Six of our wonderful artists generously donated a work to raise money for the Edge of Arabia education programme last month in the Christies Dubai Modern and Contemporary Arab, Iranian and Turkish Art Sale.

Grey Borders / Grey Frontiers, Edge of Arabia’s premier exhibition of contemporary Saudi art in Berlin, has been deemed an overriding success by those who attended.

With a densely packed room of collectors, ambassadors, journalists and art critics, as well as the 17 artists exhibiting, the atmosphere was on the opening night on Wednesday 9th June was unparalleled. According to the Edge of Arabia Twitter, Safia Dikersbach, attending, noted, “Edge of Arabia’s standard of the production is even higher than in the Berlin art scene.”

The following Saturday played host to a series of talks and seminars with the artists and some of the world’s most respected academics on Middle Eastern art at the celebrated Galerie Der Kunst at the heart of Berlin. Click here for more photos of the Symposium.

Edge of Arabia is pleased to announce Grey Borders / Grey Frontiers, the first ever show of contemporary Saudi art in Berlin.

At its core, the show explores the transgression of borders, inviting a league of artists from Saudi Arabia to one of Europe’s powerhouses for art. At once overtly positive and somewhat provocative, the title invites audiences to consider a space in which boundaries can be crossed, but not without a reminder of the risks involved.

The exhibited works explore both the cultural context in which each artist is working as well as the actual medium itself. Ahmed Mater’s ‘Boundary’ (2010) is an ornately carved Islamic prayer arch that the audience is encouraged to walk under, which, as they do, activates a automated bip akin to a metal detector. A similar theme can be traced in Maha Malluh’s photograms from the ‘Traditions and Modernity’ series (2010), which feature objects collected from her studio, displayed as if on a screen of an airport x-ray machine. It is the paradoxically the medium itself that transforms the commonplace into something much more mysterious and potentially threatening.

“With borders becoming undefined and frontiers wide open, these works take us through the way that societies and their individuals perceive and comment,” explains curator Rami Farook, founder and director of Dubai’s project space Traffic. “It will become clear upon seeing the work that the issues at stake aren’t only relevant to Saudi society but to the world at large.”

Instead of offering of any kind of resolution, the exhibition rather seeks to examine the risks involved with making art in a relative young society whose art history has still yet to be written. Complimenting the show will be a series of talks and seminars attended by some of the world’s most respected figures in contemporary Middle Eastern art.

Grey Borders/Grey Frontiers opens at Torstrasse 1, Berlin on 9th June.

Edge of Arabia artists Faisal Samra, Ayman Yossri, Abdulnasser Gharem and Manal Al-Dowayan were on hand to meet visitors and sign the exhibition catalogue on Thursday 18th March at Virgin Megastore in Mall of the Emirates, Dubai.

Virgin Megastores are the exclusive distributor of the Edge of Arabia fine art catalogue in the UAE.

Edge of Arabia was delighted to have a strong presence at this year’s Art Dubai with a showcase of contemporary Saudi art as well as a panel discussion and seminars by selected artists.

Director Stephen Stapleton said “our approach to Art Dubai is one of conversation; sharing ideas and engaging with the international art world as well as the local arts community.”

Internationally renowned artists Faisal Samra and Abdulnasser Gharem discussed their creative practice and screen some of their video art, while leading Saudi female artist Manal Al-Dowayan spoke on art as a vocation in the Gulf.

Panel discussion Saudi Art Now explored investigate the regions emerging contemporary art scene, opportunities available to arts communities and the challenges for artists based out of the Kingdom. Panellists include Sarah Al-Faour (Chief of Arts and Culture, Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority), Abdullah Al-Turki (Creative Director, Edge of Arabia), Bashar Al-Shroogi (Founder, Cuadro Fine Art Gallery) and Hamza Serafi (Founder, Athr Gallery).

Abdullah Al-Turki, Creative Director, said Edge of Arabia’s presence at Art Dubai will “cultivate a deeper understanding of Saudi Arabia, so often misrepresented, by showcasing its rich culture and unique talents.”

Edge of Arabia Launches World Tour in Riyadh

The start of 2010 was marked by the inaugural exhibition of Edge of Arabia’s World Tour at SAGIA’s Global Competitiveness Forum (GCF) held in Riyadh’s iconic Kingdom Tower under the patronage of King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz.

The ground-breaking group show, comprising of leading artists from Saudi Arabia – one of the world’s youngest cultures for contemporary fine art – was one of the surprise hits at the 53rd Venice Biennale and has now relaunched as a touring exhibition due to show in Dubai, Berlin and Istanbul this year with more locations to be confirmed for 2011-14.

The opening, sponsored by Abdul Latif Jameel Co. Ltd, was attended by Saudi dignitaries, political leaders and cultural figureheads including the Director of MoMA New York, the director of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, His Excellency Amr Al-Dabbagh, the Governor of SAGIA and HRH Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al Faisal.

This significant moment opens a fresh chapter for the project that aims to empower a new generation of creative voices to deepen understanding of the Kingdom’s cultural achievements, while celebrating artistic practice and achievement at the centre of the Islamic world. Edge of Arabia acknowledges the support of both Fady Jameel from Abdul Latif Jameel and Sarah Al-Faour from SAGIA, without whom this event would not have been possible.

Edge of Arabia will participate at Art Dubai from 17-20 March 2010.

http://www.universes-in-universe.de/english.htm

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

Saudi Arabia in the City of Venice, what a thought! Venice has historically been described as ‘the eye to all the West’ and was the main portal that the Middle East came filtering into Europe and continues to do so. The Venice Beinnale, the Olympics of art events, was founded in 1895 and has been ongoing every two years since. Today we find countries from across the world represented showcasing an abundance of international talent. From the Middle East we have the UAE, Palestine and for the first time, Saudi Arabia.

The Palazzo Contarini Dal Zaffo Polignac is the magnificent, early Renaissance palace that will house the exhibition for two months. It is a classic Renaissance building with a long history and was once immortalised by Claude Monet in 1908. He painted the series Thirty-Seven Views of Venice and of all the thousands of glorious sights, this for him, was one of the most breathtaking.

Edge of Arabia in Venice features the work of 8 Saudi contemporary artists, male and female. Their work explores the complex and diverse reality of 21st century life in Saudi Arabia, combining installation, performance and a variety of other media with a multi-disciplinary approach to artistic practice – one artist is a GP, another an army Major.

Saudi Artists are engaging more with an increasingly globalised society. Even when exploring Islamic themes of cultural heritage you will find many of the artists make implications about the rapid developments in Saudi or comment on the integration of traditional values in a modern society. It is this engagement from the point of view of an artist based in the Kingdom that I believe has facilitated the emergence of contemporary art from Saudi Arabia into the international cultural community.

A visitor of EOA 2008 said:

“At last.
Dear artists, I must congratulate you all for such an impressive and unique display of Arabia! The blend from the past and the mixture of the present contemporary world speaks volumes!! Please keep up the excellent work and continue to enlighten such exposure of Arabian work throughout the world. I know that Ansha’llah such work will reach the sky with its brilliance.”

With this platform in Venice, these artists shall continue to enlighten such exposure of Arabia.

The time has come to close this chapter of Edge of Arabia and we plan to do it with style. Please join us for the Final Party at the Brunei Gallery this Saturday 13 December from 10.30-5. Don’t miss out on the last chance to see the exhibition, an infamous event for Saudi Arabian cultural history. There will be snacks, drinks, team members and EoA merchandise for your last minute Christmas buys…

See you there…