Seeing Riyadh
Over the past decade, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, has transformed, and its modern skyline has often been showcased across social media. Seeing Riyadh is a group photography exhibition offering a fresh and nuanced perspective on the city. It shifts the focus to Riyadh’s public spaces, outskirts, residential neighbourhoods, and architectural landscapes. The show aims for visitors to experience Riyadh through the lenses of artists who capture the subtleties of its historical and contemporary sites—some bustling with life, others long abandoned.
Through these photographs, Seeing Riyadh unveils a complex tapestry of human connection, exploring the city’s urban fabric and natural surroundings. The exhibition delves into the evolving relationship between people and their environments, revealing spaces that serve as repositories of personal and collective memory. By spotlighting often-overlooked locations, the artists connect the distant and unfamiliar to the intimate and significant.
The artists showcased are: Abdullah Abdulaziz (Saudi Arabia); Abdulsalam Alamri (Saudi Arabia); Armando Perna (Italy); Bader Albalawi (Saudi Arabia); Dalal Almutairi (Saudi Arabia); Faisal Bin Zarah (Saudi Arabia); Hajar Ali (Saudi Arabia); Hassan Alshatti (Saudi Arabia); Hissah Alahmed (Saudi Arabia); Latifa Albokhari (Saudi Arabia); Mansour Alsofi (Saudi Arabia); Meshari Aldosari (Saudi Arabia); Mohammed Aljubran (Saudi Arabia); Nada Alshahrani (Saudi Arabia); Naif Alquba (Saudi Arabia); Nora Almuqhim (Saudi Arabia); Osama Esid (United States); Sarah Alansary (Saudi Arabia); Sara Saad (Saudi Arabia) and Tamara Hamad (Jordan).
The Silent Age of Singularity
The Silent Age of Singularity is an exhibition featuring 20 artists that examines the profound shifts triggered by the rise of the internet—facilitating communication and enabling the exchange of ideas.
The Silent Age of Singularity highlights a period of subtle yet powerful transformations that quietly reshape our lives. As diverse ideas, cultures, and experiences intertwine, these changes redefine how we communicate, create, and perceive the world. The advent of the internet blurred the lines between private and public spheres, offering a fertile ground for innovation and transformative potential to flourish.
The 1960s marked a crucial turning point in the evolution of digital technologies, laying the groundwork for today’s interconnected world. Initially conceived as a means to connect computers, the Internet revolutionised communication, culminating in Tim Berners-Lee’s invention of the World Wide Web in 1989. By 1991, this innovation ushered millions into a new virtual domain, rapidly embedding itself into daily life and redefining the twentieth-century landscape. No longer a mere communication tool, the internet transformed individuals from passive recipients to active participants, revolutionising how we engage with the digital world.
A look at human history reveals a consistent pattern of accelerated technological innovation, from the compass and steam engines to aeroplanes and, ultimately, the internet. Today, this pace of advancement is faster than ever, hinting at even greater shifts on the horizon. In this evolving landscape, the role of artists becomes increasingly significant—not only in responding to technological change but in redefining the possibilities of digital innovation within art.
The exhibition explores this intersection, prompting reflection on the concept of Creative Singularity—a moment when digital technology unlocks new possibilities for artistic creation. Here, artists become agents of transformation, influencing and reshaping technology to expand creative expression. Rather than competing with machines, the focus shifts to how artists harness and innovate technology to push the boundaries of art in the digital age.
Participating Artists include: Ahmed Mater (Saudi Arabia); Ania Soliman (Egypt/Poland); Ayman Yossri Daydban (Palestine/Saudi Arabia); Bennet Miller (United States); David Hockney (United Kingdom); Eiman Elgibreen (Saudi Arabia); Faisal Samra (Saudi Arabia); Ibrahim Abumsmar (Saudi Arabia); John Salvest (United States); Khaled Makhshoush (Saudi Arabia); Mahdi Aljeraibi (Saudi Arabia); Mohammed Chrouro (Morocco); Mounir Fatmi (Morocco); Nam June Paik (South Korea); Omar Alzahrani (Saudi Arabia); Saeed Gamhawi (Saudi Arabia); Samia Halaby (Palestine); Soufiane Idrissi (Morocco); Turki Alqahtani (Saudi Arabia) and Ziad Kaki (Saudi Arabia).
Location: Prince Faisal bin Fahd Arts Hall, Riyadh.
Date: December 5 – 10, 2024.