JEDDAH: A Thursday night of contemporary art puts a refreshing end to schools’ midyear break. Young people and art lovers filled Athr art platform based at Serafi Mega Mall’s office towers as the artwork of five woman artists from the Gulf had them mesmerized.
The exhibition entitled “And Along Came Polyester” displayed the work of Saudi artist Sarah Abu Abdullah’s “18 Blankets,” Qatari artist Aisha Al-Sowaidi’s “The Shift,” Bahraini artist Hala Al-Khalifa’s “She Wore Her Scares Like Wings,” Kuwaiti artist Monira Al-Qadiri’s “Legacy” and Emirati artist Layla Juma’s “A Still Moment in Thought & Spatial Perception.”
Al-Sowaidi, standing next to “The Shift,” talked to Arab News about her work that represented a phase of her childhood and memories of her family.
“This talks about my memory when I used to come home after school and sit in the majlis," Al-Sowaidi said. "I used to be surrounded by adults and I was the only child there. It felt that I was alone. I felt that I had the universe for myself. I felt that I had the majlis for myself as I started going into my imagination.”
When asked about the story behind the roundedness of the “majlis,” the Qatari artist said: “I created my own universe in the majlis by myself although I was surrounded by others…. And that’s where the rounded shape came from… it’s the universe I created by myself, and it rolls. Everything lost gravity while seated inside.”
Going up to the On The Terrace rooftop, the scene had a vintage sense of traditional food venders surrounding an open space for people to sit and enjoy grabbing a bite in the open air space.
The exhibition will be open to the public until April 7.
‘And Along Came Polyester’ art exhibition opens
‘And Along Came Polyester’ art exhibition opens
