In the age of social media, art has no boundaries and limits in the world. But as the famous proverb says, “better to see once than to hear 100 times and better to see in life if to be exact.”
Mona and Maya Al Abdullah are two passionate sisters who are curating “Re-composing”, an exhibition at the Palazzo Bembo in Venice dedicated to Saudi-based artists. The sisters are the founders of 369 Art Gallery in Jeddah that is moving to Riyadh this year. They are organizing the exhibition in Venice to showcase their vision of national heritage, identity, and legacy through modern art and vision.
The Re-Composing exhibition is being held from July 13 to August 13, 2022 in Venice, Italy. Fourteen Saudi artists are presenting their artworks through unique styles to represent cultural recomposition. The young artists are Saeed Gamhaoui, Mariam Almesawi, Khalid Almarzouki, Saad Howede, Raghad Al Ahmad, Rexchouk, Hatem Alahmad, Hmoud Al Attawi, Houda Terjuman, Deyaa Yousef, Zahrah Al Ghamdi, Fahad Al Nassar, Khulod Albugami, Obaid Alsafi.
Mona and Maya are showcasing Saudi Arabia’s cultural and artistic history and progress: a meeting of the past and the future. Saudi artists are introducing new perspectives both in the local and international scenes. The theme of “Re-composing” evokes an ephemeral idea of fluid identities or the sense of a musical arrangement, and re-arrangement, but there’s a strong sense of materiality and material culture.
Mona Al Abdullah is an experienced curator, founder and manager in the art sector for over 15 years. She was working as cultural and art expert in international institutions, auction houses, foundations and museums. She is also a professional lawyer specializing in artistic and intellectual properties. She is a winner of the Magnum Award in 2016.
Maya Al Abdullah is a co-founder and co-curator along with Mona, as well as creative architect and art curator at 369 Art Gallery. Her art and design philosophy is to re-enchant the cities in the Middle East by evoking emotions, reinventing spaces and researching visual and cultural identities.
