Etel Adnan's Retrospective at Ithra Explores Hybrid Identity
In Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, known as Ithra, is currently displaying an exhibition titled 'Etel Adnan, Between East and West.' This showcase includes 41 works by the Lebanese-American artist, covering her creations from the 1950s to 2021. Curated by Sébastien Delot, the previous director of LaM, the exhibition features pieces loaned from several places, such as the Sharjah Art Foundation and Sfeir-Semler Gallery, along with private collections and Ithra's own. Noteworthy items include wool tapestries, a Super 8 film, and a large ceramic mural. A significant aspect of Adnan's work is her bilingual approach, writing in French while painting in Arabic. The exhibit runs until June 30.
Key facts
- Exhibition titled 'Etel Adnan, Between East and West' at Ithra in Dhahran
- 41 works from 1950s to 2021
- Curated by Sébastien Delot, former director of LaM
- Loans from Sharjah Art Foundation, Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Sursock Museum, private collectors, and Ithra
- Includes wool tapestries, Super 8 film, and a 25-square-metre ceramic mural
- Adnan never visited Saudi Arabia
- Runs until 30 June
- Adnan wrote in French and painted in Arabic
Entities
Artists
- Etel Adnan
- Ramses Wissa Wassef
- Juan O'Gorman
- Paul Cézanne
- Badr Shakir Al-Sayyab
- Mahmoud Darwish
Institutions
- King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra)
- LaM (Lille Métropole Musée d’art moderne, d’art contemporain et d’art brut)
- Sharjah Art Foundation
- Sfeir-Semler Gallery
- Sursock Museum
- University of Mexico's Central Library
- Bauhaus
Locations
- Dhahran
- Saudi Arabia
- Beirut
- Paris
- Berkeley
- Sausalito
- San Francisco Bay Area
- Mount Tamalpais
- Yosemite
- New York
- San Francisco
- Morocco
- Tunisia
- Jordan
- Syria
- Egypt
- Harrania
- Aubusson
- France
- Mexico