Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Jun 02, 2025

A place called home: Artists reveal their favorite places at 21,39 Jeddah Arts 

A place called home: Artists reveal their favorite places at 21,39 Jeddah Arts 

The Saudi Art Council has announced this year’s 21,39 Jeddah Arts, a program of special exhibitions, workshops, and educational forums that are being held across Jeddah through June featuring the work of 27 artists from the Kingdom and other countries.

The exhibition will then be hosted by Ithra, in Dhahran, from June 30 until the end of September.

This year’s program was curated by Venetia Porter under the title “Amakin.”

It was inspired by a lyric from the popular Saudi singer Mohamed Abdo: “Al-amakin kullaha mushtaqah lak” or “all the places long for you.”

Porter asked contributing artists to take visitors into their “makan, a place you love … somewhere real or in your imagination.”

The art historian and curator said that “it all fell into place” the minutes she heard the song.

“Evolving during the global COVID pandemic, when home, dreams, and imagination became a lifeline out of isolation, the resulting works by 27 artists, both special commissions and loans, are especially poignant.

“Expressed through different mediums including neon, painting, artists’ books, sculpture, photography, poetry and film, the narrative explores each artist’s relationship to their own makan.”


The exhibition began on March 3 in Jeddah with work from two pioneers of Saudi art, Safeya Binzagr and the late Abdulhalim Radwi.

Now 82, Jeddah native Binzagr is the only artist in the country to have opened her own museum, while Radwi is well-known for his striking and memorable sculptures on the Jeddah Corniche.

In other works connected to Jeddah, there is a fantastical film set in the city by Mohammed Hammad, and photographs evoking the historic Al-Balad district by Emy Kat and Reem Al-Faisal.

Bashaer Hawsawi highlights the heterogeneous nature of the city through many textiles from all over the world that can be found in Al-Balad.

From Jeddah, Bader Awwad AlBalawi takes us to North Khobar, documenting the changing nature of the city. Talib Almarri invites us to his makan at the dreamy lake of Al-Asfar.

Ali Cherri introduces us to Sultan Zeib Khan who guards an ancient necropolis in the Sharjah desert, and Gaza-born Taysir Batniji’s poignant photographs tell a personal story of the idea of home.

Ancient Arabia is highlighted through the Mu’allaqat — the famous poems reputed to have hung on the walls of the Kaaba at Makkah, and which were the inspiration for the first 21,39 Jeddah Arts, in a painting by Dia al-Azzawi. Catalina Swinburn has unpicked and re-woven archaeological textbooks, while Shadia Alem’s drawings of the fabled Jinniyat of Lar are inspired by a story by her sister, the writer Raja Alem.

In choosing and commissioning the works for the exhibition, Porter was strongly drawn to artists who worked with paper.

“I am fascinated by the process of drawing and printing, the beauty of handmade paper, the phenomenon of the artist’s book and how artists work with poetry to express the idea of makan.”

The exhibition began on March 3 in Jeddah and will continue until June. It will then be hosted by Ithra, in Dhahran, from June 30 until the end of September.


Imran Qureshi uses the traditional techniques of the Mughal painters to tell contemporary stories. Sara Abdu paints with henna and Badr Ali explores printmaking.

Obadah Aljefri is inspired by his childhood notebooks. Asma Bahmim evokes the placing of texts in her aunt’s house in Al-Balad. Manal AlDowayan turns a medieval text on healing into ceramic scrolls.

Poetry also plays a central role in this year’s work. Hussein AlMohsen is inspired by the poems of Ghassan Alkhunaizi, while the sculptural forms of the books of Al-Azzawi, Ghassan Ghaib and Nazar Yahya filled with poetry are a reminder of the destruction heaped upon Baghdad, the city which also haunts Sadik Alfraji which he brings to mind in the story of a single tree on a Baghdad street or in his animated film “Ali’s Boat.”

Lujain Faqerah makes books that represent “places of stillness, somewhere quiet,” and Muhannad Shono makes his book out of sand because “sand chooses which stories to tell and which secrets to hide.”

In the final work in the exhibition Aisha Khalid takes us to her makan, Makkah, the richly embroidered textiles recalling the Kiswa, the fabric that clothes the Kaaba.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
A Chinese company made solar tiles that look way nicer than regular panels!
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
Saudi Arabia Emerges as Global Tech Magnet with U.S. Backing and Trump’s Visit
This was President's departure from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince personally escorted him back to the airport.
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
Trump takes a blow torch to the neocons and interventionists while speaking to the Saudis
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
×