ATHR Gallery in Serafi Mega Mall’s Business Center in Tahlia Street is presenting its second group exhibition entitled “Go Beyond,” which displays artwork from veteran Arab artists such as Hussein Al-Mohassen, Farouk Kondakji, Mohammed Al-Ghamdi, Saddek Wasil, Charles Khoury and Raouf Rifai.
The organizers of the exhibition say “Go Beyond” is being held to reflect “the outcome of going past lines, colors and shapes to gain a better understanding of our fears and anxieties, our inner peace and equilibrium.”
The creative expression that bellows out of these works is loud and eminent. Each artist is able to reach the depths of his audience and pull out their most intimate and suppressed emotions.
Al-Muthanna Sheikh Atiah, poet and author, described Syrian artist Farouk Kondakji’s “The Tree” as like standing inside our own souls. “The shaded areas represent our fears, worries, misfortunes, happiness … it opens a window on our souls and we have to have the courage to live it so we can enjoy this experience.”
In his series entitled “Mystic”, Saudi artist Hussein Al-Mohasen abandoned all physical restraints to take the viewer to the ethereal realm of the inner soul. No two bodies are the same as the soul is in constant evolution.
Saudi artist, Mohamed Al-Ghamdi’s “Fossilization” uses recycled wood as its main medium. Al-Ghamdi recycles the refuse of a changing Saudi society, manipulating it into a new definition of value and beauty, while permanently fossilizing moments we mistook as obsolete into eternity.
Lebanese artist Charles Khoury’s series of paintings, entitled “Creatures,” evokes sympathy and compassion through beseeching expressions that plead with us to settle our account with darkness and, as an alternative, allows light in, thus reaching inner peace and equilibrium.
Khoury’s fellow countryman Raouf Rifai presents a tapestry of a world in which differences can be intertwined in aesthetic harmony. His use of circles awards his artwork an elite lightness that we, the viewers, are left longing to be ours.
Saddek Wasil and his commanding sculptures exude an ardent rejection of binding stereotypes and adamant will to defeat material subjugation to achieve spiritual freedom. His artwork is not to be understood as a present state, but instead as the future promise of the complete abolition of materialism.
ATHR is a contemporary art gallery that is committed to creating a flourishing environment for Saudi artists to achieve their full potential and gain international exposure. The gallery is actively involved in promoting and nurturing the contemporary art scene in Saudi Arabia, both professionally and academically.
ATHR’s continuous participation in both worldwide and local collections has made it the platform for Arab artists to gain unprecedented exposure and allow art appreciators to view both established and emerging talent from the region. ATHR has participated in Art Dubai 2009, Venice Biennale 2009, and Edge of Arabia in London 2008.
Gallery timing: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Saturday to Thursday, Contact: ATHR Gallery, 5th floor Business Centre, Wing B. Serafi Mega Mall, Prince Mohammed Abdul Aziz, Tahlia Street, Jeddah. Tel.: +966 (0)22845009, Fax: +966 (0)22844913, www.athrart.com, [email protected]
