Latest news with #AbdullahAlOthman
The National
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Saudi artist Abdullah Al Othman excavates hidden messages of city buildings in new exhibition
If cities are like palimpsests, Abdullah Al Othman is the artist trying to uncover what has been written over the manuscript of architecture. The Saudi artist reads a city like a text. He moves through streets as though scanning a page, attentive to the inflections embedded in construction, signage and material residue. His work shows that there is more than meets the eye in the urban landscapes of Arab cities – layers of memory as well as deeper social and historical connections. It is a language that reveals itself slowly and to those willing to pay attention. Al Othman's first solo exhibition in the UAE, Structural Syntax at Iris Projects, displays his unique literacy of urban landscapes. From a Coca-Cola sign that alludes to the region's historic distrust of the brand's association with Israel, to a piece inspired by an archival photograph of Al Maktoum Bridge under construction, each work points to Al Othman's penchant for excavating political, cultural and emotional residues 'We often see buildings in their existing states but there is a depth within, a spiritual structure,' Al Othman tells The National. 'It's much like how we, as individuals, are each a world within ourselves, and not simply a body, an eye or a moustache. We have an inner depth that indirectly connects us to the world and the universe.' Al Othman is looking for a similar depth when surveying a city – one that resists surface readings. His practice was, in a way, developed as a quiet resistance to the modern world's fixation on facade and appearance. His work Anticipation exemplifies this ethos. Stretching across seven metres, the work comprises steel, aluminium and LED tubes. It alludes to the form and structure of billboards if they had been stripped of their messaging and advertising. 'The word falls, the image disappears and all there is left is this light,' Al Othman says. 'Here is the thing no one is meant to see. This hidden aspect is part of the depth of these spaces.' Geometric Quotation, meanwhile, delves into a historic moment to explore a pivotal moment in Dubai's history. The installation takes formal cues from an archival photograph of Al Maktoum Bridge's construction in the early 1960s. Using aluminium, iron, wood and rebar, Al Othman recreates the bridge as it existed during construction, superimposing it with his signature LED tubes to highlight the visionary quality and symbolism of the project. The bridge, after all, signalled a stride forward for Dubai's ambition to become a global metropolis. 'The moment of construction is an important moment,' he says. 'You see how cities and their identities are shaped by the structure.' In Untitled (Coca Cola), Al Othman takes on one of the most ubiquitous symbols of globalisation. The work features an arrangement of rebar and iron around an Arabic advertisement of what seems to be, at first glance, the famous soft drink. The sign, however is advertising not Coca-Cola but Kaki-Cola. The Saudi-produced brand gained popularity in the 1990s and 2000s during periods of boycotts against Israel-linked brands. 'Here comes another case of this depth that I look for,' Al Othman says. 'Superficially, it is just a word, but in its depth, there is a story, a principle.' It is easy to designate Al Othman's work as a product of nostalgia – particularly with the works that make use of old signage and advertisements that many who grew up in the region will find familiar – but that would do a disservice to the artist and the implications of his work. Al Othman himself is irked by the term. It isn't nostalgia that drives his curiosity, he insists, but rather 'an anthropological point of view'. 'I always think about understanding the context,' he says. 'Every generation comes and leaves its own language, colour and shape, and then the following generation comes and changes that again.' Advertisements and billboards are the barometers of these changes. Speaking of Riyadh, he adds: 'In the past, calligraphers would come up with the design of a shop or restaurant that was often named after an individual, such as Abou Saleh's Restaurant. There was no branding as we know it today, so you come to understand a different manner of how culture was formed in the city. These names and brands, they are a timeline of a city. They show how words are used and how associations were formed in society.' Of course, each city has its own visual and linguistic lexicon. 'Billboards and advertisements in Lebanon, for instance, have a cinematic style, with composition, colours and writing. In Palestine, you can see the use of supplication in the streets, roads and shops. In Sudan and Mauritania, you see colours that bear an association with the desert and nature.' These qualities are not inert, but constantly evolving – and, often, their changes represent 'economic change, political change and social change', says the artist. Other works showcase Al Othman's propensity of distilling a city's visual language into its bare essence. A White Ascent reflects upon the Najdi architecture in the historic neighbourhood of Diriyah in Riyadh's old town. It isolates the stepped pattern that is commonly found along the stairs of the old adobe buildings, rendering them in white against a white backdrop in an aesthetically riveting exercise of abstraction. 'I eliminated the entire house and only kept the white that is found on the exterior of the house,' he says. 'You are extracting something while omitting something else, and a new meaning to this geometric configuration emerges.' Structural Syntax is curated by Irina Stark. Al Othman says his conversations with Stark helped him uncover new connections and enrich the works featured in his solo exhibition. 'Our conversation had no beginning nor end,' Al Othman says. 'These kinds of dialogues move you to discover new spaces.' His hope is that the works will prompt viewers to reconsider the urban environments around them and help them discover familiar spaces anew. 'I want them to see the depth,' he says. 'This internal rhythm and language of cities.'
The National
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Weekly UAE museum and gallery guide: Pioneering Lebanese abstract artist enters spotlight
This week, we're highlighting three artists whose practices span the grid, the city and the gesture. From the meditative geometry of Nima Nabavi to the urban excavations of Abdullah Al Othman and the raw, expressive gestures of Nadia Saikali – the featured exhibitions are dissimilar in form but they share a common impulse. They slow us down, prompt us to look closer and question what we take for granted. Sunrise at the Vortex at The Third Line In Sunrise at the Vortex, Nima Nabavi continues his exploration of geometry as both discipline and meditation. The centrepiece of the show is a monumental, hand-drawn work that was meticulously composed over the course of a year. The work showcases Nabavi's dedication to precision and scale. Its complex patterning feels almost architectural while also alluding to the tenets and forms of sacred geometry. The smaller works in the exhibition crafted using a plotter offer a contrasting sense of mechanical control, yet still bear Nabavi's distinctive aesthetic logic. Together, the pieces speak to the tension between the human-hand and machine, intention and repetition. Monday to Sunday, 11am-7pm; until July 27, The Third Line, Dubai Structural Syntax at Iris Projects Structural Syntax is Abdullah Al Othman's first solo exhibition in the UAE, and it shows his penchant for revealing the hidden language of cities. The Saudi artist beckons towards billboards, signages and architectural elements to highlight the cultural and political residues that are easily overlooked. In Anticipation, he strips a billboard of its message, leaving only structure and light. Geometric Quotation revisits the construction of Al Maktoum Bridge as a moment of vision and becoming. From Riyadh to Dubai and beyond, his works decode the city not as backdrop, but as a living archive. Monday to Friday, 11am-7pm; until June 27; Iris Projects, Abu Dhabi Nadia Saikali and Her Contemporaries at Maraya Art Centre A pioneering figure of abstract art in the region, Nadia Saikali's spotlight is perhaps long overdue. The Lebanese artist's work ranges across a variety of mediums and styles, despite them often veering towards abstraction. From her early gestural work to the line-based paintings and sprawling landscape canvases in the later stages of her career, Saikali's work is at the heart of the show at Sharjah's Maraya Art Centre, which is now in its final month. Yet, the exhibition – co-organised with the Barjeel Art Foundation – opens up to feature works by her contemporaries, all of whom are women. The artists come from across the Arab world, but they all spent time reducing work in Beirut during the 1960s and 1970s. As such, Beirut becomes the star of the exhibition, showing how the city was a regional hub for artists.
Arab News
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Saudi artist Abdullah Al-Othman discusses work exploring linguistic architectural landscapes
DUBAI: In the Bawwaba section of the most recent edition of Art Dubai, Saudi artist Abdullah Al-Othman's installation 'Manifesto: Language & the City II' presented photographs and numerous illuminated signs and symbols in Arabic against two black walls, reflecting the urban signage one may find in Riyadh. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ The installation was an evolution of a series that includes 2021's 'Manifesto: the Language and the City,' a multimedia installation exploring the linguistic and architectural landscape of Riyadh for the inaugural Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, which went on to be included in the Lyon Biennale in 2022, and 'Fantasy Land,' which Al-Othman created for the Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival in 2021 — a neon wall installation exploring themes of human experience and the shifts between reality and illusion. 'Language & the City II' pulsed with light and color and the expressive characters of the Arabic language made the viewer feel as if they were indeed on a bustling street in the Saudi capital. 'Language is akin to history — it's very deep,' Al-Othman tells Arab News. 'Through my research I realized how language is like a brand for a culture — it references history and people. I study the language that we find in cities. The documentation of language affects the architectural style in an urban environment and the relationship between people and their environment.' 'Language & the City II' was made from a variety of materials, predominantly neon signage, lightboxes and wooden advertising signs that were once hung in the streets of Riyadh. Al-Othman's installation brought them together to create a portrait of the city through its typographic, visual and architectural styles. Riyadh's identity, explains Al-Othman, is revealed through the language, style and vibrant colors of these lit symbols, offering a collective memory of a city in the throes of change. As an artist and a poet, language has always played an important role in Al-Othman's life. While he began as a writer, he arrived at a point where he could no longer fully express himself with words and turned to art, creating works that incorporate sound, found objects, sculpture, film and performance. In 2017's 'Suspended Al-Balad,' for the 21,39, contemporary art festival, Al-Othman wrapped an entire building in Jeddah's historic Al-Balad district, originally used as a shelter for widows and divorced women, with tin foil. Al Othman's intuitive approach to art creation leads him to organically move between and incorporate different mediums. Light is a significant element in his work, whether bouncing off tin foil or shining in neon to reflect the everyday urban environment of Riyadh. 'I want to create journeys for people to discover the importance of language,' says Al-Othman. 'Language is a deeply important part of being human.' Today Al-Othman continues to expand his research and art creation. He has recently published a book on his research supported by The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) and the Saudi Cultural Development Fund. Presently he is creating sculptures out of various Arabic words from made from different materials for his latest project, 'Engineering the Incomplete.' 'In my artistic practice, I engage with language as an open field for analysis and reconstruction,' he writes in his statement for the new project. 'I begin from moments of absence — from missing letters and fractured words — treating them as signals of the fragility inherent in the symbolic systems we rely on to make sense of the world. 'Failure to achieve perfection becomes an essential part of creation, not a flaw to be corrected,' he continues. 'Incompleteness is not simply a void, but an active component that generates new, open-ended meanings. Each missing letter, each visual gap, forms an alternative path of reading and invites the viewer to reshape their relationship with language and the urban environment.' 'Engineering the Incomplete' uses the structure of the letter as an entity capable of both disintegration and destruction and therefore the resulting text as something that is unstable and constantly changing. 'My practice transforms language from a tool of communication into a material and temporal organism caught in the tension between structure and collapse,' Al-Othman adds. 'Through material techniques that draw from urban elements and the reconfiguration of textual spaces, my work seeks to highlight the continuous tension between the desire for expression and the inherent limits of linguistic possibilities.' Al-Othman says that 'Engineering the Incomplete' is not an attempt to restore what is lost, but an invitation to read absence, or lacking, as another form of presence and a new beginning. Incompleteness, he emphasizes, offers 'a way to produce new meaning and vision.'
Gulf Today
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Iris Projects made debut in Art Dubai with Abdullah Al Othman's artworks
Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer Contemporary art gallery Iris Projects had its debut participation in Art Dubai, unveiling a new large-scale, site-specific installation by Saudi artist Abdullah Al Othman (April 16-20). Iris Projects showed Abdullah Al Othman's work in the Bawwaba section at Art Dubai (Booth W4), curated by Mirjam Varadinis; the section highlighted artists from the Global South and Iris Projects was the only gallery from the GCC participating there. Manifesto: the Language & the City (2025) was a series of multimedia works originally conceived for the Diriyah Biennale (2011) and subsequently presented at the 16th Lyon Biennale (2022). In this most recent iteration, the artist continued to chronicle the linguistic and architectural evolution of Riyadh, commenting on the fluidity of language, architecture and collective memory, in times of transformation. Concurrently, Iris Projects is also presenting a solo exhibition by Al Othman in its gallery spaces in Abu Dhabi. Structural Syntax is curated by Irina Stark; it is Al Othman's first solo show in the UAE and is a commentary on fleeting nostalgia and vanishing collective history. The interplay between structural anatomy and language in the artist's work is 'akin to applying ultraviolet light to the skeleton of a building, deconstructing traditional forms to reveal new cultural narratives and systems of meaning,' says Iris Projects. The exhibition opened on April 18 in Iris Projects gallery, M_39, MiZa, Abu Dhabi. Iris Projects is the first commercial gallery to open in Abu Dhabi's MiZa cultural district. Al Othman's upcoming publication, Language and City, which spans five years of the artist's research, is also set for release this month. Lights shine brightly in Abdullah Al Othman's Structural Syntax. He says that 'architectural and linguistic identity has always been a source of inspiration and a special passion for me. It is not just a reflection of a place, but a living image of people's history, interactions, dreams, memories, and obsessions.' Maryam Al Falasi, Founder of Iris Projects, said that 'we are delighted to debut at Art Dubai with a site-specific installation by acclaimed Saudi artist Abdullah Al Othman. Known for his rigorous conceptual approach, he researches the site of advertising signs in Riyadh, and then recreates them to create an identity of the city, condensed from its typographic, visual and architectural identity. As the first commercial gallery to open in MiZa, Abu Dhabi, we're excited to bring this thought-provoking work to Dubai audiences ahead of Abdullah's highly anticipated first solo exhibition at our gallery.' Irina Stark, Curator of Structural Syntax, said that 'Al Othman's work reflects his broader interest in the relationship between language and form, exploring how visual elements can act as a means of communication, transcending the limits of spoken or written words. As part of this exhibition, he encourages the audience to decode the language of structure, inviting to engage with each piece as both an intellectual and emotional experience.' Abdullah Al Othman (b.1985) is one of Saudi Arabia's most innovative contemporary artists and a published author, renowned for his multidisciplinary approach to art. For nearly a decade, he has cultivated a visual language rooted in Arabian urban landscapes, architecture, and linguistic history. His monumental installations and sculptures archive and reinterpret the evolving symbolism and narratives that shape his environment. His practice spans drawing, sculpture, video, and large-scale installation, often incorporating elements of architecture and storytelling, to explore themes of identity, space, and the evolving cultural landscape of Saudi Arabia. His work has been exhibited internationally including Lyon Biennale, Desert X AlUla and Diriyah Biennale, among others. His recent works highlight a continued exploration of the intersection between language semantics, art and the built environment. He lives and works in Riyadh. Through Iris Projects, Maryam Al Falasi represents leading regional artists, manages multiple art and cultural projects throughout the UAE, and is a trusted advisor to top collectors. Through her work, she aims to connect regional artists with international audiences. In addition to her professional achievements, she is a renowned art collector, dedicated to preserving the history of the UAE through her personal archive; it has significantly enriched exhibitions and museums across the UAE. She holds a Bachelor's degree in History of Art and Archaeology from Sorbonne University in Abu Dhabi and has completed multiple courses at Sotheby's Institute of Art. Maryam Al Falasi is an influential speaker on the regional art scene, having participated in panels organised by Christie's and FIKR Institute. In 2022, she was recognised as one of the 50 Emirati Women Achievers by StartAD. She also serves as a brand ambassador for Skira and Museum Studio, and is a member of Young Arab Leaders. Irina Stark is a Los Angeles-based art advisor and curator, with a particular focus on the Asia Pacific region. In the last two consecutive years, she was included in ARTnews's lists of 'The Top 75 Art World Professionals' and 'The 135 Top Art World Professionals'. Prior to establishing her creative consultancy, she worked for over 15 years at leading European and American commercial art galleries and institutions. She holds an MA in Art History and Curatorial Studies as well as an MPhil in Geopolitics. Iris Projects represents a growing roster of both emerging and established contemporary artists from the GCC region. MiZa, an acronym for 'Mina Zayed', was built in the 1970s, within the working port of Abu Dhabi. The area is being re-imagined as a new home for Abu Dhabi's and the UAE's cultural industries.
