Abdulnasser Gharem
Abdulnasser Gharem | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | Saudi |
Education | King Abdulaziz Academy, The Leader Institute Riyadh, Al Meftaha Arts Village |
Known for | Conceptual art, installation art, painting |
Notable work | Exit Only, Men At Work, Detour, Makkah Road, Concrete, The Path (Siraat), The Stamp |
Movement | Postmodern art |
Website | http://abdulnassergharem.com/ |
Abdulnasser Gharem (born 4 June 1973) is a Saudi Arabian artist[1][2] and also a lieutenant colonel in the Saudi Arabian army.[3] In April 2011, his installation Message/Messenger sold for a world record price at auction in Dubai.[4][5][6]
Gharem's work is in the collections of the British Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Culture and Information, His artwork is characterized by innovative use of materials,[7] including rubber stamps, a collapsed bridge, and an invasive tree.[8]
Early life and education[edit]
Gharem was born in Khamis Mushait. In 1992 Gharem graduated from the King Abdulaziz Academy before attending The Leader Institute in Riyadh. He has had no formal art training.[9] In 2003 Gharem studied at the Al-Meftaha Arts Village in Abha.
Career[edit]
In 2004 Gharem and the Al-Meftaha artists staged a group exhibition, Shattah. in Saudi Arabia. Since then Gharem has exhibited in Europe, the Persian Gulf and the United States, including at Martin Gropius-Bau and at the Venice Biennial, Sharjah Biennial and Berlin Biennale.
His first monograph ‘Abdulnasser Gharem: Art of Survival’ was published in London in October 2011.[10][11]
In 2014 Gharem lives and works in Riyadh. He is the co-founder of the arts initiative Edge of Arabia.[12][13] Gharem donated the proceeds of his sale to Edge of Arabia to foster art education in his native country.[14]
Selected group shows[edit]
2004 - 2009[edit]
- Shattah – Atelier Gallery, Jeddah (27 Apr -14 May 2004)
- Son of Aseer – Al-Meftaha Arts Village, Abha (10 Oct-30 Oct 2006)
- Still Life: Art, Ecology and the Politics of Change – Sharjah Biennial 8 (4 Apr-4 Jun 2007)
- Edge of Arabia London: Contemporary Art from Saudi Arabia – SOAS Brunei Gallery, University of London (16 Oct-13 Dec 2008)
- The 28th Annual Exhibition – Gulf Fine Arts Society, Sharjah (March 2009)
- Edge of Arabia Venice – Palazzo Contarini Polignac, 53rd Venice Biennale (5 Jun-2 Aug 2009)
2010[edit]
- Edge of Arabia Istanbul: TRANSiTION – Sanat Limani, Antrepo 5 (10 Nov-10 Dec)
- Opening the Doors: Collecting Middle Eastern Art, Abu Dhabi Art (3 Nov-7 Nov)
- CAVE: Contemporary Arab Video Encounter – Maraya Arts Centre, Sharjah (2 Nov-11 Dec)
- Emerging Asian Artists, Gwangju Biennale (1 Sep-5 Sep)
- Edge of Arabia Berlin: Grey Borders/Grey Frontiers – Soho House, Berlin (9 Jun-18 Jul)
- Fuck Ups, Fables and Fiascos – Galerie Caprice Horn, Berlin (8 Jun-17 Sep)
- Edge of Arabia World Tour Launch – Global Competitiveness Forum, Riyadh (23 Jan-26 Jan)
- Taswir: Pictorial Mappings of Islam and Modernity – Martin Gropius-Bau, Berlin (5 Nov ((2009)) -18 Jan)
2011[edit]
- Political Patterns – ifa-Galerie, Berlin (8 Jul-3 Oct)
- The Future of a Promise: Contemporary Art from the Arab World – Magazzini del Sale, 54th Venice Biennale (1 Jun-27 Nov)
- The Bravery of Being Out of Range – Athr Gallery, Jeddah (24 May-18 Jun)
- The New Middle East – Willem Baars Projects, Amsterdam (31 May-30 July)
- Edge of Arabia Dubai: TERMINAL – Building 9, Gate Village, Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai (14 Mar-15 Apr)
- Uppers & Downers – Traffic, Dubai (9 Feb-5 Mar)
- Nujoom: Constellations of Arab Art from The Farjam Collection – The Farjam Collection @ DIFC, Dubai (1 Nov ((2010)) - Mar 2011)
- I Don’t Need Your Money Honey All I Need is Love – Traffic, Dubai (5 Jan –27 Jan)
2012[edit]
- Arab Express: The Latest Art From the Arab World - Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan (16 Jun - 28 Oct)
- Porta dell'Oriente - Roma Contemporary, Italy (25-27 May)
- Bending History - Katara Galleries, Katara Cultural Village, Doha, Qatar (8 Mar - 8 April)
- Hajj, Journey to the Heart of Islam – British Museum, London (26 Jan-15 Apr)[15]
- Edge of Arabia – Al Furusia Marina, Jeddah (20 Jan-26 Feb)[16][17]
- Contemporary Istanbul - Turkey ( 22-25 Nov)
- Light from the Middle East: New Photography - Victoria & Albert Museum, London (13 Nov - 7 April 2013)
- La voce delle immagini - Palazzo Grassi - Venice, Italy (30 Aug- 13 Jan 2012)[18]
Collections[edit]
- The British Museum
- The Victoria and Albert Museum
- LACMA, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Culture and Information
- The Jameel Foundation
- Nadour Collection
- Greenbox Museum[19]
- The Barjeel Art Foundation
- The Farook Collection
- The Farjam Collection
- Kamel Lazaar Foundation
- BASMOCA, Basma Alsulaiman Museum of Contemporary Art
Publications[edit]
- Hemming, Henry. Abdulnasser Gharem: Art of Survival (London: Booth-Clibborn, 2011) ISBN 1861543247
- Jameel, Porter, King, Stapleton, Al-Turki. Edge of Arabia: Contemporary Art from Saudi Arabia (London: Booth Clibborn, 2012) ISBN 1861543239
- Porter, Venetia. Hajj, journey to the heart of Islam (London: Harvard University Press, 2012) ISBN 0674062183
- Lazaar, Lina and Downey, Anthony. The Future of a Promise (London: Ibraaz, 2011) ISBN 978-1-86154-323-3
References[edit]
- ^ "Saudi artist Abdulnasser Gharem’s unusual double life". Financial Times By Gareth Harris
- ^ Alison Gee. "Abdulnasser Gharem - the Saudi soldier who moonlights as a conceptual artist". BBC News
- ^ Patel, Schwetal. "Contemporary Artists Rock the Boat Gently in Saudi Arabia", Dazed Digital, July 2012. Retrieved on 1 August 2012
- ^ "Saudi soldier as artist: Abdulnasser Gharem’s message, ‘Peace, but with security’" Archived 21 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Al Arabiya News, 28 November 2011.
- ^ CNN, 29 December 2011, CNN's Becky Anderson talks to artist Abdulnasser Gharem Archived 25 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Anderson, Brooke. "Is the time ripe to buy Middle Eastern art?". BBC.com. BBC News.
- ^ Bharadwaj, Vinita. "Contemporary Artists Rock the Boat Gently in Saudi Arabia", The New York Times, 18 January 2012. Retrieved on 23 July 2012
- ^ New Statesman. New Statesman Limited. 2007. p. 40.
- ^ Vijay Mahajan (13 July 2012). The Arab World Unbound: Tapping into the Power of 350 Million Consumers. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 206–. ISBN 978-1-118-23642-0.
- ^ Buali, Sheyma. "Art of Survival", Arab News, London, 19 October 2011. Retrieved on 23 July 2012.
- ^ Lord, Christopher. "The sum of Abdulnasser Gharem, soldier artist", The National, 4 November 2011. Retrieved on 2 August 2012.
- ^ Grundey, Adam. "Art of War", Rolling Stone, 3 March 2011. Retrieved on 2 August 2012.
- ^ Martin J. Gannon; Rajnandini Pillai (3 March 2015). Understanding Global Cultures: Metaphorical Journeys Through 34 Nations, Clusters of Nations, Continents, and Diversity. SAGE Publications. pp. 129–. ISBN 978-1-4833-4005-0.
- ^ Milner, Catherine. "Old Customs, New Directions", Financial Times News, 9 March 2012
- ^ Akbar, Arifa. "Pilgrim's progress: Journey to the Heart of Islam" The Independent, 30 January 2012. Retrieved on 23 July 2012.
- ^ "The picture is changing" The Economist, 28 January 2012. Retrieved on 23 July 2012
- ^ Hemming, Henry "Contemporary art show in Saudi Arabia could herald a new movement" Archived 18 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine The Art Newspaper, 30 January 2012
- ^ "La voce delle immagini - Palazzo Grassi", Venice Archived 6 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Greenbox Museum, dictionary of Saudi Arabian artists