Athr Gallery founder Hamza Serafi opened an assured and confident exhibition of works devoted to the power of the written word, Pen to Paper.

One of the pioneers of the Jeddah gallery scene, Mr Serafi maintains his position as pre-eminent arts impresario in the rapidly developing market.

"Art is a globalised industry," he says. "By having Sotheby's here we are raising the price that Saudi art can command. So we are effectively allowing artists to devote themselves full time to their work."

Mr Serafi went on to say that while the art week was a turning point it was also the culmination of years of hard work and Saudi sponsorship.

One of the pioneers of the Jeddah gallery scene, Mr Serafi maintains his position as pre-eminent arts impresario in the rapidly developing market. "Art is a globalised industry," he says. "By having Sotheby's here we are raising the price that Saudi art can command. So we are effectively allowing artists to devote themselves full time to their work." Mr Serafi went on to say that while the art week was a turning point it was also the culmination of years of hard work and Saudi sponsorship.

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 misinformation), 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.

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.

Pen to Paper hopes to achieve clarity around the notions of true knowledge as a valuable and recyclable tool that can serve as a means to not only empower but also liberate through true learning. The exhibition opens tomorrow evening from 7.30 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. at Athr Gallery and will run for a month.

If knowledge is power, then the production of knowledge is a command just as influential. It is this notion, the production of knowledge and understanding, which is to be deconstructed and explored. This group exhibition is specifically curated to create a dialogue between artists and audience in a bid to question the diffusion of information, notions of knowledge and truth as well as the power of misinformation.

Al Madad Foundation and Athr Gallery are pleased to announce Pen to Paper, a group exhibition based on notions around knowledge.