In Le grand miroir du monde, or the great mirror of the world, thousands of mirrored shards are arranged in a rectangle spanning several metres. The work by Algerian-French artist Kader Attia captures the fragmented state of the world while also suggesting that something new and beautiful may arise from the broken pieces.
The installation is the opening piece of Art Week Riyadh’s curated section at the Jax District. The scale and nature of the work effectively and immediately set the tone of the event. It makes it clear from the outset that the inaugural Art Week Riyadh is not an art fair. Rather, the event presents something new – a city-wide initiative that aims to celebrate and bolster the Saudi capital’s art scene.
“We thought about ways in which we could create platforms that would allow for connectivity, increased awareness, dialogue, debate, exchange, and at the same time, shed a light on the many actors that play a part in the arts landscape of Saudi Arabia,” Dina Amin, chief executive of the Visual Arts Commission, says.
“We envisioned and envisaged an art week that would be a new model, which would move away from the traditional format of being a commercially inclined event and one that would be culturally focused,” she says.
This position is particularly evident in At The Edge, the curated section of Art Week Riyadh and the centrepiece for the event.
More than 30 local and international galleries are showcasing works as part of the curated section at the Jax District. By not basing their selections on the priority of sales, galleries are instead all putting their best foot forward. Most of the works presented are grand in scale and teeter towards the conceptual.
The exhibition is a bit like an all-star show, featuring several top names from the local and regional arts scenes. Galleria Continua is showcasing a series of works by Ahmed Mater that were produced using plastic toy gun caps, with a series of panels that spell out the words hilm (dream), hurriya (freedom) and salam (peace). Tabari Artspace is presenting Lulwah Al Homoud’s 100 Names of Allah, which proposes a universal geometric language that takes cues from Ibn Muqlah’s Proportional Cursive Script and the mathematical principles of the Vedic Square.
Lawrie Shabibi is showcasing untitled works by Shaikha Al Mazrou that are emblematic of her use of painted metal to explore form, space and abstraction. Perrotin is showing Monira Al Qadiri’s hand-blown glass series, which draws from the form of the toxic Portuguese man o' war jellyfish. Lisson Gallery is presenting the mixed media works of Wael Shawky, which reimagines familiar landscapes and forms with a touch of magic realism. Efie Gallery is highlighting the large, intricate textile works of Abdoulaye Konate. Ayyam Gallery is showcasing works by Faisal Samra and Safwan Dahoul. Le Lab is presenting paintings and sculptures by Khaled Zaki. There is an arresting work at every turn.
“We wanted to make it inter-generational, not only the youngest or the oldest, really everybody. This was our mission,” Vittoria Matarrese, artistic director and curator of Art Week Riyadh, says. “With the gallery, it’s important to treat them as partners. Too often, we think galleries are just vendors. But galleries are the closest to the artists. They discover them, let them grow, of course they also sell their works, but they also figure out how to put them in museums and institutions.
“The whole idea was really to talk to them and select works that you don't see usually in fairs,” Matarrese adds. “For example, if you see the Wael Shawky booth with Lisson, this is a museum piece. Who ships this for an art fair? Nobody.”
However, it’s one thing to bring thought-provoking works, but ensuring a cohesive curation is another. The scenography was a key part in this. With an open space, and minimal divisions, the exhibition organically moves from one gallery booth to another, while also shifting across its three thematic threads: Everyday Life, Landscapes and Motifs.
“We really tried to connect it between the galleries,” Matarrese says.
While At the Edge can perhaps be seen as the nucleus attraction of Art Week Riyadh – its initiatives and exhibitions are far more sprawling.
Collections in Dialogue, also taking place at the Jax District, is highlighting important collections of three institutions. These include King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture (Ithra), which is showcasing works by Maha Malluh, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Mohammad Alfaraj and Hazem Harb. Art Jameel is presenting works from Ahaad Alamoudi, Hiwa K, Yto Barrada and Mater. The Saudi Research and Media Group is highlighting the development of abstraction in Saudi Arabia, exhibiting artists such as Mohammed Al-Saleem, Abdulhalim Radwi, Taha Al-Sabban, Raeda Ashour, Rashed AlShashai and Zaman Jassim.
The Al Mousa Centre in central Riyadh is also a major site of Art Week Riyadh. Formerly a commercial complex, the centre has grown to become a cultural attraction with 15 galleries. The institutions will be presenting a mixture of group and solo exhibitions especially put together for Art Week Riyadh.
Although several exhibitions and events have been set up, it is Art Week Riyadh’s public programming that seeks to animate these different elements. The programming includes a series of talks titled How to Art World? Lessons in Value. The talks, curated by writer Shumon Basar, will delve into subjects relevant to the visual arts scene in Riyadh. Participants will include cultural experts from Christie’s, Sotheby’s Gagosian and others.
“As a visual arts commission, we're dedicated to knowledge, knowledge awareness, knowledge exchange, transfer,” Amin says. “It’s part of our DNA as an entity.”
Mater, Ayman Zedani, Marwah AlMugait and Muhannad Shono will also be opening up their studios at Jax District to the public this week, allowing audiences to discover their creative spaces and learn more about their artistic processes.
“When we talk about the richness and depth and breadth of everything that's happening here, there's no way we can capture it in one exhibition,” Amin says. “Part of Art Week Riyadh is really asking that everyone open their doors for all of us to be able to discover what’s happening. That discovery will vary from studio to studio, entity to entity. Each organisation has a different language and a different focus. That richness is really important for us when understanding what Art Week Riyadh is trying to do.”
Art Week Riyadh 2025 runs until April 13
