Saudi Art Council's annual 21,39 Jeddah Arts exhibition opens with Amakin

The event features works by 27 local and international artists, who have all created their interpretations of home

The Saudi Art Council launched its annual 21,39 Jeddah Arts exhibition, featuring a roster of 27 local and international artists, at its home in Gold Moor Mall on Thursday.

The exhibition is this year inspired by a line from a song by popular Saudi singer Mohammed Abdu — "al-amakin kullaha mushtaqah lak", which translates to "all the places long for you". It urges participating artists to take visitors into their makan, or home, a place they love.

Works on display in Amakin include sketches, paintings, mixed media, neon works, sculptures, movies and poetry that showcase the artist's relationship to their makan. Over the course of three months, the event will also feature panel discussions and workshops.

"I was strongly drawn to artists who work on paper, fascinated as I am by the process of drawing, the making of paper, the complexity of printmaking techniques," curator Venetia Porter tells The National. "I have been continuously inspired by the talented artists who agreed to come on this journey with me."

Born and raised in Lebanon, Porter studied Arabic and Islamic Art at the University of Oxford and has a PhD in the history and architecture of Medieval Yemen from Durham University. She has also worked as a curator of Islamic and Contemporary Middle East Art at the British Museum in London.

The name 21, 39 Jeddah Arts is derived from the geographic co-ordinates of the city (21.5433°N, 39.1728°E ) and is a non-profit initiative by the Saudi Arts Council. In March 2021, the opening of the eighth season of the event was postponed owing to changing Covid-19 regulations.

Guests attending Amakin are greeted by a giant neon sign created by Abdullah Al-Othman that reads "The Bride of the Red Sea". Inside are works by renowned Saudi artist Safeya Binzagr, 82, who has her own museum, and the late Abdulhalim Radwi, who is known for his monumental filmmaker Mohammed Hammad, photographer Reem Al Faisal and visual artists Emy Kat and Bashaer Hawsawi.

Meanwhile, Bader Awwad AlBalawi documents Al Khobar's mid-20th century buildings through a series of photos, and Talib Almarri's photographs celebrate the beauty of Al-Asfar Lake in eastern Saudi Arabia, where "water, birds and weeds are in harmony".

Ali Cherri introduces visitors to Sultan Zeib Khan, who guards an ancient necropolis in the Sharjah desert, while Gaza photographer Taysir Batniji expresses his perspective of home through a series of striking photographs.

Elsewhere, Aisha Khalid from Makkah displays richly embroidered textiles recalling the Kiswah, the fabrics that cover the Kaaba, while Hammad showcases a short film titled Yallah, Yallah Beenah! using his early memories of time he spent in Jeddah.

21,39 Jeddah Arts runs until Friday, June 3. The exhibition will then be hosted by Ithra in Dhahran from Thursday, June 30 to Friday, September 30. More information is available at thesaudiartcouncil.org.