ABHA: Many artists are showing their art by holding exhibitions in shopping malls and commercial complexes in the Kingdom. By doing so, their work becomes familiar to a larger segment of society.

Artist Iman Al-Qahtani explained that the exhibitions may have a commercial side for the mall and attract customers to shop as well as to look. The artists receive attention and exposure and are good for business in the malls.

Artist Afrah Al-Khedhr looks at art exhibitions in malls from a positive angle, as she believes that these exhibitions deliver “art to the biggest number of people from connoisseurs to artists, who usually visit art exhibitions in specialized locations.

Artist Khatmah Al-Sahel looks at the idea from the standpoint of “the audience’s right,” and says, “The artist has a sense of art usually, and it is beautiful to give the audience a chance to experience this sense, whether he/she is a well-known artist or not. The biggest winners are the artists themselves.”

“Shopping malls attract a large numbers of people from different groups and help the artists become known. It is an opportunity for the development of the visual sense, as community members often do not go to art fairs,” says artist Fadwa Al-Shehri.

She adds: “The downside of these exhibitions is that the paintings may sometimes be damaged.”

The artist Sahar Al-Nahdi advocates exhibiting art in malls because it is “an educational means and improves artistic taste among the public. It has access to the people and spreads awareness about art and informs the public about our artists.”

She wishes that famous artists would exhibit their work in shopping malls because mall art fairs normally display nonprofessional works.

Badriyah Al-Ali adds: “Mall art fairs offer the artist an opportunity to be known by as large an audience as possible.”

Artist Zainab Al-Muhanna feels that “spreading the culture of art among people is very important, and educating them about various schools of art.”

The director of the Culture and Arts Association in Asir, Ahmed Alsroe, says that art fairs are gaining popularity now in major commercial centers, restaurants, amusement parks and tourist resorts.

“Artists have been able to present art works to new audiences, where it gained greater interaction than happens in specialized galleries.”