Hayy Jameel Façade Commission

December 6, 2021 – August 1, 2022

The Hayy Jameel Façade Commission is a new annual programme that gives one artist 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.

The 2021-22 commission was selected by a nomination and rigorous jury process, responding to the theme Fabled Feasts which addresses the cultural shifts occurring around eating and gathering. 

The first edition of Hayy Jameel’s Façade Commission has been awarded to Riyadh-based painter and sculptor Nasser Almulhim and architect and artist Tamara Kalo, who will be adorning the pedestrian facing Façade with an intricate design titled  titled Contours on Collective Consciousness. The piece is inspired by the regional folklore The Dove, The Partridge and The Crow, which recounts the story of birds in a time of famine and hunger. From 2022 onwards, the Façade Commission will be selected by Open Call. The Commission is kindly supported by Abdul Latif Jameel Motors – Lexus KSA. 

About Nasser Almuhlim

Nasser Almulhim (born in Riyadh, 1988) is a painter and sculptor based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He
holds a bachelor’s degree in Studio Art from the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida.
Utilising a bright, saturated colour palette inspired by De Stijl and the New York School of Abstract
Expressionism, Almulhim concentrates primarily on the interaction between geometrical, organic, and
non-objective shapes. His practice assumes an intuitive approach to art making, doubling as a
therapeutic act that opens what the artist calls, “The gate of self-healing.” 

About Tamara Kalo

Tamara is an interdisciplinary artist, filmmaker, photographer and designer. She uses photography and video, as well as virtual and physical sculptures, to investigate narratives that shape home, history and identity. She is formally trained in architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. She’s worked as a director of photography, production designer and art director, on award-winning films in Saudi Arabia and Los Angeles, and as a model maker and designer for Hood Design Studio, a landscape architecture and public art firm in Oakland, California. She currently resides in Riyadh, where she is developing her art practice.