The exhibition was supported by curatorial advisors, Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath.


Ten artists who received Al Burda Endowment grants in 2018 are now showcasing their works at Al Burda Endowment exhibition-Abu Dhabi Art 2019, which kicked off on Thursday at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi.
The artists - Ebtisam Abdulaziz, Ammar Al Attar, Dana Awartani, Fatima Uzdenova, Khalid Al Banna, Zoulikha Bouabdellah, Aisha Khalid, Aljoud Lootah, Nasser Al Salem and Stanley Siu - comprise the first cohort of the Al Burda Endowment grantees with works ranging from sculpture, textile-based work and photography to installation, virtual reality, experiential projects and more.
 
The exhibition was supported by curatorial advisors, Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath.

يرصد 22 شاباً سعودياً عبر أعمال فنية التغيرات التي يمر بها المجتمع وتداعياتها على المستويين الفردي والجماعي، وذلك في معرض بمدينة جدة يحمل اسم «في خضم كل ما يجري» يجمع مختلف المدارس الفنية كما يقدم «أثر غاليري» الذي ينظم المعرض أعمالاً فنية لـ110 فنانين سعوديين ومقيمين في المملكة، بعضهم اشتهروا عالمياً وتم اقتناء أعمالهم من متاحف ولهم مشاركات فنية في نسخ بینالي وقال محمد حافظ مدير صالة «أثر غاليري» لـ«الشرق الأوسط»: «وجهت أثر هذا العام دعوة واسعة لاستقطاب أفضل المواهب الشابة للمشاركة في نسخة المعرض السابعة، وتلقى على إثرها 203 طلبات من جميع أنحاء السعودية، وتم اختيار 22 منها عبر لجنة مختصة»
وأضاف حافظ أن تسمية المعرض «في خضم كل ما يجري» جاء من كونه سؤالاً شائعاً بين الشباب، وتحديداً فيما تشهده البلاد من نهضة فنية من خلال تجربتها الأولى في إضفاء الطابع المؤسسي على الفن والثقافة والترفيه، لتندرج هذه الفعاليات ضمن الإنجازات الثقافية، وأعاد هذا الأمر تعريف المشهد السعودي وكيفية تفاعل الناس معه، ويمثل هذا تغيراً على المستويات الاجتماعية والثقافية والاقتصادية والتأثيرات الحاصلة على صعيد الأماكن العامة والخاصة، وهنا مساحة للتعبير عن كيفية إدراك الفنان حجم هذه التغيرات

RIYADH: “We wish to open new horizons toward understanding the artistic aspects surrounding us and use them to enrich the local creative content as well as the Saudi art scene,” said Reem Sultan, CEO of Misk, referring to Misk Art, a festival dedicated to the creative arts in Saudi Arabia and abroad.
Misk Art presents a fair-like setup of local and international galleries, art exhibitions, workshops and talks with the aim to empower local artists and raise community awareness about the power of creativity.
Titled “Experiment 0.3,” the third edition of Misk Art focused on how the act of experimenting through critique and research empowers creativity and the local art scene.

JEDDAH: The Jeddah-based design studio Bricklab — founded in 2015 by brothers Abdulrahman and Turki Gazzaz — has won the Art Jameel International Design Award for its proposed design of Hayy:Cinema.
The cinema will be part of Hayy:Creative Hub — which is set to open in Jeddah next year — and is billed as “the first bespoke home of Saudi and international independent film in the Kingdom.”

DUBAI: Jeddah-based Saudi artist Nasser Al-Salem has revealed his latest project, which will be showcased in the UAE’s Al-Burda Endowment exhibition — organized by the UAE Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development — on Nov. 21.
Al-Salem is one of 10 contemporary artists awarded the Al-Burda Endowment in 2018. The endowment is awarded to “artists who explore Islamic art practices and continue to work towards developing contemporary Islamic Art,” according to a press release.

Anyone active in the Middle Eastern contemporary art scene will not have forgotten Sultan Bin Fahad’s The Red Palace exhibition in Riyadh, which opened in March and moved to Jeddah’s Al Khuzam Palace in June. Not only did it mark the first time a historic Saudi palace was open to the public but also revealed Sultan’s artistic journey between the intangible and tangible memories and cultures that make up contemporary Saudi existence. A step inside his artful abode in Riyadh whisks one off to another time and place .
There’s a nod to the elegance of Venetian and Moorish architecture through Serlian-style windows, a long arched corridor reminiscent of French neo-classicism and urban brick walls that celebrate edgy modernism of New York-style living. “My wife, Deena, has a great imagination for detail and I have a good imagination for space,” says Sultan.
 

The work of Riyadh-based artist Muhannad Shono is made from an imagined state of being, one devoid of a particular time and place. Through the use of pigment and vibration the exhibition studies what the artist deems “the crisis of the word.” In each work Shono grinds hardened charcoal words to dust and then employs vibrations from inaudible spectrums of sound to result in the new “words”—undefined black pigment forms—on paper. Their meaning cannot be read or heard and must be felt and experienced by gazing at the multitude of smudged chaotic lines.

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.

JEDDAH: From New York to Paris and from Barcelona to Beirut, Saudi artists are being given a great opportunity to further their knowledge and experience, as well as explore new ideas. Jeddah’s Athr Gallery, a strong supporter of contemporary art, is sending established Saudi artists to cities around the world for inspiration and self-challenge.
The art-residency program, entitled “Out of Place,” began as an open invitation to all Saudi-based artists during Athr’s 10th-anniversary exhibition. “The title refers to the notion of home and comfort zones, both of which get shaken when artists root themselves in a new city and environment for a residency program,” Alia Fattouh, director of Athr Gallery, told Arab News.
 
The main goal of an art-residency program is to inspire and broaden the horizons of those taking part, by allowing them to experience art and culture in different contexts.