AT THE EDGE OF LAND

‘At the Edge of Land‘ is a group exhibition that delves into the intricate and often concealed relationships between landscapes and trade. It encompasses unexpectedly interconnected geographies, resources and commodities, going back and forth between land and sea to tell stories of erosion and extraction. It challenges ideas of emptiness and development, shedding light on the regions and people on the margins of trade routes.

installation view at Hayy Jameel, Jeddah. Courtesy of Art Jameel. Photography by Mohamed Alaskandrani

At the Edge of Land

16 NOVEMBER 2023 - 13 APRIL 2024

Hayy Arts. Free and open to all
Sunday – Thursday: 10 am – 8 pm
Friday: 2 pm – 10 pm
Saturday: 12 pm – 8 pm
Tuesdays: Always closed

ArtistS:

Jananne Al-Ani, Tarek Al Ghoussein, Iosu Aramburu, Au Sow Yee, Chihoi, Bady Dalloul, Aref El Rayess, Daniele Genadry, Ho Rui An, Hiwa K, Ranjit Kandalgaonkar, Lala Rukh, Hira Nabi, Sarker Protick, Sim Chi Yin, Joar Songcuya, You Khin and Zarina.

Curated by Art Jameel curator Lucas Morin, ‘At the Edge of Land’ brings together works from the Art Jameel Collection, in addition to loans and new commissions by international artists, many of whom are showing their work in Saudi Arabia for the first time. The selection of artists and artworks traces the trade route on which Jeddah is located – the busy maritime path connecting East Asia and Europe via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.

The exhibited artists share stories of crossing lands, canals and rivers; documenting disappearing landscapes and giving a voice to their communities, challenging the inevitability of loss. They depict houses clinging to eroded coastlines, sand extracted to create distant artificial islands, and seamen stranded in the desert. They look at ports and containers and listen to the sound of immense ships waiting to be dismantled. They reveal the ways in which economies are interconnected and draw parallels between the movement of goods and the movement of people.

Constructed Worlds:
breaking down a photo series

‘World building’ is a pivotal process in literature for constructing immersive worlds within the confines of a story. It involves creating intricate landscapes, cultures, histories, and arrangements unique to the narrative universe. It not only provides a backdrop, but also adds depth, texture, and authenticity. The author invites readers into these alternate realities through detailed descriptions, consistent imagery, and richly developed characters.

The course will use ‘world-building’ as a basis for expansion to assess and gain a deeper understanding of how a photo series can develop further. What do our immediate natural environment and infrastructures represent about the current time or the future past? How do we utilize weather patterns, light, and atmosphere to introduce various cycles? How do form, color, or their absence influence different mind states? By examining the spatial histories of a place, utilizing personal accounts to shape directives, and selecting from various modes of image-making, distinctive qualities can be attained within a body of work.

Participants are encouraged to bring at least one ongoing series they are currently pursuing or wish to commit to long-term. Through collective discourse and exercises, one-on-one interactions, and artist-led lectures encompassing personal practice and other relevant works in photography, film, and books, the module aims to encourage students not to limit themselves to being image producers but also to become auteurs of their work.

AFTER NATURE PRIZE 2024

Sarker Protick examines the extensive changes imposed by humans on the Indian subcontinent in his prizewinning project. Focusing on the historical region of Bengal, which today includes India and Bangladesh, he transfers the examination of the colonial history of the British Empire to a photographic study of the present. He is interested in the expansion of the railroad and the development of coal mining in the nineteenth century. Traveling through Bangladesh and India, he created a body of photographs that addresses the global, geopolitical, and historical dimensions of imperialism as the source of the Anthropocene and its impact on the climate crisis in a visual language that is precise and atmospheric.