This panel discussion focused on the emergence of contemporary art practice in Saudi Arabia and the challenges of making art and exhibiting it.

The Middle Eastern galleries selected for the initiative include Athr Gallery, Saudi Arabia and Lawrie Shabibi, UAE. Athr Gallery, located in Jeddah, will stage a solo presentation of a Palestinian artist’s work at London First. Hazem Harb will explore themes including war, loss, trauma, human vulnerability and global instability through his multi-media, conceptual works, ranging from large-scale paintings through to digital photography and video.

Athr Gallery from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, will be participating at this year's inaugural ART13 fair in London from March 1st to 3rd. The fair is a brand-new event that aims to reflect the shifting dynamics of the art world through engaging with emerging art hubs, galleries and artists worldwide, being a great platform for ATHR. They'll be bringing a solo booth to the 'London First' programme stand, featuring the work of acclaimed Palestinian multi-media artist Hazem Harb. Harb will be showing "Impossible Travel, Me and the Other Half & Inside-Outside", a presentation involving conceptual images of a hypothetical wall standing in his home country Palestine.