Latest news with #AhmedMater
CairoScene
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
'Art of the Kingdom' Brings Top Saudi Contemporary Artists to Beijing
Saudi Arabia's first travelling exhibition, 'Art of the Kingdom,' opens in Beijing, featuring works by over 30 Saudi artists on display until October 30th, including these high-profile names. The first travelling exhibition showcasing Saudi contemporary art to the world, 'Art of the Kingdom,' has landed the third leg of its international tour at the National Museum of China in Beijing, following earlier successful stops in Rio de Janeiro and Riyadh. Running until October 30th, the exhibition presents a curated selection of works by more than 30 Saudi artists, showcasing everything from paintings and installations to video pieces. Amongst the exhibiting artists are these high-profile names from various disciplines, contributing poignant thematic approaches and rich concepts to the Saudi contemporary art scene long before Art of the Kingdom.. Manal AlDowayan Having represented Saudi Arabia at the 2024 Venice Biennale, Manal Al Dowayan has long explored locally rooted yet universally resonant concepts of gender norms and identity through participatory art, working across photography, installation, sound, and sculpture. Ahmed Mater A medical doctor turned pioneering contemporary artist, Ahmed Mater began with experiments in X-ray imagery and calligraphy before having his work featured in the British Museum. Over a decade later, he became the first Saudi artist to present a solo exhibition in the United States in 2016. Ayman Zedani Winner of the inaugural Ithra Art Prize in 2018, Ayman Zedani creates installations and multimedia works exploring the entangled relationships between humans and the natural world in the Arabian Peninsula. Muhannad Shono Cultural lore, mythology and migration come together in Muhannad Shono's multidisciplinary approach, exploring memory, displacement and creative agency in works held in major collections such as the British Museum, Art Jameel and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Moath Alofi A lens-based storyteller and explorer, Moath Alofi documents Saudi heritage, overlooked ruins and desert landscapes through photography, becoming a prominent voice in both artistic and cultural preservation. Dana Awartani Dana Awartani fits heritage and contemporaneity together like a seamless pattern, transforming Islamic geometry, sand mosaics and tilework into sculptures and installations. Her work has been shown in solo exhibitions worldwide and is held in major collections including the British Museum, Hirshhorn Museum and the Guggenheim. Shadia Alem Shadia Alem represented Saudi Arabia at its inaugural participation in the Venice Biennale in 2011 with the immersive installation The Black Arch, co-created with her sister. Her work draws on Makkah's cultural memory and mythology, and has been shown across Europe, the US and the Middle East. Ahaad Alamoudi Ahaad Alamoudi works across photography, video and print to reinterpret the Kingdom's cultural narratives and reforming ethnography through artworks she has exhibited internationally, including at the New Museum in New York and the Maraya Art Center in Sharjah.
CairoScene
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
AFAC to Hold Gathering at Ahmed Mater Studio in Riyadh on May 10th
Beirut-based arts organisation AFAC will host a special event in Riyadh as part of its ongoing efforts to connect with regional creative communities. The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) will host an event in Riyadh on May 10th at Ahmed Mater Studio, bringing together artists and cultural practitioners for a focused gathering on contemporary creativity in the Arab world. Headquartered in Beirut, AFAC was founded in 2007 and remains one of the region's leading organisations dedicated to supporting independent voices in film, visual arts, music, literature, performing arts, and cultural research. Through a combination of grants and regional partnerships, AFAC works to strengthen the infrastructure for artistic production across the Arab region. While AFAC regularly holds events in cultural hubs such as Beirut, Amman, and Tunis, the upcoming gathering marks a valuable opportunity to connect directly with Saudi Arabia's growing creative scene. Ahmed Mater Studio is a key cultural venue led by artist and curator Ahmed Mater, whose work and initiatives have helped shape contemporary art discourse within the Kingdom. The studio has become a central space for exchange and artistic dialogue as Saudi Arabia continues to expand its cultural offerings.
Arab News
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Art Week Riyadh: Studio hopping at JAX District
RIYADH: Some of the Kingdom's leading artists — including Ahmed Mater, Moath Alofi, and Rashed AlShashai — are opening their warehouse-sized doors during the inaugural Art Week Riyadh at JAX District, which runs until April 13. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ It is always a treat to walk into active art studios as it is the most intimate way to immerse yourself in an artist's world. You see half-baked ideas, abandoned projects, rough drafts, and final pieces, all in one space. For art lovers it offers a rare glimpse into the process and world-building of the artist. On the day of our visit interested onlookers from all walks of life wandered in, soaking in the sights, sounds, and textures all around. Some artists offered bottled water and places to sit. Visitors were invited to sketch, daydream, or take a closer look at the materials on hand. It was fun and engaging. Many of the artists dropped into their studios as people trickled — or stormed — in, engaging with those eager to ask questions, share comments, or snap selfies. Artists at JAX often wander into other studios between projects, collaborating or simply exchanging ideas. That organic interaction supports a thriving creative ecosystem and fosters much-needed artist-to-artist connection. JAX is a walkable district, but golf cart buggies are also available to shuttle visitors between studios if they would rather ride and enjoy the warm breeze. While some studios are adjacent and others are shared, this invitation from the Art Week Riyadh team — spearheaded by the Visual Arts Commission — offers a vibrant glimpse into the richness of the evolving Saudi art scene.
Arab News
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Highlights from Art Week Riyadh: Selected works by some of the Saudi artists participating in the inaugural edition
RIYADH: Selected works by some of the Saudi artists participating in the inaugural edition of Art Week Riyadh, which begins April 6. Maha Malluh 'X-Rayed 1' The Najd-born artist is one of the most significant figures in the Kingdom's contemporary scene. Several of her works will be on show at AWR. This one comes from her 'X-Rayed' series, in which Malluh used images from an actual x-ray scanner of an actual passenger's luggage, as would be seen at airport security when possessions are 'being targeted and scrutinized,' the artist has written. 'What makes these images even more peculiar is that the suitcases contain cassettes (labeled in Arabic) that are linked to dogmatic interpretations of Islamic practice,' she continued. 'It is these ideas, when exported, which have led to several social evils, including the export of extreme thinking and rigid philosophy.' Like many of Malluh's other series, 'X-Rayed' examines 'my own culture and its transformation from tradition to modernity.' Lulwah Al-Homoud From 'The Language of Existence' This work forms part of the influential Riyadh-born artist and calligrapher's 'The Language of Existence' series, in which she presented interpretations of the myriad Arabic names of Allah. According to her gallery, it 'reimagines language as a universal visual system, transcending conventional meaning to create a new form of communication.' Al-Homoud created this 'language' by 'deconstructing the letters of the Arabic language by using mathematical squares to compose new codes for each letter. With these codes, I inscribe the 99 names of God,' she has written. 'The first step towards enlightenment is to search for the inner. It is this inner truth that leads to the light of knowledge. My art is concerned with the inner veracity of everything. It is a deep look at creation and its hidden rules that led me to the truth of existence…' Ahmed Mater 'Hulm' (Dream) In his 2011 work 'Cowboy Code II,' Ahmed Mater used plastic gun powder caps glued onto a wooden board to spell out, in English, the various 'rules' he had imagined. In this more recent work, Mater uses the same technique to present the Arabic word hulm, which translates to 'dream.' Whether that's an instruction, a comment on what visitors to Riyadh can experience, or an explanation of his inspiration for the piece is unclear, but it's one of a number of similar works the 45-year-old Tabuk native — arguably the most influential Saudi contemporary artist — will be presenting at AWR (others include 'Hurriya' (Freedom) and 'Salam' (Peace)). Manal AlDowayan 'Totem 1 (Dearest Women)' The prolific Dhahran-born artist represented the Kingdom at the Venice Biennale last year (with 'Shifting Sands: A Battle Song) and, unsurprisingly, is participating in perhaps the most significant arts event yet to take place in the Kingdom. Among several of her works on display at AWR is this piece from 2018, which AlDowayan has described as 'an attempt at creating a permanent memorial of a fragmented moment.' She continued: 'I look at the symbols used on the covers of books written by the religious men to address women and their bodies. I attempt to reform the symbols into new representations so that the invisible becomes visible.' The work is not, she stressed, 'an attempt to critique or analyze history, but more of a totem of healing to help resolve the past in order to engage with the present, and time in general.' Bashaer Hawsawi 'Warm Space 1' Much of the Jeddah-based visual artist's practice revolves around found objects and mixed media, exploring, according to 'notions of cultural identity, cleansing, belonging and nostalgia.' Cleansing is the focus of this piece, which — like several other works by Hawsawi — uses the red-bristled broom heads familiar to anyone living in the Gulf and indicative of the remembered daily routines from which Hawsawi draws inspiration for much of her work. Cleansing also carries a spiritual symbolism — the purification of the self — that features regularly in Hawsawi's work.
Saudi Gazette
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Saudi Gazette
Antenna: Saudi artist Ahmed Mater opens first solo exhibition in China
SHNGHAI — The Saudi Ministry of Culture, through the Visual Arts Commission, has partnered with China's UCCA to present Antenna, the first major solo exhibition in China by Saudi contemporary artist Ahmed Mater. The exhibition will run from March 8 to July 8, 2025, at UCCA Edge in Shanghai as part of the Saudi-Chinese Cultural Year 2025. Showcasing over 100 works, Antenna offers insight into Mater's artistic journey, reflecting on themes of heritage, modernity, and social change. A key figure in Saudi Arabia's contemporary art movement, Mater's work has been exhibited in major institutions worldwide, including a solo exhibition at Christie's London in July 2024, which drew international attention. The exhibition is one of several initiatives under the Saudi-Chinese Cultural Year 2025, aimed at fostering cultural exchange and strengthening artistic dialogue between the two countries. By introducing Mater's work to a new audience, the exhibition contributes to a broader understanding of Saudi contemporary art while reinforcing cultural ties between Saudi Arabia and China. — SG
