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.