Zahrah Al Ghamdi’s “The Cell” Takes Center Stage at Art Jameel’s Façade Commission 2023″
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.
