constructs of suppressed identity and adopts a transformative style that feels almost liberating. “If you’re a Palestinian, you must be a refugee and therefore your art must talk about topics of supression; these are narratives I didn’t really relate to,” admits Dana.

RIYADH: A Saudi art gallery has launched an initiative to provide financial grants to help support the work of artists in the Kingdom during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Athr Gallery in Jeddah recently announced its Maan (Arabic for together) project in a bid to cushion the impact of the virus outbreak on the local art scene. As part of its mission to keep the arts sustained and accessible to a wider audience, Athr has collaborated with seven artists, whose limited-edition works will be sold to fund the grants.

The artists contributing their pieces are Ahmed Mater, Ayman Yossri Daydban, Dana Awartani, Manal Al-Dowayan, Muhannad Shono, Nasser Al-Salem, and Sultan bin Fahad.

An intricate installation by Saudi-Palestinian artist Dana Awartani in the inaugural Al Burda Endowment Exhibition signaled a special kind of ambition. Initiated in 2004, Al Burda is a platform founded by the UAE Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development for artists working within the field of Islamic art.

“Our mandate with the Endowment is to promote innovation in contemporary Islamic art practices,” Salem Al Qassemi, the ministry’s assistant undersecretary for arts and heritage, said of a show featuring work by 10 artists (and remaining on view into February, after which point it will be presented in Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue in March).

“Exhibiting at Abu Dhabi Art allowed us to present to the public the creativity and diversity of Islamic art and culture.”

Made specifically for this presentation, Awartani’s latest works on the paper act as moments of pause and reflection within her practice. In contrast to her usual highly intricate paintings, this minimalist and monochromatic body of work reverts to the source of her inspiration, Sufi mysticism. Awartani describes these paintings as acts of mediation and moments of contemplation as part of her daily rigour of being an artist, a method she frequently adapts to quiet the mind.

الفنون الحديثة تتصدر معرض «فن أبوظبي»، ويطالع الزوار في صالة «أثر» أعمال الفنانة الفلسطينية السعودية دانة عورتاني، وقد صممت هذه الأعمال خصيصاً لمعرض «فن أبوظبي» بإشراف المقيم الفني عمر خليف. وجاءت وكأنها طقوس تأمل صوفي خلال ممارسة دانة لإبداعها الفني.
وتضم هذه الأعمال ست لوحات تشكل الدائرة مركز رسومها، وتتكرر بأقطار وألوان ومواقع مختلفة، متداخلة في لوحة ومتجاورة في لوحة أخرى، وجميعها مشغولة بخيوط ذهبية، وهي تدل بدقة ومهارة على مدى الجهد الكبير الذي أخذته في إنجازها

Islamic art finds new forms through the Al Burda Endowment exhibition, which is currently on view at Manarat Al Saadiyat. The initiative was founded by the UAE Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development as a way to celebrate Islamic art and culture, but also support contemporary artists who are transforming the traditional form with modern elements.

In November last year, Al Burda launched its Endowment programme, for which they selected 10 artists to produce works specifically for the initiative that will then be shown at exhibitions and the Al Burda Festival in 2020. For the first edition, Al Burda has provided Dh500,000 worth of financial support to the selected candidates.

Curated by Dr. Omar Kholeif – who was recently appointed senior curator of the Sharjah Art Foundation – the handpicked “Focus: Drawing, Tracing, Mapping” section was dedicated to understanding the medium of drawing in profound depth.

Kholeif said: “Here, drawing is not the simple act of applying graphite to paper, but rather, drawing is performance and social sculpture, as much as it is about the study, diagramming and impression of a portrayal. Here, drawings reveal hidden histories and contour realities. Drawing becomes a means to see the unseen.”

Among the eight participating galleries in the section was the Saudi Athr Gallery, with a solo booth of serene drawings of circles by the Saudi-Palestinian artist Dana Awartani. Created especially for the fair, the gallery said the works symbolized “acts of meditation and moments of contemplation as part of her (Awartani’s) daily rigor of being an artist, a method she frequently adopts to quiet the mind.”

In copertina una veduta dell’installazione Standing by the Ruins dell’artista Dana Awartani per la Biennale di Rabat. Courtesy the artist, and ATHR gallery, Jeddah

Standing by the Ruins è l’installazione realizzata dall’artista Dana Awartani (Palestina – Arabia Saudita) su commissione per la Biennale di Rabat. Questa edizione della biennale si intitola Un Instant Avant le Monde e vede come curatore Abdelkader Damani.

Vi avevo già presentato Dana Awartani nella rubrica “Voci d’arte araba“, attraverso un video che ci aveva avvicinati alla sua pratica artistica e alla sua visione.

"Since its inception, Al Burda has grown as an initiative that champions Islamic art and culture, encompassing both classical and contemporary styles.

"We have adopted an interdisciplinary approach, inviting the creative community to experience the unique intersection of culture, art and design," Al Kaabi said on Tuesday during the announcement of the event's details.

"Al Burda is a testament to our leadership's commitment to building a greater understanding of our shared culture," the minister added.

Masterpieces

Ten artists, who received a grant last year, will be presenting  their works in the Al Burda Endowment exhibition.

Among them are Emirati artists Aljoud Lootah, Ebtisam Abdulaziz, Khalid Al Banna and Ammar Al Attar; Saudis Dana Awartani and Nasser Al Salem; as well as  Aisha Khalid from Pakistan; Zoulikha Bouabdella from Algeria; Fatima Uzdenova from Russia;  and Stanley Siu from Hong Kong.

Their masterpieces will also be part of Abu Dhabi Art on November 21.

Abu Dhabi’s Al-Burda Endowment exhibition will showcase the work of 10 selected artists, who were awarded a special grant in 2018, on Nov. 21.

Poetry and light are key elements in Jeddah-based artist Dana Awartani’s, which aims to revive sacred art to reintroduce it to the modern world.

The Saudi artist;Nasser Al Salem’s practice challenges the boundaries of the traditional Islamic art of calligraphy by re-contextualizing it in unconventional forms.

Al Burda, an initiative that celebrates Islamic art and culture, will present the works of 10 artists in their Al Burda Endowment exhibition, which will take place during this year’s Abu Dhabi Art in November.

The exhibition will eventually travel to Alserkal Avenue next year. Details of the festival programme will be announced later this year.

Dana Awartani, Abdulnasser Gharem, Ayman Yossri Daydban and Basmah Felemban take us inside their Saudi Arabia-based studios

Ayman Yossri Daydban: “I see my studio as an important piece of artwork—it is always changing, never settling in one location. I never decided what medium I will use—sometimes I paint, sometimes I crush elements together and sometimes I mix unconventional, untraditional styles together. I will keep searching for answers. I am currently working on a solo exhibition with Athr Gallery which will launch in September.”

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, 

Opening on Thursday, February 8th, at 7:30pm, Athr presents “The Clocks Are Striking Thirteen”, a group exhibition, as part of 21,39 Jeddah Arts. The participating artists are Aya Haidar, Ayman Yossri, Dana Awartani, Larissa Sansour, Maha Nasrallah, Moath Alofi, Mohammed Abdelrasoul, Mohammed Al Faraj, Mohammed Monaiseer, Muhannad Shono, Nasser Al Salem, Reem Al Nasser, Sara Abdu, Tamara Al Samerai, Wael Shawky and Zahra Al Ghamdi. The exhibition is curated by Maya El Khalil.

The exhibition, curated by Jared Steffensen of UMOCA, features works by established and emerging Saudi artists such as Abdullah AlOthman, Abdulnasser Gharem, Ahmed Mater, Arwa Alneami, Nugamshi, Dana Awartani, Ghada Al Rabea, Khalid Bin Afif, Khalid Zahid, Lina Gazzaz, Moath Alofi, Musaed Al Hulis, Nasser Al Salem, Nouf Alhimiary, Qamar Abdulmalik, Rashed Al Shashai, Telfaz11, Yusef Alahmad and Balqis AlRashed, who is the first international artist to do a residency at UMOCA.

“This exhibition examines the parallels between spiritual and urban cultures in Saudi Arabia and Utah, especially the symbolism of creativity that connects cities of pilgrimage in both places. Since the 7th Century, the holy cities of Makkah and Medina have drawn millions of Muslim pilgrims every year to worship at the holiest sites in Islam. Salt Lake City was established nearly a thousand years later by Mormon pioneers in search of a safe haven for their newly established religion. Members of the Church of Latter Day Saints also make a twice-annual pilgrimage of the faithful to the General Conference at Temple Square — the spiritual centre of the Mormon faith,” Steffensen says.

“The artists featured in this show are engaged in looking at the struggles and transformations of their society and delving into complex issues that link Utah and Saudi Arabia, such as oil, pilgrimage and tension surrounding commercial development around important cultural and religious heritage sites. 

The show is politically charged and runs on the high-octane passion of its curator. “I am a very political person and I am Palestinian,” she says. “But I don’t need to be a Palestinian in Palestine. Palestine is everywhere and that is why I aspire to decolonisation.” 

Interestingly, this year’s exhibition inspiration for ‘Earth and Ever After’ comes from the Holy Qur’anic verses: “From this dust We created you, and in this We shall put you back, and from this, We shall raise you up once again.” (20:55) and “And Allah has made the Earth a spread for you, so that you may go about its broad ways.” (71:20). 

Showcasing three new projects based on the study of numbers, Awartani uses various contexts from a geometric standpoint proving that it is still very much a relevant theme in the Saudi art world. 

Speaking exclusively to Saudi Gazette, she said: “The abjad and numerical squares have played a fundamental role in my research where I am trying to examine the significance and hidden qualities of individual numbers and show how they have not only influenced our culture, religion and our arts but also looking at how the Islamic empire were the pioneers at the time when it came to this subject.” 

Awartani: “A lot of people, when they create art, they abide by Western rules. Even the popular artists, even when they take Oriental themes, they use Western forms. Why should they have to follow that? They should be more original and unique. The Arab world should make art as much as the Western world.” 

Dana Awartani is an experienced traditional artist based in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. Dedicated to the revival of historical crafts from the Islamic world, Dana works with a wide range of materials including ceramics, natural pigments, and woodwork inspired by centuries of historical Islamic geometry and patterns. A Q&A with Dana Awartani.

Rather than merely celebrating geometric art in Islam or the Middle East, the exhibition, under the name “The Language of Human Consciousness,” tries to put geometric works out of their political, social, cultural, or even geographical settings. Away from its context, the viewer is able to appreciate the art works in itself and as a universal language.

"The way you create your art, whether it be geometry or illumination, I can’t be in a bad mood or not centered. You need to be focused 100 percent and spiritually centered. It’s so time consuming that there is a term when producing the art as a form of “dhekir” and every brush stroke is a form of dhekir and the things I’m creating, sacred geometry and illuminations, are all a reflection of Allah’s creations. There’s a quote from Rumi which is my favorite that says “There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground, there are a thousand ways to go homeagain,” this is another element that speaks to me personally, it’s my connection. That’s the beauty of it."

“I create art that explores themes of spirituality and the ‘sacred’ through the use of historical artistic disciplines. My aim is to educate and raise awareness not only about traditional techniques of art making, which is nearly nonexistent, but also about the beauty of Islam, a side a lot of people don’t know of.” She believes her art makes a difference at a time when “horrible stereotypes” are attached to religion. “I hope through my art I can break down these misconceptions and try to start a positive dialogue. When I talk about the spirituality behind religion it allows people from other cultures and religions to relate to it and find similarities with their own beliefs and practices. I guess I am trying to give people a sense of unity rather than build even more barriers.”

Athr Gallery places itself as an entity beyond being a commercial gallery, but a cultural center that brings together different talents from across the region and globe

The most common and memorable responses are when people are shocked to learn the hidden meaning behind geometry. I get so excited to see people show interest in that aspect of my work because I believe it leads them to view Islamic art not just as a decorative art but also as something that is highly sophisticated and intellectual. I remember there was this one Buddhist American man who I met at the Venice Biennale. He managed to relate my work to his own faith and he saw a lot of similarity between concepts in Islam and Buddhism

Taking its cue from the current Ramadan season, a time of contemplation and spiritual regeneration for Muslims worldwide, ‘Show Of Faith’ offers perspectives, insights and reflections on the essence of faith, both within the precepts and traditions of Islam, and beyond, as a universal source of sanctuary and solace

Athr Gallery head to Doha, Qatar, this month to collaborate with the city’s Katara Cultural Village on ‘Show Of Faith’, a major, multi-media group exhibition on July 11 and running until August 31.

Rhizoma: (Generation in Waiting) -the Saudi Arabian Pavilion at this year’s Venice Bienalle produced by Edge of Arabia and co-curated by Sara Raza - opened on May 30 to critical acclaim. The exhibition features a number of young Saudi artists and, in particular, considers their interest in new-media practices.

The exhibition will show the works of the following artists many of whom are creating new works unique to the exhibition; Abdulkarim Qassem, Abdullah Alothman, Ahaad Alamoudi, Ahmad Angawi, Basmah Felemban, Batool Alshomrani, Dana Awrtani, Eiman Elgibreen, Eyad Maghazil, Heba Abed, Huda Beydoun, Majid Althobaity, Mala’a Al-Amoudi, Mohammad Makki, Nasser Salem, Nora A.Almazrooa, Nouf Alhimiary, Omamah AlSadiq, Ramy Alqthamy, Saeed Salem, Sami Al-Turki, Sarah AbuAbdallah, Sarah Al Abdali, Shaweesh, and YouTube sensations Telfaz 11 and U-Turn.