The Saudi Art Council has announced the fourth edition of 21,39 Jeddah Arts festival. It will run from February 1 to May 6. The 2017 edition is curated by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath and is conceived as both a public forum for creative experimentation, as well as a visual arts exhibition.
Entitled safar—the Arabic word for travel—the multifaceted program explores the notion of travel and movement as a vehicle for learning and growth. The theme takes its inspiration from the Arabic word for travel, which itself is rooted in the word sāfer—a term that is used to describe things that are revealed, or unveiled.
The curators, Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath, explain: “Rather than simply describing movement from one site to another, safar implies a process of discovery and exploration by which things are revealed to the traveler—added knowledge of self, of others, of the places that were left behind and the places that were arrived at. As such the exhibition and its programs are conceived as an educational platform for experimentation and for supporting mutual exchange within the dynamic art scene of Saudi Arabia”
Safar features artworks, creative projects and new commissions by 17 Saudi artists, many of whom are young and emerging. Over a period of six months, more than 50 events will take place featuring workshops, presentations and film screenings by a host of local, regional and international artists and creatives.
