au777 At Frieze London, Arab Artists Look Inward

Founded in 2009 in Jeddahau777, Saudi Arabia, ATHR Gallery could be seen as a charter member of the country’s now warp-speed evolution as an arts destination.

Fifteen years later, with smaller branches in the capital, Riyadh, and in Al Ula, the remote and booming arts and tourism region in the northwest of the country, ATHR Gallery is an established name among artists and art collectors at a time when the country is shaking off decades of isolation at a feverish pace.

The gallery’s plans for Frieze London, running Oct. 10-13 in Regent’s Park, is a prime example of what ATHR has done in its last three visits to the art fair, starting in 2021: bringing Saudi-based artists to a wider audience. This year, four of them will showcase works that fall under the theme of “nafs,” meaning “self” or “psyche” in Arabic. It’s a theme that the gallery says is about fostering dialogue about Islamic artistic identity.

“There is currently a spotlight on Saudi Arabia because of all the new projects, and the art world is always interested in the next big thing,” Daria Kirsanova, the curator of ATHR Gallery, said in a recent video interview. “Saudi was not always so present in the art world, and people weren’t coming to this country when we opened in 2009. But now there are two biennales in the country and quite a few museums are being built. There is a lot of global curiosity.”

ImageThe ATHR gallery branch in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia. Other branches are in Jeddah and Riyadh.Credit...ATHR Gallery

Curious audiences at Frieze London can see the works of Sara Abdu, Nasser Al Salem, Dana Awartani and Ayman Yossri Daydban. Each interprets the theme of nafs quite differently, Kirsanova said.

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