Shahd Alhamdan

Saudi Gazette

 

JEDDAH —  An open exhibition that took place in the old Balad area in Jeddah on Friday attracted a number of talented artists who showcased art focusing on many issues affecting Saudi society such as the death of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.



“Inner Voices”, one of the events of the second “Jeddah Arts 21,39” series of art exhibitions, was organized by Aya Alireza, Raneem Farsi, Hamza Serafi and Basma Felemban.



Their goal was to bring street art back to the people and so Balad was chosen as a location to show in one location real examples of Saudi street art that can usually be found all over the country.



Mazen Al-Shamrani, one of the exhibition’s artists, said: “I wanted to draw a piece that is related to Al-Balad.



“The location of the exhibition is old and it was closed for several years if I remember.



“When I came here I thought, ‘Why do I not draw something old?’ so I thought of drawing the face of an old man wearing the omama (a traditional type of turban) to express the soul of the place and its ancientness.” Several people went to the exhibition to support street art.



A Saudi visitor who did not want to mention her name said: “The exhibition offers a fresh approach to the idea of street art since most people think such art is distorting the field as a whole. People do not know that street art always carries a message.



“The exhibition location is perfect and gives you the feeling that you are witnessing real street art.”



Not all people got the exhibition’s message from the beginning. Tala Ahmed, 14, said: “At first I thought it was not interesting but when I went inside I started to love the drawings.



“I liked most the drawing of the old man and baby. Both of those drawings were breathtaking.”