Edge of Arabia
Contemporary Art from Saudi Arabia
5 June - 2 August 2009
Head Curator: Stephen Stapleton
Director, Offscreen Education Programme
Co-Curators: Ahmed Mater Al-Ziad Aseeri, Abdulnasser Gharem
The works of the Saudi contemporary artists featured in Edge of Arabia in Venice explore the complex and diverse reality of 21st century life in Saudi Arabia, combining installation, performance and a variety of other media with a multidisciplinary approach to artistic practice. In its outlook and range, the works are as much personal or domestic as they are geopolitical.
The exhibition deconstructs misconceptions concerning Saudi Arabia, by presenting a series of reflections on local identity, the environment, individual (re)constructions of the past, and our 21st century engagement with the future. Edge of Arabia in Venice provides a unique and unpredictable perspective on the hitherto little-known contemporary art culture of Saudi Arabia.
Artists:
Shadia & Raja Alem
* Makkah, Saudi Arabia, sisters.
Manal Al-Dowayan
* 1973 Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulnasser Gharem
* 1973 Khamis Mushayt, Saudi Arabia.
Ahmed Mater Al-Ziad Aseeri
* 1979 Tabouk, Saudi Arabia.
Maha Malluh
* Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Faisal Samra
* 1956 Bahrain; familiy of Saudi Arabian origin.
Ayman Yossri Daydban
* 1966 Palestinian with Jordanian nationality.
Website: edgeofarabia.com
Organizer: Offscreen Education Programme