JEDDAH — Following the success of the Riyadh edition, the Jeddah edition of BIENALSUR 2021, the International Biennial of Contemporary Art of the South, has launched at the historic palace and museum of Qasr Khuzam.
Hosted by the Saudi Ministry of Culture and organized by the National University of Tres de Febrero (UNTREF) in Argentina, the exhibition Echoes: A World between the analogue and the virtual, will run from Nov. 30 until Dec. 30 in Jeddah. Twenty artists from 11 countries will participate in the Jeddah edition, curated by BIENALSUR’s Artistic Director, Diana B. Wechsler.
Qasr Khuzam (Khuzam Palace) served as the first residence in Jeddah for King Abdulaziz Al Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia. The palace is characterized by its unique architectural style featuring art nouveau and art deco influences, with large entry halls and symmetrical staircases succeeded by interconnected wings.
These attributes will serve as a unique backdrop for the exhibition which addresses the acoustic phenomena of echo and reverberation, utilizing them as metaphors for the ways in which we naturally move in the world between analogue and virtual situations.
Commenting on the Jeddah edition, Anibal Jozami, general director of UNTREF and general director of BIENALSUR, said, “We are delighted to hold BIENALSUR in the vibrant city of Jeddah, as the first time in the city and also as the first time in a strategic venue in the city at Qasr Khuzam.
“Art triggers the imagination, shaping the way we see and think about the contemporary world. As an international traveling biennial, BIENALSUR is a medium for building bridges between local and global communities, connecting artists, curators and diverse social groups across five continents in a collaborative global network."
International artists participating in the Jeddah edition include Darren Almond, Joël Andrianomearisoa, Hugo Aveta, Cécile Bart, Daniel Canogar, Tanja Deman, Sève Favre, Gabriela Golder, Valérie Jouve, Chris Larson, Anaïs Lelièvre, Sujin Lim, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Matilde Marin, Angelika Markul and Tony Oursler. Participating Saudi artists include Ahaad Alamoudi, Daniah Alsaleh, Lina Gazzaz, Filwa Nazer and Muhannad Shono.
Saudi artist Shono will present a new piece at the Jeddah edition of BIENALSUR. In The span and the divide, Shono examines the dilemma of time, delving into its cycles of revelation and concealment.
His installation consists of a series of mechanical devices demonstrating processes of erosion and how they can reshape the future. Shono also installed imaginary remnants of other times, which were exposed to the wind and the movement of the sand.
“When I was younger,” recalls Shono, “I heard the story of a pilot who reported unidentified structures emerging from the sand during a training mission over the Empty Quarter in Saudi Arabia. The next day, the pilot flew over those coordinates again, but the structures had disappeared, apparently swallowed up by a sea of sand.
“Sands choose what to reveal and what to hide. In my art, I explore change over time and the revelation of different conditions of a work's existence. I hope my work invites creative reflection on these processes.”
12,009 km away from BIENALSUR in Argentina, the Jeddah exhibition will be on display until Dec. 30. — SPA
