Join us for a panel discussion between Art Jameel and Noor Riyadh reflecting on the role of public art, the process and impact artists, curators and institutions have and can make in commissioning artwork for public spaces across Saudi Arabia and beyond. 

Exploring both Jeddah and Riyadh as sites for public art, practitioners share their own experiences through the Hayy Jameel Façade Commission and Noor Riyadh programme on what it means to produce public art, the conversations it sparks and importance of community engagement in the process. 

Speakers include:

Nasser Almulhim and Tamara Kalo – Artist & Architect, recipients of the Hayy Jameel Façade Commission 2021-22

Ahaad Alamoudi – Artist, Noor Riyadh

Alia Fattouh – Co-Artistic Director of Noor Riyadh

Moderator: Rotana Shaker – Curator, Art Jameel

This event is free and will be delivered in English and Arabic. It is in collaboration with Noor Riyadh. RSVP required.

Bios 

Nasser Almulhim is a Saudi painter and sculptor based in Riyadh. 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”. 

Tamara Kalo is a Lebanese-French interdisciplinary artist, filmmaker, photographer and designer based in Riyadh. 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.

Ahaad Alamoudi is a Saudi artist whose work addresses history, ethnography and representation. Her practice stems from alternating standpoints of embeddedness and exteriority, using photography, video and print installations to play with cliches, visual tropes and traditional perceptions, often in a humorous way to reinterpret historical renditions of reforming culture. Alamoudi graduated from Dar Al Hekma University with a Bachelor in Visual Communication and holds a Master in Print from the Royal College of Art. She is currently pursuing a PhD and based between Jeddah and London.

Alia Fattouh, based in Athens, is the Co-Artistic Director of Noor Riyadh and was the Director at Athr Gallery, Jeddah (2018-2021) after eight years in New York. Intrigued by the historic moment marking one of the last Kingdoms in the world, she decided to actively take part in its cultural and social developments. There Alia worked closely with Muhannad Shono, Ahaad Alamoudi, Dana Awartani and many others. Alia’s mission at Athr was to expand the Gallery’s activities and visibility internationally, through art fair participation, institutional exhibitions for its artists, and focus on large-scale public projects and refine its roster of artists. In her spare time Alia helps her parents build and expand Kaaju, a nuts start-up that promotes cultural exchange through food and creates healthy earthy tidbits inspired by international cuisines.