EDGE OF ARABIA SYMPOSIUM
PROGRAMME
SATURDAY 12 JUNE
11AM-5PM
11-11.15 Meet / Tea / Coffee
11.15 – 11.45 GREY BORDERS/GREY FRONTIERS: AN INTRODUCTION
Rami Farouk, Curator Grey Borders / Grey Frontiers
Stephen Stapleton, Founder Edge of Arabia
Introduction to Edge of Arabia: Grey Borders / Grey Frontiers. Exploring the themes of the exhibition; ‘Exploration in Transit’, ‘It is what it is’, ‘Look & Learn’, ‘Public / Private’, ‘Identity vs Identity Confusion’ the Curator and Founder will discuss the works, selection process and the relevance of the show for a Berlin audience.
11.45-12.15 MANAL AL-DOWAYAN IN CONVERSATION WITH JOHANNES ODENTHAL | LANDSCAPES OF THE MIND
Manal Al-Dowayan is one of Saudi’s leading female photographers and has lived much of her life in a semi enclosed camp in Dharan Saudi Arabia. Reflecting upon herself as a person, a symbol, a representative of a society and nation existing within a geographical construct. In her landscapes, the mountains, roads, buildings and structures are covered with symbols that obscure their true existence, blurring the simple reality of the visual scene.
12.15-12.30 BREAK
12.30-1.00 AHMED MATER IN CONVERSATION WITH AARNOUT HELB |
Drawing on the duality of his existence as both an artist and doctor, mater’s work frames humanity within a palimpsest of religious symbols and scientific references. The iconic and sometimes disturbing compositions float between the memory of a magical past and the fear of an uncertain future… searching for the presence of faith, spirit and magic in the modern world. “By and large, Saudis do not believe in the theory of evolution. As a doctor by training, Ahmed believes in evolution. But for him, evolution does not necessarily mean survival of the fittest; sometimes, evolution can lead to one’s own demise.”
1.00-1.30 HALA ALI IN CONVERSATION WITH SHULAMIT BRUCKSTEIN | THE GIRLS ROOM
A leading young Saudi artist studying in the Sharjah fine art school. Her blunt and argumentative work comments on the concepts of female invisibility, militancy and social dogmas. Using language and text humorously to achieve political satire, questioning whether art is able to achieve social change.
1.30-2.30 LUNCH BREAK
2.30-2.45 ABDULNASSER GHAREM IN CONVERSATION WITH SAFIA DICKERSBACH | RESTORING BEHAVIOUR
“Move abroad? No way. My art is related to the people living in Saudi Arabia. I am living in one of the most interesting countries in the world. Why move? I want to show you what has happened in this country; this is my mission.” Throughout his work Gharem questions our relationship and trust in the structures and materials that surround us. He has made work concerning our understanding of, and relationship to, concrete. He addresses bureaucracy and the authority of its accoutrements – in this case, rubber-stamps.
2.45-3.15 THE JOUNRNEY RAMI FAROOK IN CONVERSATION WITH EDGE OF ARABIA FOUNDERS STEPHEN STAPLETON, AHMED MATER, ABDULNASSER GHAREM “Born from a chance encounter between British and Saudi artists at the Al meftaha arts village in Abha, Edge of Arabia has always been at its core a Grassroots initiative. From the mountains of Aseer to the backstreets of Jeddah, the curators spent six years travelling the length and breadth of the country in search of outstanding artistic voices to bring Edge of Arabia’s vision of creativity across borders to the world.”
3.15-3.30 BREAK
3.30 – 5.00
GREY BORDER / GREY FRONTIERS: SAUDI ART IN BERLIN
Moderator: Bashar Al-Shroogi
Panel: Safia Dickersbach, A. Sh. Bruckstein, Jowhara Al Saud, Karin Adrian Von Roques
Drawing on the previous artists’ conversations and curators vision talk we want this panel discussion to open up dialogue between the exhibition edge of Arabia and the Berlin and international cultural scene. What is the relevance of bringing artists from the ideological centre of the Islamic world to one of Europe’s leading cultural cities? What are the preconceptions of art from Saudi Arabia and the Middle East and how will the work & themes of these artists affect them? How does the artistic production & conceptual ideas compare to that of European artists? As Berlin is a hub of creative discourse what will the ripple effects be for the Contemporary ME art scene in Berlin?
