Art of the Kingdom Exhibition at National Museum of China Showcases Saudi Contemporary Art
The traveling exhibition 'Art of the Kingdom: Poetic Illuminations' is on view at Beijing's National Museum of China, curated by Diana Wechsler and presented by Saudi Arabia's Museums Commission. It features over 30 artists across generations and disciplines, including Ahmed Mater, Muhannad Shono, Filwa Nazer, Lina Gazzaz, and Manal AlDowayan. Works explore environmental history, cultural tradition, identity, and futuristic imagination. Highlights include Mater's 'Golden Hour' (2011) capturing Mecca's transformation, Shono's 'The Silent Press' (2019) engaging with illegibility, Nazer's textile installation 'Five Women' (2021), Gazzaz's 'Tracing Lines of Growth' (2022–), and AlDowayan's 'They Are the Purpose, We Are the Accident IV' (2022) responding to AlUla archaeological finds. A capsule exhibition of modernist works from the 1960s–80s is also included. The exhibition runs through 30 October.
Key facts
- Exhibition titled 'Art of the Kingdom: Poetic Illuminations' at National Museum of China in Beijing
- Curated by Diana Wechsler and presented by Saudi Arabia's Museums Commission
- Features over 30 Saudi artists across generations and disciplines
- Includes Ahmed Mater's 'Golden Hour' (2011) from his Desert of Pharan series
- Muhannad Shono's 'The Silent Press' (2019) explores illegibility and universality
- Filwa Nazer's 'Five Women' (2021) uses deconstructed garments
- Lina Gazzaz's 'Tracing Lines of Growth' (2022–) sews thread through leaves
- Manal AlDowayan's 'They Are the Purpose, We Are the Accident IV' (2022) responds to AlUla tombs
- Includes a capsule exhibition of modernist works from 1960s–80s
- Exhibition runs through 30 October
Entities
Artists
- Ahmed Mater
- Muhannad Shono
- Filwa Nazer
- Lina Gazzaz
- Manal AlDowayan
- Diana Wechsler
Institutions
- National Museum of China
- Saudi Arabia's Museums Commission
Locations
- Beijing
- China
- Saudi Arabia
- Mecca
- AlUla
- northern Saudi Arabia