Artwork by Eida AlZahrane; Image courtesy: Lift Gallery
Lift KSA, a “social art club” for creatives and art aficionados to come together, experiment or simply belong to a community, is opening its doors to a brand new exhibition ‘Ascent’. The exhibit, to be held in Riyadh, between November 19 and 25, will be featuring a melange of female Saudi artists across all disciplines. According to their statement, the exhibit endeavors to “showcase young Saudi female artists and honor Princess Tarfa Bint Fahad for her contribution and achievements for the art community in Saudi Arabia. Ascent’s goal is also to raise awareness about the diversity of our local Saudi virtuosos, demonstrate the significance of art, and highlight the effective healing and inspiration it gives to our daily lives.” With the support and empowerment of the Ministry of Culture, the Saudi Arabian art scene has seen a recent overhaul with an array of burgeoning artists finding access to meaningful platforms to express themselves and reach a wider audience.
Lift is an exciting concept; a combination of an art gallery and a modern co-working space, kickstarted by 23-year-old Saudi designer Nouf Bint Abdulaziz AlSaud who shared with Vogue Arabia, “We called the gallery Lift as we are “lifting up” the spirits and the artists, and lifting up their art as well as showcasing them. We are quite exclusive as we handpick our artists. We do workshops for beginners and being an art club, people can come talk to like minded people as well.”
The exhibit will feature artists including Naseebah AlSultan, a member of the Arabic Language Department from the Imam University and a regular at the Lift gallery. Her work is heavily influenced by nature, and uses acrylic and putty colours to add highlights to her paintings as you can see below:
Naseebah AlSultan; Image courtesy: Lift Gallery
Ekleel Alfaris, another Saudi based artist, musician, photographer and horseback rider, whose work is showcased at Ascent, is known for her intricate wire sculptures.
Image courtesy: Ekleel Alfaris Instagram
Ruqayaih Bint Saud Ruqayaih, Saudi-based artist with a BA in painting and printmaking from Princess Noura University, has participated in multiple exhibitions in Riyadh. Her trademark technique is the dark splashes of colors accompany all of her artwork including the portrait below:
Artwork by Ruqayaih Bint Saud Ruqayaih, Oil on canvas 140x180cm; Image courtesy: Lift Gallery
The exhibit will showcase many more works by talented female Saudi artists like Sarah AlMarshad, Haneen AlShogairan, Haneen AlShogairan among many others.
‘Ascent’ is open for viewing between November 19-25, 2020 between 10am and 10pm at the Lift Art Gallery, Riyadh.
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