Located in the JAX area of Riyadh, the Museum of Contemporary Art (SAMoCA) was opened by the Saudi Ministry of Culture on Tuesday. Three temporary exhibits and cultural and artistic activities are presented annually by the museum in Diriyah, which is merged with the museum in JAX, which has a permanent art collection. Starting in July 2022 in the Argentine city of Buenos Aires, the first collection on show is a part of the travelling Bienalsur, the International Contemporary Art Biennial of South America, with the subject "Imagine: Dreams, Utopias, Fantasies."
There are around 400 artists from 27 nations represented in it, including ten Saudi artists among them. Viewers may observe a slate of sand gradually rising up and nearly freezing before it animates again in Gebaan's kinetic artwork, "Soul." The piece explores the complexities of existence and visual conflicts by fusing science and human nature.
Hatem Al-Ahmad, a Saudi-Syrian artist, used his interdisciplinary approach to create "To Speak in Synergy." In the video project, eleven willing Abha village members—where the artist resides—are shown painting juniper trees with copper sulphate calcium, which is used to preserve plants and stave against illness.
The concert served as a group effort to proactively recognise and confront the continuous devastation of the planet's ecosystems.
The artwork "Great Smog" by Shahd Youssef offers a potential remedy for air pollution, which was prompted by the deadly fog that covered London in 1952, killing 12,000 people. The Clean Air Act was eventually passed by the British government in 1956 as a result of it.
A portion of the exhibition space's white walls are covered in pieces of processed, charcoal-like material that have been coated in biochar. The substance actively lowers atmospheric CO2.
Youssef, who has a degree in psychology, took inspiration for her work from global challenges, human misery, and the consequences of human activities on the environment.
Best contemporary creative practises and works by local and international artists will be promoted on the SAMoCA platform, which aims to empower artists in the Kingdom and promote contemporary art.
The exhibition, which is a component of the nation's continuous efforts to improve living standards and foster cross-cultural engagement, will be open in JAX until December 31. Tickets may be purchased at https://dc.moc.gov.sa/home/event-tickets/51/bienalsur/, the ministry's Discover Culture portal.
