IMPRINT EXHIBITION, HIGHLIGHTING SAUDI AND GULF IDENTITY

Mai Al Moataz, The Key is to Meat in The Middle, 2017. Silver gelatin prints on warmtone fibre
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Mai Al Moataz, The Key is to Meat in The Middle, 2017. Silver gelatin prints on warmtone fibre
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IMPRINT EXHIBITION, HIGHLIGHTING SAUDI AND GULF IDENTITY
The journey to self-discovery and identity development is boundless, timeless and ever-changing. Introspection is a playground that encapsulates the journey of self-reflection. The immersive experience allows for moments of solitude to reflect and answer questions on self-identity, and other moments of social interactions that reflect selfhood within a social identity. Introspection plays on symbolism with the rotating mirrors signifying the progression of time and the multifaceted layers of identity, the circular platform representing the unity and interconnectedness of people in one process of growth, and the mirrors denoting self-perception and reflection.

Abdulla Buhijji And Noor Alwan, Interactive Art Installation

Source: Imprint
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IMPRINT EXHIBITION, HIGHLIGHTING SAUDI AND GULF IDENTITY
NIUN is a video collaboration between US artist and designer Michael Mogensen and Saudi artist Ahaad Alamoudi. It is inspired by the proto- science fiction writings of Zakariya AlQazwini, who wrote in Arabic in the 13th century of a man who falls to earth from another utopia-like planet. NIUN asks those who interact with it to consider what the future could be in the context of current events in Saudi Arabia.

Ahaad Alamoudi, NIUN, 2017. V i d e o in s t a l l a t i on, 6 min 59 seconds

Source: Imprint
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IMPRINT EXHIBITION, HIGHLIGHTING SAUDI AND GULF IDENTITY
Ajlan’s polaroid installation Mount of Mercy is part of a larger series of the same name in which the artist has collected photographs, hidden letters and personal objects left at Mount Arafat, a hill east of Mecca, by pilgrims during the annual Hajj. In preserving these deposited objects, Ajlan documents this little talked-about practice and expands it into a depiction of collective faith.

Ajlan Gharem, Mount of Mercy, 2012. Mixed-media installation

Source: Imprint
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IMPRINT EXHIBITION, HIGHLIGHTING SAUDI AND GULF IDENTITY
This typology series revolves around the Balilah kushks (kiosks). The nostalgic element of the subject matter is a staple memory in the minds of the people from the eastern province. However, nowadays these kiosks are being removed by the municipality to be replaced with fashionable and trendy food trucks. Bader Albalawi attempts to archive and preserve the memory of the Balilah kushks as it might be the only surviving documented proof of its existence in Saudi history.

Bader Albalawi, Balilah Kushks, 2015. Digital Photographs

Source: Imprint
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IMPRINT EXHIBITION, HIGHLIGHTING SAUDI AND GULF IDENTITY
Who’s the “Greatest” of Them All? is the first edition from the artist’s Magic Mirror Project; a series of works that rely on smart mirrors as a medium to generate digital copies of archival material. The magic mirror never lies, so one must always be prepared to accept its response. The mirror installation aims to guide the viewer through a journey, as it shows various moments that are connected to Saudi Arabian historical accomplishments.

Eiman Elgibreen, Who’s the “Greatest” of them All?, 2020. Video installation

Source: Imprint
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IMPRINT EXHIBITION, HIGHLIGHTING SAUDI AND GULF IDENTITY
Faisal Samra presents a video of a metaphoric scene evoking a confusing mix of culture and languages. Schizophrenia depicts a young Arab female mixing the Arabic and English language as she banters on. This work acts as an observation on the new mode of speech practiced by inhabitants of the GCC. The female protagonist is wearing half ‘Niqab’ and the other half wearing makeup and western clothing. The work symbolises the juxtaposition between the traditional and the actual.

Faisal Samra, Schizophrenia, 2020. Video installation

Source: Imprint
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IMPRINT EXHIBITION, HIGHLIGHTING SAUDI AND GULF IDENTITY
Aljabri’s series of photo collages consist of famous works of art infused into unique and forgotten places around Bahrain. Aljabri is heavily inspired by the artistic culture of Europe Masters. He combines the landscape of Bahrain into painting-like photographs that come to tell stories of different places around his country. His practice challenges the idea of street photography as we know it.

Khalid Aljabri, Recreation Reincarnation, 2019. Photo-collage series

Source: Imprint
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IMPRINT EXHIBITION, HIGHLIGHTING SAUDI AND GULF IDENTITY
The Space Within , a site-specific installation based on the artist’s Language of Existence series, a spiritual meditation on the human experience in connection to the infinite universe. The intricate patterns on glass in her artwork are illuminated by LED lights and are a representation of the ninety- nine names of Allah (Asmah Allah Al Husna). AlHomoud’s installation explores language as an abstract visual element. The geometric rhythmic patterns examine the power of words and their energy. The artist takes the audience to a peaceful journey between language and faith.

Lulwah Alhomoud, The Space Within, 2020. Digital installation

Source: Imprint
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IMPRINT EXHIBITION, HIGHLIGHTING SAUDI AND GULF IDENTITY
This series consists of eleven black and digital photos, displayed as an intimated cluster, the images act as a sequence of mirrors whose details represent a reflection on identity and the depiction of the self. By means of self-portraiture, the artist envelopes her audience in a space of darkness punctuated with beautifully collaged images of herself that are defiant, unapologetic and abrasive. The accumulation of inanimate objects along with the human depiction works as a collection that reminds us of the surrounding world that makes us the beings we are.

Maha Alasaker, Self Still Life, 2019. Digital Photographs

Source: Imprint
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IMPRINT EXHIBITION, HIGHLIGHTING SAUDI AND GULF IDENTITY
The artist uses the method of the photogram, an early turn of the century photographic technique for her series. She captures a photographic image without the use of a camera by exposing photosensitive paper directly to a light source. The arrangement of objects interrupting the passage of light determines the photogram’s appearance. Malluh’s arrangements of personal items explore both how our objects define us and tell the story of the little things in life which are priceless and give us joy.

Maha Malluh, Vials & Veils, 2008. Photogram print

Source: Imprint
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IMPRINT EXHIBITION, HIGHLIGHTING SAUDI AND GULF IDENTITY
In her series, Mai AlMoataz eloquently and serenely depicts hands reaching out to the boundless void. The hands in her photographs hang like meat in a butcher shop, which only further emphasises the deep introspective journey and compromises one must endure for connection. Melancholy is a common denominator in AlMoataz’s stoic artistic practice, and these unmet hands are a clear depiction of it.

Mai Al Moataz, The Key is to Meat in The Middle, 2017. Silver gelatin prints on warmtone fibre

Source: Imprint
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IMPRINT EXHIBITION, HIGHLIGHTING SAUDI AND GULF IDENTITY
Mashael AlSaie’s film voices the relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter. In this video, Mashael transports the viewer to memories of her upbringing, where hair oiling was a beauty ritual passed down in her family as a method to tame coarse hair. At the same time, recorded voice-notes from her grandmother overlap the ethereal visuals portraying a love that can be stifling.

Mashael Alsaie, Dihin, 2019. Video installation, 1 min 14 seconds

Source: Imprint
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IMPRINT EXHIBITION, HIGHLIGHTING SAUDI AND GULF IDENTITY
The images show fragments of ancient civilisations within the Saudi Arabian landscape. Photographed within a 100 km radius of deserted land in the region of Medina, the artist attempts to focus on unacknowledged ancient structures that lie between our modern civilisation. The artist asks the questions of whether we are fully aware of our ancient history and whether these intricate and delicate forms hold meaning. Alofi attempts to bridge the time-gap between the ancient and modern occupying the same space.

Moath Alofi, Faw, 2020. Photography print

Source: Imprint
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IMPRINT EXHIBITION, HIGHLIGHTING SAUDI AND GULF IDENTITY
Mohammed Alfaraj’s collages depict a landscape shot in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. The artist utilises the image as a medium and narrative style, to bring attention to a disconnect between the inhabitants of his region and their natural environment. His artwork seeks out the tangible and romantically insights a craving for a deeper connection with his environmental surroundings.

Mohammed Alfaraj, Fragmented Days 1, 2020. Hand-crafted photo

Source: Imprint
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IMPRINT EXHIBITION, HIGHLIGHTING SAUDI AND GULF IDENTITY
Mohammed Alkouh presents a series of portraits made through the delicate photographic technique of colourising printed images. The artist reinterprets his subconscious in staged realities offering a contrast between past and present, as he samples an antiquated technique to highlight his subjects in the present day.

Mohammed Alkouh, Till we meet in heaven, 2013. Photography print

Source: Imprint
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IMPRINT EXHIBITION, HIGHLIGHTING SAUDI AND GULF IDENTITY
Artificial Balad is a project that is driven by Artificial Intelligence (Ai) using style transfer. The artist aims to document Al-Balad architecture and its iconic aesthetic to produce generative AI-driven art that creates brand new images and videos from the source Data images. A data set Al-Balad images were collected (up to 1100 images) and were fed into the Ai algorithm to study the contents and imagery. The result is what is called a “Latent Space Walk” video that interpolates the images in what makes sense to the Ai the most, categorising them by similarities and morphs between them.

Nasser Alshemimry, Artificial Balad, 2020. Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Images

Source: Imprint
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IMPRINT EXHIBITION, HIGHLIGHTING SAUDI AND GULF IDENTITY
Alfulle is a series of low-exposure portraits representing the artist’s attempt to understand a beauty ritual practiced in the southern region of Saudi Arabia called “Masar”. The images depict a moment in time in preparation for marriage, a cultural bridal tradition in which the jasmine flower is tied with strings into the bride’s hair. Each image captures her subjects in the middle of a dance whilst wearing the intricate arrangement on their heads.

Reem Alnasser, Alfulle, 2019. Photography prints

Source: Imprint

With an aim to highlight Saudi and Gulf identity, Misk Art Institute has launched a photography and digital exhibition at Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Fine Arts Hall (Masaha). Curated by Latifa Abdul Rahman Al Khalifa, Imprint features the work of 17 Saudi and Gulf artists.

The core of Imprint exhibition is to invite artists based in Saudi Arabia and its neighboring GCC countries to explore their definition of identity by means of the image in the form of photography, film and digital artworks. The immediacy and accessibility of the aforementioned mediums have afforded creatives across a wide spectrum of proficiency a unique platform which has been even further amplified by advents in technology and social media.

The artists in this exhibition contribute to four sub-categories; the past and memory, a deconstruction of the self, connections with nature, and mindful reflections.

The exhibition runs until the 28th of January.
The info was extracted from the press release.

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