One of the biggest art exhibitions that happens around Jeddah town is the 21,39 coordinated by the Saudi Art Council. It’s interesting in that it is scattered throughout the city. From the crumbling villas in old town all the way to the chicest mall. I guess the objective is, people run into it wherever they go. I went to the portion of 21, 39 which was being exhibited at Hafez Gallery, mainly because I was interested in the interactive piece set up by Fatima Al Banawi. But I ended up meeting artists and discovering some beautiful work as well.
Fatima’s piece was called ‘Inside Out’ and it consisted of a dark room with white walls. You had to enter it with a lantern and a marker, and the white walls were then your canvas, or your diary… your catharsis, your message to someone else. The whole place was eerily, fantastically scribbled. Sometimes with the same words over and over.
This was also the place where I discovered Amygdala, and my inspiration to project a video on fabric.
But my favorites were the surreal acrylic paintings of Mohammad Zaza.
