Until 30 April 2026, ATHR Gallery is hosting Here, Now, a solo exhibition by Saudi artist Asma Bahmim that invites viewers into a suspended emotional landscape shaped by ambiguity, tension, and quiet introspection. Featuring a series of recent works, the show meditates on the present moment as a fleeting, unstable condition marked by unresolved feelings and latent transformation.
Here, Now is rooted in an exploration of emotional density. Rather than presenting clear narratives or defined meanings, Bahmim constructs a visual language that embraces uncertainty. The exhibition revolves around her Nebula series, particularly the Circle Star pieces, which acts as a conceptual and visual anchor within the show. Through these compositions, the artist creates a space where meaning remains deliberately elusive. It allows viewers to inhabit moments of ambiguity and to engage with emotions that resist categorisation.
The sense of suspension is central to the exhibition’s atmosphere. Bahmim’s works appear calm and meticulously crafted at first glance, yet they carry an underlying tension that suggests something in flux. The surfaces, often composed of natural pigments on handmade paper, evoke delicacy and control, while their layered structures hint at internal complexity and emotional turbulence. This duality between stillness and unease becomes a defining characteristic of the show.
Bahmim frequently employs traditional techniques and materials, including natural pigments, gold elements, and intricate layering processes. These choices reinforce her engagement with time, memory, and continuity. The tactile quality of her art pieces, achieved through collage, ornamentation, and the careful assembly of delicate surfaces, creates a sense of intimacy and draws the viewer closer into the artist’s introspective world.
A key aspect of Bahmim’s practice is her dialogue with the tradition of Islamic miniature painting. She reinterprets historical forms through a contemporary lens, merging intricate decorative elements with themes from present-day psychological and emotional realities. This way, she bridges past and present in her artworks; they are at once rooted in cultural heritage and responsive to the complexities of modern life.
Within Here, Now, this synthesis is especially resonant. The miniature-inspired compositions, often dense with detail and layered imagery, serve as visual metaphors for the multiplicity of inner states. They reflect a world in which emotions overlap, contradict, evolve, and resist linear interpretation. By situating these pieces within a framework of suspension and anticipation, Bahmim suggests that uncertainty is not merely a condition to be resolved but a necessary stage in the process of transformation.
The exhibition’s emphasis on the present moment is particularly poignant in a time marked by rapid change and global instability. Bahmim encourages a slower, more reflective mode of engagement, one that acknowledges the discomfort of not knowing while recognising its potential for growth. In this sense, Here, Now becomes less about representation and more about experience: an invitation to dwell in the in-between, where clarity has yet to emerge.
About the artist
Asma Bahmim (b. 1979, Jeddah, KSA) is an artist, researcher in miniature and geospatial art, and educator who serves as a faculty member in the Fine Arts Department at King Abdulaziz University (Jeddah). Her academic background reflects a deep engagement with both theory and practice: she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Art Education (2000) and a Master’s degree in Drawing and Painting (2008) from King Abdulaziz University. In 2018, Bahmim completed a PhD in Painting and Arts at the University of Jeddah.
In her practice, Bahmim consistently investigates how visual narratives can be constructed to reflect the complexities of contemporary life. Her delicate creations, which blend symbolic imagery with intricate formal structures, often draw on personal and collective memory. By reimagining traditional artistic languages, the artist creates a space where past and present converge and offers new ways of understanding identity, emotion, and perception.
Bahmim’s exhibition history spans both regional and international contexts. She has participated in major events such as the Diriyah Biennale Foundation exhibition (Riyadh, KSA, 2024); Dubai Calligraphy Biennale (2024); and Islamic Arts Festival (Sharjah, 2018). Her works have also been shown at Abu Dhabi Art (2017) and the 9th Cairo Biennale (2013), among others. In addition to these group exhibitions, the artist has presented solo shows, which include Fantasia: A World Between Reality and Imagination (ATHR Gallery, Jeddah, 2023).
To get more information about Here, Now, please go to the official web page of the exhibition.
In addition, you might be interested in visiting Found and Lost, John Dilg’s solo show.
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