‘Gulf Art Movements' exhibition showcases history of Arab creatives
The exhibition at Hayy Jameel in Jeddah, titled 'Redrawing the Boundaries: Art Movements and Collectives of the 20th Century Khaleej' opened on May 22 and runs until Oct. 15.
It features works by more than 50 artists, drawn from 20 state and private collections, and traces the evolution of modern art movements in the Arabian Gulf from the 1930s to the early 2000s.
The 'Redrawing the Boundaries' show explores the emergence and development of key art movements across Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
It examines how artists responded to dramatic shifts in their urban environments and societies while engaging with themes including changing landscapes, public and private spheres, and the rise of formal art institutions.
The exhibition includes works from the Art Jameel Collection alongside loans from notable public and private collections, including Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Barjeel Art Foundation, the Sultanate of Oman's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth Collection, and the Sharjah Art Foundation.
Featuring over 80 works, the exhibition highlights a variety of influences —from local folklore and traditions to Western modernist movements, as well as Egyptian and South Asian visual cultures.
From the calligraphic abstraction of Hurufiyya, an artistic movement exploring the potential of Arabic script, to the experimental ethos of collectives such as The Five, The Circle, and the Shatta Collective, the exhibition captures the innovative spirit that defined a generation of artists.
These artists not only shaped national art movements but also worked collaboratively, founded institutions, and envisioned new futures for art in the Gulf.
The show builds on an earlier exhibition curated by Aisha Stoby titled 'Khaleej Modern: Pioneers and Collectives from the Arabian Peninsula,' which was held at New York University Abu Dhabi Art Gallery in 2022.
In an exclusive interview with Arab News, Stoby elaborated on her curatorial approach.
'They were artists who were not just foundational figures within their practices, who are without question leaders of the art movements within their own countries, but were influential through all these criteria.'
'They were establishing institutions, mentoring, and building movements. So it was above and beyond the artwork.'
The exhibition is organized into four thematic sections: 'The Landscape and Public Sphere,' 'Identity and Private Space,' 'Abstraction and Ephemerality,' and 'The Conceptual New Wave.'
Stoby said: 'For me what became very pronounced is if you look at the material thematically, with it comes chronologies and with it comes geographies.'
'It seemed eventually that the most natural way that these conversations could come out themselves was by putting it into a thematic structure,' she added.
The exhibition opens with a pairing of paintings in the first section, dedicated to landscape and public space. The two works, by Abdulkarim Al-Orrayed and Abdulhalim Radwi, set the tone for a dialogue between cities, histories, and artistic legacies.
Al-Orrayed, a seminal figure in Bahraini modern art and a founding force behind numerous art institutions and ateliers, presents a large painting capturing the development of Manama — its houses, buildings, and evolving urban identity.
In contrast, Radwi's piece captures the vibrancy of Jeddah's historic district, Al-Balad. His depiction of movement and bustle evokes the city's rich cultural rhythm.
Displayed side by side, these works create one of Stoby's favorite moments in the exhibition, 'A conversation between two city centers,' reflecting shared regional experiences through local lenses.
The second section, features deeply emotional and historical pieces, including two evocative works by Kuwaiti artist Thuraya Al-Baqsami.
Created during the Gulf War, one of them is 'Note to the Invasion' and 'The Parting' of two people who are in love and being separated. It explores themes of separation, loss, migration and resilience.
'One piece reflects the devastation of conflict, while the other speaks to the aching tenderness of lovers pulled apart by war. These artworks do more than document — they humanize a collective trauma experienced across the Gulf,' said Stoby.
In the third section, themed around abstraction and ephemerality, another wall greets visitors with three interconnected works. Among them is a piece by Abdulhalim Radwi portraying the Hajj, sourced from the Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art.
'It is an act of symbolic homecoming as the artwork returns to Jeddah, the city it represents. Beside it hangs 'Worshippers Leaving the Mosque' by Abdulrahman Al-Soliman.
'Together, these paintings resonate as a spiritual dialogue between two pioneering artists: one rooted in Jeddah, the other in Riyadh.
'The wall extends further with contributions from Khalifa Al-Qattan and Ali Al-Mahmeed, artists who reflect on the multifaceted ways religion is experienced in daily life across the region,' said Stoby.
Finally, on the upper floor — where conceptual and new media works take center stage — a deeply symbolic film by Omani artist Anwar Sonya stands out.
Known for his landscapes and cross-border artistic relationships, Sonya here turns his lens toward memory and myth. The work began as a documentary about a prominent woman who led an art institution in Kuwait.
During filming, a coffee cup reading foretold she would live a long and dynamic life, only for her to pass away shortly thereafter.
'The project transformed into an elegiac reflection on mortality, folklore, and the unseen threads that bind lives and legacies. It became an artwork looking at her memory,' said Stoby.
It portrays 'our relationship to myth, what is real, and what meaning we can hold onto,' Stoby added.
Nora Razian, Art Jameel's deputy director and head of exhibitions and programs, said that 'Redrawing the Boundaries' offers 'a compelling rethink of modernism.'
Razian added that it adds 'significantly to the study and understanding of a distinct aesthetic that developed across the Khaleej with a focus on the 1930s through to the early 2000s, a time of state formation, nation building and social transformation.'
She added that the exhibition 'foregrounds the critical and foundational roles artists played in shaping institutions and cultivating creative communities during times of transformation.'
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