The Saudi Ministry of Culture has launched the pilot program of its Art Residency Initiative: Art Residency Albalad and is seeking seven participants to attend the six-week program.  The first edition of this initiative is the first of a series of fully funded residencies that will provide dedicated time, considered collaborations and a supportive working environment for creatives from all around the world. The first residents for the pilot programme will be chosen through an open call and is available to those working in cultural sectors. A selection committee made up of international and local experts will review all applications to whittle down a final shortlist of seven candidates: five artists, one writer and one curator.

The Lahore Biennale Foundation has released its list of over seventy artists who will participate in the second edition of the Lahore Biennale (LB02), “Between the Sun and the Moon,” taking place between January 26 and February 29. Curated by Hoor Al Qasimi, the director of the Sharjah Art Foundation, the exhibition will focus on the Global South—“where ongoing social disaffection is being aggravated by climate change”—and will be held at various cultural and heritage sites throughout the city of Lahore, Pakistan, including the Gaddafi Stadium and the Lahore Museum.

Looking to spend a weekend in Jeddah? There’s only so much to do in a city with endless possibilities of entertainment, food, and tourism. We’ve rounded up a guide covering the best of leisure activities, so you don’t worry about FOMO.

RIYADH: Artists from the region have been exhibiting their work in Diriyah’s Industrial Zone as part of the area’s transformation, and the first step to creating a contemporary arts area on the outskirts of Riyadh. “From Within,” which was inaugurated earlier this month by the Kingdom’s Deputy Minister of Culture Hamid bin Mohammed Fayez, features work by artists from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

 
 
أخذ الفن التشكيلي حيّزاً كبيراً في المملكة العربية السعودية، وأصبح له مكانة مرموقة في الآونة الأخيرة، لما له من أثر في تنمية الذوق الفنّي والتعبير الحرّ ورقيّ الأمم، واهتم به القاصي والداني حكومة وشعباً، وأصبح له مراكز لتعليم الأطفال والكبار، وصالات لعرض أعمال الفنانين السعوديين والفنانين التشكيليين من مختلف أنحاء العالم، لأنّ الفن التشكيليّ تعبير صادق عن ثقافة الشعوب الحية، والحسّ الإنساني الذي يفهمه العالم بلا لغات أبجدية. وسعياً وراء الفن التشكيلي الجميل سارعت "لها" إلى لقاء أبرار القيم منسّقة إعلام وتواصل اجتماعي لـ "صالة أثر" في مدينة جدّة فكان هذا الحوار عن الفن التشكيلي وأهمّيته في تعزيز الثقافة المجتمعية وتطور المجتمعات قاطبة.

Four Saudi artists have been showcasing their work at a unique traveling biennale that has visited 43 cities in 23 countries, and concludes this week in Riyadh.
Fatima Al-Banawi, Sara Abu Abdallah, Faisal Samra and Ayman Zedani took part in the second BIENALSUR exhibition, which began in Buenos Aires in Argentina in May. Saudi Arabia is its only Middle East venue.

JEDDAH: An exhibition by emerging artists throwing a spotlight on the social changes taking place in Saudi Arabia has been launched in the Kingdom.
Athr Gallery in Jeddah is hosting “In the Midst of It All,” the sixth edition of its Young Saudi Artists (YSA) initiative, showcasing the works of 22 talented newcomers to the country’s growing art scene.

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.”

ATHR Gallery featured Dana Awartani's solo booth at Abu Dhabi Art at Focus section, curated by Dr. Omar Kholeif
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

Jeddah: A recent art exhibition in Jeddah showcased the work of 22 young Saudi artists from different regions of the country. The exhibition, which is the sixth edition of the Young Saudi Artist exhibition, will run until December 31.
It is being held at Athr Gallery which has been instrumental in supporting artists and providing them with a professional platform to showcase their artwork for more than a decade.
 
Shedding light on the theme of the exhibition “In the midst of it all,” artist and independent curator Zahra Dar Bundakgi, told Gulf News that the theme was chosen, keeping in mind the kingdom’s social changes taking place at a bolting speed.

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.