Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — Organized by the Saudi Art Council for the fifth year in a row, Shara Art Fair opened its doors to art lovers, collectors, and fans on Sunday here with the participation of six influential and trendsetting art galleries showcasing multinational artistic flavors from Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world, supported by UBS.

The five-day fair is held at the Saudi Art Council’s headquarters in Gold Moor Mall. The opening was attended by members of the Saudi Art Council, a large number of artists and art enthusiasts from in and outside the Kingdom as well as media representatives and key sponsors.

“Shara is about bringing together under one roof galleries that are in different fields and different areas of art to support their artists and sell their work, and to create a professional artistic culture,” said Nada Sheikh-Yasin, Saudi Art Council manager.

She pointed out that Shara Art Fair, for the first time, is hosting and supporting four independent female artists, who are not represented by galleries, including Amena Tinwala, Hera Abed, Rae Mearkle, Zainab Mumtaz.

“Sponsoring and supporting emerging talents is our core purpose as the Saudi Art Council. We consider ourselves an incubator and launch pad for new artists that would contribute to the richness of the Saudi art scene,” she said.

“Our ongoing partnership with the Saudi Art Council underlines our commitment to contemporary art in the Kingdom and the region. By supporting Shara Art Fair, we are able to provide our clients and audiences with access to the most important galleries, dynamic artists, and artworks in the region today,” said Ali Janoudi, head WM Central Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa at UBS and Vice Chairman of the Board, UBS Saudi Arabia. “We would like to congratulate Princess Jawaher on the continued success of the Saudi Art Council’s flourishing cultural platform”

This year's Shara Art Fair participant’s will include Al Mansouria Foundation, which was established by Princess Jawaher Bint Majed Bin Abdulaziz to support creativity in the Kingdom.

Another influential participant will be Athr Gallery. Founded by Hamza Serafi and Mohammed Hafiz, Athr is a contemporary art project space and gallery, which since 2009 has enabled artistic dialogue between contemporary artists across the world.

Hafez Gallery will also participate this year to exhibit art from Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. Founded in 2014 in the city of Jeddah, the gallery seeks to share the Saudi art culture in local and foreign forums.

Shara Art Fair will also feature Loai Hakeem’s Noor Gallery and Inside/Outside, an ‘Artistic Collective’ who banded together from their respective practices to communicate an artistic dialogue, relevant to the concept through the body of their work.

One of the most important participants in Shara Art Fair is Dukkan Dar Al Hekma, an initiative created by the visual communication department at Dar Al Hekma University. The shop's main aim is to promote the young designers of Dar Al Hekma community, in order to gain recognition in the market place. The shop also aims to raise funds to help support Dar Al Hekma University scholarship fund.