Gracefulness of Daily Life is a group exhibition on display at Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery Dubai, featuring emerging and established Saudi artists who come out of Gharem Studio, a non-profit organisation encouraging artists to explore their culture, heritage, and personal truths. The exhibited artworks (photographs, prints, video works, installations, and sculptures) reflect the ongoing documentations, observations, and exchanges reflected across generations and communities of Saudi Arabia. The show will be open to the public until 8 June 2024.
The exhibition has been organised in collaboration with Mid East Art founded and run by Suzy Sikorski. A digital storytelling platform of Middle Eastern art and culture, it is an archival reference to analyse regional art movements while re-addressing global art history within the context of the Middle East. “It is with great pleasure to build the Storytelling Programming for this […] show, as we welcome Gharem Studio […] at Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery”, Sikorski says. “[The studio] and its artists have not only opened my eyes to the arts and culture of Saudi Arabia […] but has also become my family, a community of creatives inspiring each other to think critically and collaborate […]”.
Gharem Studio, a non-profit creative arts residency based in Riyadh aiming to encourage individual thought and self-expression with artists across the region, was established in 2013 by esteemed artist Abdulnasser Gharem (b. 1973, Saudi Arabia). Apart from residencies, the studio offers art education, career guidance, resources, equipment, promotion, and opportunities for exhibitions in the Middle East and internationally.
The list of those whose artworks are displayed in the exhibition includes:
Ajlan Gharem (b. 1985, Saudi Arabia) is an artist and maths teacher who won the 6th Jameel Prize edition. In his work, he examines the changing nature of Saudi Arabian society and the shift in power dynamics over time and across generations.
Halla Bint Khalid (b. 1971, Saudi Arabia) is a Riyadh-based artist, storyteller, and the co-owner of Gharem Studios. In her drawings, paintings, and installations, she raises questions, encourages self-awareness, and challenges limiting social norms in her homeland. Bint Khalid’s practice also features creating children’s books.
Haitham Alsharif (b. 1996) is a photographer and artist residing in Riyadh who is interested in documenting social life and presenting conversations and questions about the life we live.
Abdullah Al-Jahdhami (b. 1990, Riyadh), known by his nickname Shaweesh, is a mixed-media artist articulating the cultural diffusions between Saudi Arabia and the global community throughout history. With the onset of the Internet age, he began employing the web as a gateway into new inspiration, as he incorporated Pop Art and Western-branded graphics into his creations.
Sumayah Fallatah is a Saudi-Nigerian graphic designer and photographer who specialises in portrait and film photography. Growing up a minority and far away from her homeland, Fallatah always felt the need to express her experience with loss of identity, fear, and beauty, focusing on diversity and representation.
Njoud Alanbari (b. 1989, Riyadh) is a conservation architect fascinated with how spaces shape human behaviour. For her, creating is a tool to interact with reality, exploring design’s tangible and intangible aspects. Alanbari uses mud as a building material which allows for various architectural projects. It resonates with her holistic approach to design, harmonising with humanity’s connection to nature.
To get more information about Gracefulness of Daily Life, please visit the exhibition’s official web page.
You might also be interested in visiting Laal Collection Volume II Fereydoun Ave Collection at Total Arts.
