SHIFT

About

This group exhibition brings together the UK debut of three young female artists from Saudi Arabia: Zahrah Al-Ghamdi, Dana Awartani and Reem Al-Nasser. The works reflect the artist’s experiences of living in their home cities and domestic spaces. They are powerful testimonies by artists caught between a future driven by globalisation and rapid social/ cultural change, and a past cultural heritage, which is under threat of being erased. Zahrah Al-Ghamdi’s Cell of the City is a large site-specific wall installation made of sand and cloth, it has been informed by her memories of growing up in the traditional architecture of South West Saudi Arabia.

 I went away and forgot you. A while ago I remembered. I remembered I’d forgotten you. I was dreaming by Dana Awartani is a video artwork and installation. What first appear to be traditional Islamic floor tiles is an

installation composed of hand- dyed sand, which is then swept away by the artist. This is recreated in the gallery.

Reem al-Nasser’s The Silver Plate is a three part multimedia installation representing: the past (an audio piece) the present (dual screen video installation), and the future (a printed booklet). The piece reflects on the process of needing to negotiate the past, to be able to move towards the future