The exhibition, curated by Khurram Salman and Shereen Fekri, highlights the work of 14 artists who are exploring the artistic and emotional landscape within a culture of constant acceleration, productivity, and self-optimisation.
“The idea of the exhibition came from a reflection on our own environment and the emotions, spoken or unspoken, being experienced from our periphery,” Khurram, 33, told GulfWeekly.
“We wanted to put together a body of work that evaluates existentialism as a by-product of contemporary living.
“We didn’t set out to answer any existential questions, but simply to let the questions exist and to provide space for this important conversation to be held.”
Running until October 1, the exhibition is set across three distinct parts – crisis, process and approval.
The ‘Crisis’ section showcases artists that explore the symptoms that burden the mind – loss of meaning, and the resulting anxiety and depression.
In ‘Process’, the exhibition highlights pieces that deal with the systems in which we exist and the ways they structure identity, confronting the frustrations, fears, and grief that can unravel existence.
And the final section, ‘Arrival’, takes visitors to a place where artists depict the peace and purpose found in art and human connection, as a result of the stages that they have been on and want to continue in this journey.
In selecting the final 14 artists, Khurram and Shereen approached more than 40 creatives from various backgrounds, visiting many of them at their studios to get a deeper look at their work and process.
“Each of the selected artwork adds a layer to the conversation that we wanted to have,” Shereen, 35, added
“We were approached early May by Al Riwaq to conceptualise the exhibition, which is a result of more than three months of work.” Alongside the exhibition, the organisers also curated a month-long schedule of activities that complement ideas explored in the art pieces.
This included a workshop with Iskandar Dawani, one of the artists showcasing their work during the exhibition and A Closed Circuit - a live collaborative performance piece with Omnia Elamir, in which a room full of visitors contributed their voices towards a shared evolving composition.
Last night, there was a film screening of selected episodes from The Animatrix, along with a discussion with artist Salman AlNajem centred on reality, agency, existence and attempts to make sense of the world.
This Saturday, September 19, there will be a Photo Jam themed around ‘The Little Things’ with Khurram and Shereen as well as a ‘Writing Workshop for the Existentially Declined’ by Fatima Alsaad.
Next Wednesday, September 23, there will be a ‘Making Meaning Anyway’ talk by Razan Shaheen, and a ‘Processing the Times’ workshop with Shereen on September 26.
“From a performance piece, a writing and journaling workshop, to a film screening, a photo jam and a community circle with a mental health professional, we wanted to extend the conversation beyond just the gallery space,” Khurram added.
“Different artists and mediums were tapped into to add more to the exhibition experience.”
nFor more details, follow @alriwaq on Instagram.
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Participating artists:
1. Ahmed Anan
2. Fatima Almosawi
3. Iskandar Dawani
4. Ghada Khunji
5. Ishaq Madan
6. Jaffar Aloraibi
7. Lujayn Hasan
8. Mohamed Taqi
9. Nura AlRumaihi
10. Salman AlNajem
11. Sayed Hasan Alsari
12. Thajba Najeeb
13. Virginie Dreyer
14. Zain AlMutawa
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