Saudi Arabia’s Madinah airport latest venue for ‘connected’ art exhibition

Passengers using Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in the Saudi city Madinah can enjoy an art exhibition while waiting to connect with their flights.

“Connected: Art in Airports” is presented by Art Jameel – a Community Jameel initiative – under the theme of Our Mothers’ House and celebrates the centuries-old tradition of house-painting by skilled female artisans from the Asir region of southern Saudi Arabia.

The fourth in a series of exhibitions at airports – previous venues were Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dammam – it is organized in collaboration with the General Authority of Civil Aviation and the Saudi Art Association and runs until Aug. 1.

Senior airport management made an official visit to the exhibition recently: Mohamed Al Fadel, director, Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport; Ahmed El Sharqawi, deputy general manager, TIBAH Airports Operation Company; Akram Ayara, technical director, TIBAH; Deniz Varol, operations director; and Alaa Jabarty, operations duty manager.

They saw murals designed and painted by the women of Asir, in addition to an artwork by Taha Al Sabban. The murals express the long and intimate relationship between people and their natural environment. They tell the stories of family, culture, environment, rituals, and agricultural. They are an important part of the cultural and natural heritage of Asir.

Program advisers include three Saudi artists: Arwa Alnaemi, whose work often explores the relationship of women to larger Saudi Society; Ahmed Mater, best known for his explorations of the Islamic culture and trends of consumerism and transformation in the region; and Fatimah Jaber, an Asiri house painter and founder of Fatimah Museum in Abha.

This article first appeared in the Saudi Gazette on July 28, 2016.