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.

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.

في الصحراء نتواضع ونشعر بحجمنا الحقيقي في هذا الكون، يراودني الشعور أثناء رحلة نحو العلا السعودية لمعاينة معرض فني ضخم بعنوان «Ø¯ÙŠØ²ÙŠØ±Øª إكس». ويمثل معرض «Ø¯ÙŠØ²Ø±Øª إكس العلا» أول تعاون دولي لـ«Ø¯ÙŠØ²Ø±Øª إكس» الذي يقام في «ÙƒÙˆÙ†Ø´ÙŠÙ„ا فالي» بكاليفورنيا الأميركية وتأسس لربط المجتمعات والثقافات الصحراوية من خلال الفن المعاصر. وينظم المعرض بالتعاون مع المخرج الفني في «Ø¯ÙŠØ²ÙŠØ±Øª إكس» نيفيل ويكفيلد والقيّمتين والمختصتين في الفن المعاصر من المملكة رنيم فارسي وآية علي رضا.

الحافلة التي تقلنا نحو العلا محملة بجمع كثيف ومتنوع الجنسيات واللغات، كل فرد في انتظار المفاجأة المعدة لنا، وعدنا بمعر ض فني كبير وعرفنا بعض الأسماء المشاركة، وها نحن نقترب من ذلك العرض، نشغل الوقت بالأحاديث الجانبية وبالنظر من نوافذ الحافلة لتصافح أعيننا التشكيلات الصخرية الشهيرة في العلا... ولكن لنا حديث آخر مع تلك الإبداعات الصخرية، نحن الآن في الموقع حيث تبدأ عناصر المفاجأة في الظهور شيئاً فشيئاً... على مسافات تكاد تكون متساوية نرى تشكيلات فنية بعضها مكون من قطعة واحدة فقط، وبعضها الآخر من أكثر من قطعة، كل منها يبدو متواضعاً في ظلال الجبال الصخرية، لن يبزها جلالا ولكن يكتفي بأن يكون وجوده هنا نوعاً من الحوار البصري، بين الإنسان والطبيعة، بين ما شكلته الرياح والمياه على مدى قرون لا تعد من أخاديد وأحافير وفجوات في الصخور الممتدة على مدى البصر، وبين ما شكلته يد إنسانية تقدم التساؤلات والتأملات في الحياة ومعانيها.

It’s an extreme meeting of the old and new: Desert X Al Ula has opened to the public, a six-week-specific installation of artworks made in the awesome setting of the Al Ula in north western Saudi Arabia.

Desert X began as a biennial in southern California, bringing visitors through the Coachella Valley in search installations, sculptures, and performances. Now, for the Royal Commission for Al Ula (RCU)’s first major contemporary art project for the heritage site, Desert X Al Ula commissions 14 Saudi and international artists to make artworks in the sand.

“Al Ula is the power of heritage crossing through multiple civilisations,” says Amr Al Madani, chief executive of the RCU. “This is a living museum interacting with nature.”

There is no delving into the past. In Blinded by Tradition, I address a simple issue. The restrictions placed on women due to local traditions have become entwined with religion and identity, making any sort of dialogue impossible. Because identity preservation among all cultures is strongly linked to tradition, and as societies move at light speed to keep up with the changing world, people cling to certain traditions for a sense of safety. Local traditions, as beautiful and as important as they may be, shouldn’t be left unexamined. The hands are pointing to the future … and that is the only direction I will look towards at this point in my life.

Manal Al Dowayan’s first solo exhibition in the Kingdom has been a long time coming. And when her exhibition finally opened last weekend at Athr Gallery, it deservedly received wide acclaim and excitement, especially among the art enthusiasts who have been following her work outside the country.

Saudi artist Manal Al-Dowayan chose to step outside the protective boundaries. She wandered off, away from the barbed wires and unfettered independence, and traveled far and wide with her camera in hand to document a life far removed from the perimeters of utopian boundaries.

AN: Women are now included in the Shoura Council and you also talk about women’s issues in your photographs. What’s the one issue that you’re keen to fix?
MD: Women driving. How can you be financially independent when you can’t even reach your workplace? Movement is the most restrictive thing that exists in our country.

Listening to Saudi artist Manal Al Dowayan and observing her artworks, one is reminded that art and life look more like dreams than techniques and that ordinary concepts can become very colorful when elaborated out of joy and capacity to be in contact with one’s emotions. 

Athr Gallery’s first pavilion displays Al Dowayan’s latest work “The State of Disappearance,” a collection dealing with a need the artist has always felt to preserve women’s identity and that she has intensively explored, from different angles, in two previous and very famous participatory projects: “Suspended Together” and “I Am.”

Athr Gallery is ushering in the new year with renowned Saudi artist Manal Al-Dowayan’s first solo exhibition in the Kingdom, which kicked off yesterday and runs for a month. The exhibition, entitled “A Journey of Belonging,” introduced the artist’s new work, as well as seminal work from her previous series, in an exploration of her frequent voyages into the past in search of understanding and mutual acceptance.

Photographer, visual poet, and artist Al-Dowayan is one of the most recognized and critically acclaimed new wave of Saudi contemporary artists. She has exhibited globally, from Belgium to Bahrain, and her artwork has been acquired by collections such as the British Museum, Nadour, Barjeel and the Jordan National Museum of Fine Art, amongst many others.

The talented Saudi artist’s show at the Athr Gallery emphasizes not only her profound achievement and success, but re-affirms the Jeddah gallery’s commitment to supporting and showcasing the most innovative and thoughtful art of the region.

With the artist’s different series featured under one roof, a pattern emerges, a common thread weaves itself through her creative works.
“A Journey of Belonging” allows the viewer to approach Al-Dowayan’s work from a new perspective. There is a paradigm shift in focus with controversial issues of women’s rights and identity, normally associated with the artist’s work, fading into the background and the artist’s personal fears and obsessions coming to the fore.

Manal Al Dowayan Artist Talk and Book Launch

Wednesday, 16th January, 2013
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
The Store

Panel Discussion

Thursday, 17th January, 2013 
11:00 AM - 1 PM
Athr Gallery

تفخر أثرغاليري بأن تدخل العام الجديد مع الفنانة السعودية الذائعة الصيت منال الضوّيان في معرضها الشخصي الأول في المملكة العربية السعودية "رحلة انتماء" مقدمة عمل الفنانّة الجديد وكذلك الأساسي من أعمالها السابقة. ويستكشف المعرض رحلات الفنانة المتكررة إلى الماضي بحثا عن التفاهم والقبول المتبادل.

انّ منال الضوّيان مصورة وشاعرة بصرية وفنانة وهي واحدة من أكثر الفنانين المعروفين والمقبولين من قبل النقاد من بين موجة الفنانين السعوديين المعاصرين .عرضت أعمالها عالميا، من بلجيكا الى البحرين، وقد اشترتها المتحف البريطاني كما و اقتنت أعمالها ناظور وبارجيل والمتحف الوطني الأردني للفنون الجميلة وغيرها الكثير. انّ عرضها في أثرغاليري يؤكد ليس فقط على انجازها الحقيقي وعلى نجاحها بل هو يجّدد التـأكيد أيضا على التزام أثرغاليري على دعم وإبراز الفن المبتكر والمدروس في المنطقة.