(MENAFN- Mid-East)
Art Jameel, an organisation that supports artists and creative communities, announces the launch of the 2023 iteration of the Hayy Jameel Façade Commission, awarded to contemporary artist and Professor of Visual Art and Design and Faculty Member at the University of Jeddah Zahra AlGhamdi. The major annual programme gives Saudi artists the opportunity to develop a major public work for the 25-metre“canvas” on the front of the building – a feature integral to the architectural intent of Hayy Jameel, designed by multi-award-winning architectural studio waiwai. The 2023 commission, selected via an Open Call which received more than 50 proposals and a rigorous jury process, was awarded to AlGhamdi based on the ingenuity of her proposal titled The Cell, characterised by her signature use of materials and the unique way in which her work responds to the site. The Hayy Jameel Façade Commission is supported by Abdul Latif Jameel Motors – Lexus KSA, and part of the brand's global – and now local, in Saudi Arabia – support for design and the arts.
On the selection process, Deputy Director and Head of Exhibitions at Art Jameel Nora Razian, said:“This annual public art commission is a celebration of the vibrant tapestry of Jeddah's landscape wherein the Façade becomes the meeting point between the creative complex and the wider city. The esteemed jury – which includes local and international artists and curators – selected Dr. Zahra's proposal for her ingenuity and the thoughtful integration of locally sourced materials, tied to universal ideas and histories. This commission aims at fostering ideas rooted in the unique context of Saudi and connecting this to a broad public, bringing ambitious art into everyday life.”
The Cell is composed of fabric pieces in a variety of hues and textures, meticulously crafted and blended with clay. Clay is a primal material, bound up in creation stories and used for millennia by humans to construct dwellings and quotidian objects. AlGhamdi draws on this long history and mythology to create a sculptural work that speaks to the common origins and the shared histories of humanity across time.
The 2023 Hayy Jameel Facade Commission jury included Saudi artist and representative of Saudi Arabia at the 60th International Venice Biennale Manal AlDowayan; Deputy Director and Head of Exhibitions at Art Jameel Nora Razian; Curator (International Art) at London's Tate Modern Nabila Abdel Nabi; and long-time Chair of Modern and Contemporary Arts at the Met Museum, New York, Sheena Wagstaff. The jury also opted to award a Jury Special Mention to two of the shortlisted proposals in recognition of their originality and bold vision. Congratulations go to: Basmah Felemban, Abeer Sultan and Mubarak Mahdi for their proposal Children of the Sea; and Sarah Al Abdali for her proposal Manifesting Eve.
The Hayy Jameel Façade Commission is an annual programme that echoes Art Jameel's mandate to support and present critical work by local artists. Guided by an annual thematic, the Façade Commission intends to deepen dialogue with Hayy Arts' programming, framed primarily by Art Jameel's threads of enquiry and networks of artistic and historical movement.
About Zahra AlGhamdi:
Zahra Al-Ghamdi, born in Al Bahah, KSA in 1977, is a contemporary artist and academic, renowned for her exploration of memory and history intertwined with traditional architecture. Her practice unfolds as intricate narratives of cultural identity, memory and loss, manifesting in meticulously crafted site-specific works composed from earth, clay, rocks, leather and water. In her capacity as an Associate Professor of Visual Art and Design at the University of Jeddah, AlGhamdi infuses her unique artistic insights and experiences into a nurturing educational journey for her students.
About the Hayy Jameel Façade Commission:
The Hayy Jameel Façade Commission is an annual programme that gives one artist or collective the opportunity to develop a major public work for the 25-metre“canvas” on the front of the building - a feature integral to the architectural intent inaugural edition of Hayy Jameel's Façade Commission was awarded to Riyadh-based painter and sculptor Nasser Almulhim and architect and artist Tamara Kalo. The second edition of the commission was awarded to artist Mohammad Alfaraj and his piece The Face of the City. The 2024 cycle will launch with an Open Call in February – March 2024.
About Art Jameel:
Art Jameel supports artists and creative communities. Founded and supported by the Jameel
family philanthropies, the independent organisation is headquartered in Saudi Arabia and the UAE and works globally. Art Jameel's programmes – across exhibitions, commissions, research,learning and community-building – are grounded in a dynamic understanding of the arts as fundamental to life and accessible to all.
Art Jameel's two institutions – Hayy Jameel, a dedicated complex for the arts and creativity in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Jameel Arts Centre, an innovative contemporary institution in Dubai,UAE – are complemented by digital initiatives plus collaborations with major institutional partners and a network of practitioners across the world.
About Hayy Jameel:
Hayy Jameel is developed and managed by Art Jameel as Saudi Arabia's dedicated arts complex and creative hub. Hayy Jameel joins Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai – which opened in 2018 – in its efforts to build culture-oriented, connected communities. Designed by waiwai, Hayy references the Arabic word for neighbourhood, denoting the convivial and collaborative nature of the complex and its intent on bringing together a wide range of creative disciplines in one destination.
Alongside the museum Hayy Arts, education platforms Hayy Learning and Hayy Studios is Hayy Cinema, Saudi's first independent audiovisual centre, designed by Jeddah-based architects Bricklab – and now Hayy Explorers, a forthcoming 'drop-in' children's zone, featuring a year-long dynamic programme. Fenaa Hayy, a multi-purpose space for performances, workshops and talks opens onto Saha, a central community courtyard underpinned by philosophies of sustainability and adaptability.
The Art Jameel-run not-for-profit spaces are joined by Hayy Residents – a set of pioneering, homegrown creative enterprises that range from contemporary art and performance to design and publishing, culinary institutes, new cafes and eateries.
The launch of Hayy Jameel in 2021 marked 75 years of Jameel family global philanthropies and is in line with Vision 2030, coming to fruition with a new era for the arts and creative sector across the Kingdom.
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