Saudi curators to bring communities together through art

November 19, 2017

Contemporary Collective, a group of Saudi curators which aims to bring communities together through art, will present its first exhibition “We Are Not Alone” from Oct. 17 till Nov. 16, 2017, at ATHR gallery, Jeddah.
The curators have selected works from the British Council’s art collection that they feel will help viewers lift their thoughts away from their daily lives and think differently about how they approach the unknown. They especially want to engage audiences of all ages in the Kingdom to share the message that creativity can help them overcome their fears and anxieties.


We Are Not Alone is an exhibition that explores how our common feelings, anxieties and human behaviour can be expressed through the familiar, the peculiar, the uncanny and the transcendental. The exhibited artworks have been selected to encourage dialogue and curiosity. 

This group exhibition investigates whether art can offer a common ground to enable us to communicate with one another and the world, and invites you to raise questions, explore doubts and share experiences.

On your journey you will encounter artworks exploring the transcendent and timeless, and pieces, by artists such as Shiazeh Houshiary and Mohammed Qasim Ashfaq, that provide a space for thought and meditation. There are also encounters with artworks, including Ryan Gander’s, which might leave you puzzled or looking for clues.

We Are Not Alone includes works in a large range of media by artists who explore our worries and fears but also invite us to dispel them through open discussion. Providing an end and a beginning, Cerith Wyn Evans and Mark Titchner’s pieces invite a direct response and are a call for participation in a future where ‘we are not alone’. 

The exhibition is curated by the Contemporary Collective, a group of six female curators from Saudi Arabia. For We Are Not Alone, they have selected works from the British Council Collection.

Exhibiting artists: Marcus Coates, Mat Collishaw, Jimmie Durham, Ceal Floyer, Ryan Gander, Damien Hirst, Shirazeh Houshiary, Anish Kapoor, Cornelia Parker, Eva Rothschild, Yinka Shonibare MBE (RA), David Shrigley, Mark Titchner, Mohammed Qasim Ashfaq, Rachel Whiteread, Bill Woodrow and Cerith Wyn Evans.

 

This exhibition has been organised by the British Council in partnership with Athr Gallery.
Your voyage of curiosity begins here. Take a walk through the space and share your experience with us at #GetCurious and @ccollective.sa. Let’s talk.

 

Contemporary Collective members:
Reem AlJalhami, Dalia Fatani, Raneen Bukhari, Maryam Bilal, Solafa Rawas and Thahab