Just Des(s)erts & More! >Arab Art @ArtSpace_ @AthrArtGallery @EdgeOfArabia in #London (October)

Just Des(s)erts

Maha Malluh Solo Exhibition

8th Oct - 11th Nov, 2012

Selma Feriani Gallery is proud to present Just Des(s)erts, Saudi artist Maha Malluh’s first solo show in London, where she will be exhibiting her newest mixed media installation works as well her photogram series ‘Capturing Light’.Greatly influenced by her spiritual connection to the historic region of Najd, Maha has witnessed the growing changes in her beloved country over the recent decades with an observant eye, and a heavy heart.  She has focused on the use of objects in her work as a means of portraying these changes and the resulting confrontation between modernity and cultural heritage.In ‘Just Des(s)erts’, Maha has ventured out of the perimeters of her household into the wider Saudi environment. The objects she uses are no longer smaller personal items, but what can be described as historic items that represent the collective identity of Saudi society. In this case, her means of expression is no longer photograms, which represent objects, but mixed media installations that consist of the objects themselves, for when an object can no longer operate as was originally intended, a new function through adaptive reuse can be the only way to preserve the heritage of its significance..‘Just Des(s)erts’, through its poignant use of personal and vintage objects, leaves the viewer moved, and imbued with a sense of nostalgia. However, it also leaves him disturbed by an ominous sense of foreboding.  Although Saudi’s oil wealth arrived suddenly and precipitated a hedonistic lifestyle, one cannot help but sense that all things come at a price, that with every action comes an equal and opposite reaction.  ‘Just Des(s)erts’ reminds us that nothing lasts in the desert; it is one of the harshest and most forbidding habitats on Earth, and a law unto itself. We must preserve and salvage the best of what makes us who we are.The exponential rate of modernisation is surely and systematically deconstructing our societies. This current threat to our present existence should be the target of our consideration, rather than ad-hoc ideologies for a future utopian existence.

23 Maddox StreetLondon, W1S 2QNTel: +44 (0) 207 493 6090Fax: +44 (0) 207 491 3050
(Image: Food for Thought 9000, 2012, Mixed media installation- tapes in baking trays)

Made In Makkah ®

Group Exhibition

4th Oct - 27th Nov, 2012

Artspace London

Curated by Raneem Farsi and Aya Alireza and in collaboration with Athr Gallery, Made in Makkah ® features Saudi artists Nasser Al-Salem, Noha Al-Sharif and Saddek Wasil. Through the mediums of mixed media, calligraphy and sculpture, the show explores how being born and raised in the spiritual capital of Makkah has shaped these artists’ worldviews and how the devotional nature of their work can appeal to a universal spirit of belief.  The aim of the artists to serve a larger vision, suggests that the faithful essence of ‘Islamic Art’ still continues to this day.

7 Milner StreetLondonSW3 2QA+44 (0)20 7589 5499
(Image: Nasser Al Salem, Kul I, 2012, 160x47cm, Silkscreen on paper)

#COMETOGETHER

Group Exhibition including: Ayman Yossri, Maha Malluh, Musaed Al Hulis

Edge of Arabia 7th Oct - 28th Oct, 2012

#COMETOGETHER represents Edge of Arabia’s return to London and most ambitious exhibition to date, showcasing large-scale, multi-media work by leading Arab and Islamic World artists in the heart of creative, multicultural East London. The exhibition will be held in a 2000 square metre warehouse situated on Brick Lane from 7th–28th October 2012.#COMETOGETHER will feature over 25 established and emerging artists that go beyond the periphery of the Gulf to Algeria, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.The title of the exhibition, #COMETOGETHER, is a deliberate reference to social networking channels, which have transformed the nature and power of individual voices and expression in the Arab World in recent years. The exhibition will incorporate raw film footage, live internet-based installations, a library tent and platforms for performance and interventions, reflecting the unconventional contemporary art language being embraced by the new generation in the Arab world. 

Old Truman Brewery81 Brick LaneLondon E1 6QL
(Image: Ayman Yossri Daydban, Abyssinia (The Message) from the Subtitles series, 2012)