It is worth noting that the show, which comes to the UAE from Athr, the leading contemporary art gallery in Jeddah, is sponsored by Asharq Al-Ausat, the Arabic-language newspaper published out of London and backed by the 43-year-old, Oxford-educated Prince Faisal bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud, a supporter of King Abdullah’s attempts to liberalise the country. Not for nothing is the exhibition (a near sell-out at prices between $2,500 and $10,000), called “A Line in the Sand”

Though Art Dubai might be a somewhat careful art fair—and certainly every fair has its share of “decorative” painting—a great number of its participants display works that lean towards social or political commentary—some more, some less subtle. Athr Gallery from Jeddah devotes one of their two booths to Saudi-Arabian born Sami Al Turki and his ongoing photographic series “Barzakh” (2012–). In these images of strangely hovering architectural structures against a vast expanse of cloudy skies, Al Turki makes a wry comment on the difficulties of finding a “home” in Saudi Arabia.

Twisted metallic sculptures, monumental public installations, compelling art and bold ideas - Jeddah’s Athr Art Gallery is returning to Dubai for Art Week 2013 with their most significant engagement with the city’s annual celebration of Middle Eastern and international art to date.

One of Athr Gallery’s developers, Adnan Manjal, said that their aim is “to expose the portfolio of unique and talented artists to the rest of the world, beyond the boarder of the Middle East”. Manjal added about Athr’s participation in London’s International Art’13, “even though the Middle East is a crucial point of focus for the gallery, Europe is equally important as we strongly believe our artists are of the same calibre and yet unique… Although Athr Gallery has collaborated with London-based galleries on several exhibitions in the past, Art’13 was a perfect platform to introduce Athr Gallery’s artists to the London’s art fairs.”

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.

Also featured during the second day of the Art Week was the opening of Pen to Paper , a group exhibition co-organised by Athr Gallery and the Al Madad Foundation’s Aya Haidar. The exhibition highlighted notions of knowledge, truth, and the dissemination of information (and mis information), and featured works by renowned artists such as Tammam Azzam, Ayman Yossri Daydban, Saddek Wasil, and Jowhara AlSaud. Speaking about education and the arts in Saudi Arabia, Haidar noted the reality of the arts as being officially excluded from the Saudi curriculum.

In Art’13, Athr Gallery has presented a solo exhibition of the Palestinian artist Hazem Hareb’s series “Inside-Outside”, “Me and the Other Half” and the video installation “Impossible Travel”, which consisted of beautiful conceptual photos that expressed his protest against the deterioration of the quality of life in Palestine.

Athr Gallery’s “Pen to Paper” group exhibition displayed the artworks of 17 Middle Eastern artists, exploring the value of knowledge and the art of using words and text within the artistic language.

10 أسماء تضم لأول مرة مرشحين من السعودية وأذربيجان والهند

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