The Palazzo Contarini Dal Zaffo Polignac was once the grand palace of the Contarini Dal Zaffo family and later the Polignac’s who showcased parties that were to mark the beginning of European avant-garde music. The Piano Nobile (main floor), overlooking the Grand Canal, is adorned with an array of magnificent early Renaissance tapestries and classic oil paintings of the great icons that once lived there, just the way a Palazzo should be. Every velvet and wooden wall, every master painting, every elaborate gold frame, every piece of authentic furniture and every dusty book tell endless tales and speaks volumes about the great Venetian past.
Today however, the ground floor and courtyard tells similar tales through the artwork and also speak volumes about the culture of a country at the heart of the Islamic world. This private palace that has been closed off to the public for centuries, now has its doors open to an outpour of visitors interested in the creativity of Saudi Arabia and the small body of works that delve deep into the voice of the contemporary Saudi artist.
The exhibition starts with Ahmed Mater’s iconic print and installation of Magnetism. The illusion created of pilgrims circumambulating the Kaaba is “Like the sun in the centre while the people are like stars travelling in their orbit of the solar system.” People stop and stare, mesmerised by how something as simple as iron fillings and a magnet can create an image so profound.
At the facade of the palace the gate opens up to our exhibition with Abdulnasser Gharem’s Concrete barrier blocking people from entering with ease. Gharem ‘questions our relationship and trust in the structures and materials that surround us.’
Poetic echoes from Gharem’s video installation of The Path palpitate throughout the exhibition space. Upon entering the dark, secluded room, you watch in isolation the movie of the almost faded figures painting The Path (Al Siraat) across that iconic broken bridge in the Saudi Arabian valley. The only light comes from the small niche where the image of The Path hangs perfectly against a brick wall, as if that architects of the building new that room would one day exhibit this piece.
Through the curtains is the female domain of Shadia and Raja Alem and Maha Malluh. Hanging from the ceiling is Alem’s Negative no more, hundreds and hundreds of negatives of women they knew, woven together in an attempt to ‘shed the cocoon of negatives, misconceptions cast upon us.’ On the walls is Malluh’s photograms, (ironically is a method of photography without the use of a negative) which convey intimate, traditional and modern objects referencing a preservation of cultural heritage in a modern world.
The exhibition has been well received by a generally surprised public. The 53rd Venice Biennale is hosting several pavilions and collateral events of counties from the Middle East including UAE, Palestine, Syria, Morrocco, Iran and many visitors have commented that Edge of Arabia has presented the best display of the Middle East.
Edge of Arabia praised by BBC for focussing on the artists not the National Agenda…click to read on
Arabic Coffee and Incense Introduce Saudi Arabian Art to Venice… click to read on
German political magazine Der Spiegel highlights Edge of Arabia in Venice… click to read on
I feel so honoured and privileged to be part of the Edge of Arabia Team. There is a quiet feeling of excitement and promise as soon as you enter the ground floor of Palazzo Contarini dal Zaffo Polignac. Visitor after visitor leave saying the exhibition makes them feel good and even moved. There are no harsh hints of conflicts or oppression, nobody trying to prove a point. This is art showing the individual artist’s thoughts and visions. Art can cross all borders and this exhibition will surprise many preconceived minds!
Many congratulations to Stephen, Ahmed and Abdulnasser and of course the other artists and the Offscreen Team.
Indeed one can only echo the voices confirming the strength edge of Arabia artists exhibited, held in palazzo Contarini Dal Zaffo are some of many treasures the mystic Saudi kingdom holds its only a shame this exhibition is running for such a short time! Magnificent….
There are definitely so many impressive exhibitions in the Venice at the moment. I think displays of the Middle East have been interesting to say the least. Edge of Arabia was a fantastic, authentic and honest show. With regard to the BBC article, as a fan of the emerging artists of the UAE, I was disappointed in the pavilion and platform that far from did justice to the artwork and artists working at the grassroots of the Gulf. The confidence Edge of Arabia showed by simply displaying the artwork and showcasing its artists [as opposed to abstract interpretations of a country] was refreshing to see. Ahmed Mater I noticed was an artist featured in the ADACH platform and I watched through the entire interview which was fantastic as it really brought his work to life when I saw it first hand in Edge of Arabia. The themes and selected work was powerful and emotive and I salute the curators for this wonderful display of Arabian culture in the heart of Venice.
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