LUXURY NOW / OPEN BORDERS / LIFTING THE VEIL ON SAUDI ARABIAN CONTEMPORARY ART

Abdullah Al-Turki, Creative Director of the Edge of Arabia project, discusses the emerging market for Saudi Arabian contemporary art and its ability to encourage a different perspective of this often misunderstood country.

While contemporary art from Iran and the rest of the Middle East has become the darling of the art world and caught the eye of important collectors, work by young artists from Saudi Arabia has yet to be appreciated in the same way. Even last year’s major exhibition, “Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East” at the Saatchi Gallery in London – which included artists from Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Syria and Algeria – ignored the creativity that exists in Saudi Arabia.

Edge of Arabia is a non-profit organization that aims to correct the status quo by promoting and supporting contemporary artists from Saudi Arabia. Founded in 2008 by Stephen Stapleton, it holds exhibitions around the world with the aim of encouraging a positive dialogue about the country from which the art originates. Over 23,000 visitors saw its exhibitions in London, and at the Venice Biennale. The Edge of Arabia World Tour is its latest endeavor, a traveling exhibition that will make stops in Dubai, Berlin, and Istanbul, having been launched last month in Riyadh.

Abdullah Al-Turki is Creative Director of Edge of Arabia. Based in Riyadh, Al-Turki is a 30-year-old collector who was educated both at home and abroad at Boston Business School and Cass Business School in London. It was while attending the latter that he discovered his passion for contemporary art, which has led him to become a member of the Tate’s Middle Eastern & North African Acquisition Committee.

As we showcase works from the Edge of Arabia World Tour alongside Abdullah Al-Turki’s favorite pieces of Saudi Arabian contemporary art, we talk to the art patron about the market for new artworks from his home country and the ability of contemporary art to show a different perspective of life in Saudi Arabia.

You work on various projects that promote contemporary artists from Saudi Arabia. Why is it the case that they need this help?
In the Middle East generally, and certainly in Saudi Arabia, there is still a lack of arts education and appreciation. The artists in Saudi have little access to support and very few opportunities to showcase their work and develop their practice with under five established galleries in the Kingdom, few prestigious museums and almost no active cultural centers. Despite this, the emerging community of contemporary Saudi artists is brave and full of initiative in developing a practice that is as important and relevant as anything happening in Europe and America. Art is a common language so these project aim to amplify the moderate voices of a new generation of artists, and send a powerful and positive message to audiences around the world to change their perceived perceptions about Saudi Arabia.

What benefits do you see in an increased appreciation of Saudi Arabian contemporary art?
I think its important to say here this: Saudi Arabia is at the centre of the “Islamic World” and, given that the Middle East and the Islamic World are in constant media focus, by default, there are so many misconceptions. The artists’ voice counteracts this by showing a different, unexpected, honest side to the country.

Tell us about the market for Saudi Arabian contemporary art – how have the prices moved over the last few years, where is the market cantered, what do you predict for the future?
It’s still an emerging market. No one knows how the Saudi collectors market will develop in the future but it’s growing on a very steady pace. Saudi Arabia has been in the spotlight for many years in many different ways, but now there is a sudden increase in the interest of Saudi contemporary art. We have seen how the prices of International Contemporary art rocketed in the past 10 years and based on that I would say that Saudi artwork prices still have a long way to go. The artists understand that the inflation of prices will only harm their career and it’s better to take things slowly but surely, based on the supply and demand of works.

Who are the most important collectors of Saudi Arabian contemporary art?
There is a minor group of individual collectors in Saudi still but the number is growing over the years. The Almansouria Foundation based out of Jeddah was the pioneering organization to support local artists. The Abdulatif Jameel family is very passionate about the Middle East arts and its importance, so they have created the Jameel Prize in association with the V&A in London. And now we also notice the support of a few Royal family members to local artists in different ways.

Is contemporary art collected within Saudi Arabia, or is it more expats and foreigners that buy?
Western, Gulf and Iranian collectors are becoming aware and engaged. It is an interesting mix but the market is still very small. There is also interest developing in the Far East, not only in Europe. Lulwah Al-Homoud was the only Arab/Middle Eastern artist of 36 in the grand opening of the Jeju Museum of Contemporary art in Korea. Now, preparations are underway for the Saudi Arabian Contemporary Art Exhibition in the Shanghai Museum, which will open during the Shanghai World Expo and 2010 Shanghai Biennale. The project will be the first time that a museum will dedicate the whole venue to Saudi art.

Who are the most important SaudI Arabian artists to know?
It’s very hard to identify or name few artists as some of them have been working for over 20 years while others only started expressing themselves recently. After all, it comes back to your taste and your engagement with the ideas.

What other sort of support is there for contemporary artists in Saudi Arabia? Are the art schools encouraging of new styles, concepts, and ideas?
Most of the artists are self-taught or have developed under specific circumstances (e.g. Ahmed Mater and Abdulnasser Gharem developed in an artists’ village in Abha patronized by Prince Khalid Al-Faisal; Manal Aldowayan developed with the support and facilities on the Aramco base, etc). From the village, emerged the Shattah group, which is most important in terms of understanding the emerging Saudi contemporary arts scene. Shattah refers to something that is broken up or disembodied. In 2004, Shattah held their first group exhibition at the Jeddah Atelier. In the artists’ non-conformist approach to both medium and subject matter and in their decision to reject patronage and corporate sponsorship, it was considered a major breakthrough.

Which are the best private galleries, either within Saudi Arabia or outside, which specialize in Saudi contemporary art?
Recently we have seen more galleries operating or planning to start their operations in Saudi Arabia. The only two currently involved in Saudi Contemporary arts are Athr Gallery in Jeddah and Hewar Gallery of Riyadh. Paradise Row in London, Artspace in Dubai and the Kuwait-based Al-Sultan Gallery all showed works by Saudi artists in the past few months such as Lulwah Al-Homoud and Reem Al-Faisal. There is also the Greenbox Museum of Contemporary Art from Saudi Arabia in Amsterdam.

Iranian contemporary art is suddenly the darling of the art world. Apart from prices, how does Saudi Arabian contemporary art differ from that in Iran?
The Iranian culture is very rich and has been a great inspiration for both Iranians and non-Iranian artists. The appreciation of arts and the idea of collecting were a practice for decades there. They were one of the first to build contemporary museums in their country for works by Monet, Picasso, Giacometti, many Warhol pieces, and unique Francis Bacon paintings, to name just a few of their masterpieces. We simply don’t have any of what Iran has hidden, so now we are starting a fresh chapter in the history of Saudi art, allowing a new generation of creative voices to deepen understanding of the Kingdom’s cultural achievements, while celebrating artistic practice at the center of the Islamic world.

A lot has been written about the fact that many big name Iranian artists operate from exile as the authorities clamp down on controversial works. To what extent is this the case in Saudi Arabia?
Very different. Most of the Saudi artists live and work in the Kingdom and are very grounded in the actuality of life on the ground. This is especially true of a number of artists who continue to have other careers as well (Lulwah Al-Homoud is a graphic designer, Mahdi Al Jeraibi is a teacher, Ali Al-Ruzaiza is an interior designer, Ahmed Mater is a doctor and Abndulnasser Gharem is a soldier).

Did last year’s exhibition of Charles Saatchi’s collection, “New Art from the Middle East”, have any affect on the profile, prices and appreciation of Saudi Arabian art.
Nothing - I think he should consider doing another show as he missed the Saudis in that exhibition.

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