Saudi art comes to the masses with a special traveling exhibition which reveals Saudi Arabia’s little known contemporary art scene. Edge of Arabia has been making its stop at many of the world’s capitals and now finally arrives in Dubai in partnership with Art Dubai and under the global tour sponsorship of ALJ Community Initiatives. The exhibition, “Terminal” will take place in a pop-up gallery in an abandoned ground floor space in DIFC’s gate village and will be curated by Cuadro Gallery’s Bashar Al-Shroogi.
The highly conceptual exhibition is presented in the style of an airport and thus investigates the concept of travel, bureaucracy, identity and privacy. Guests are guided through check-in, security, and then towards the departure gate. The works displayed explore traveling in an increasingly independent and regulated world by leading artists from Saudi Arabia including Manal Al-Dowayan, Sami Al-Turki, Ayman Yossri, Abdulnasser Gharem, Hala Ali, Ahmed Mater, Maha Malluh.
“I have kept a keen and close eye on Edge of Arabia since it first launched in London in 2008. The exhibition has come a long way since then both in terms of the development of the exhibition as a whole as well as the individual growth of artistic expression of the artists themselves. When approached to curate EOA Dubai I was confident that the artists that formed this collective were ready to take the leap to a new level. EOA Terminal pushes curatorial boundaries in dialoguing with audiences via an experiential installation. It also marks a maturity in the relationship between artists and curators working within very tightly defined parameters. It is fantastic to see the artists of Saudi Arabia pioneering this curatorial relationship for the first time in the Gulf,” said Bashar Al-Shroogi in a recent statement.
One of the most unique exhibitions presented in the Emirate thus far, Terminal includes installation, performance, photography, video and sculpture works and addresses socio-political issues of regional and global pertinence.
Edge of Arabia’s “Terminal” at DIFC, Building 09 Ground Floor DIFC, Gate Village, March 15th- April 15th
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March 12, 2011Samia Halaby "Trees and High Rising City" at Ayyam Gallery,
