JEDDAH — Fourteen galleries from across the Middle East are participating in the annual Shara Art Fair in Jeddah, which opened on July 1 for a week at Gold Moor Mall. The first of its kind, the seven-day fair showcases works of renowned artists by their respective galleries, including Hafez, Athr, Midrar, Al-Mansouria Foundation, Cuadro, MetroGlitch and Tasami. The initiative gathered Saudi and international artists in a bid to encourage the art scene and exhibit local talent in a way that has not been done before. The art fair is designed as an interactive session that takes the visitor from live calligraphy at art booths to structures and art works across the art space. No matter where you start, the path is designed in a way that you get to experience all artworks and participating galleries along the way. A few of the most prominent artworks belonged to Saudi artists. Participating artists include Nasser Al-Salem, Musaed Alhulis, Saddek Wasil, Emy Kat, Lulwah Al Homoud, Abdulaziz Ashour, Ola Hejazi, Safiyah Binzagr, Adil Qureshi, Tagreed Bagshi, Kemal Al-Faki, Dana Awartani, Dania S. Al-Saleh, Shaker Kashgari and Mawada Muhtasib among many others. Also present at the art fair were curators, bidders, gallery owners, media personalities, local artists, fashion designers and the general public keen to learn about the local scene and development of visual arts in Saudi Arabia. Chaired by Princess Jawaher Bint Majed Bin Abdulaziz, the SAC (Saudi Art Council) was formed in 2013 by a group of local art advocates. UBS's sponsorship of the Shara Art Fair follows a successful collaboration between UBS and SAC during the 2015 edition of “21,39”. The bank also supports Art Basel shows in Basel, Hong Kong and Miami beach. Earlier, Mahmoud Abdulhadi, CEO of UBS Saudi Arabia, said: "This ongoing cooperation underlines our commitment to contemporary art in the Kingdom and the region. We are pleased that we can contribute to helping the Saudi public learn more about the work of local artists and to fostering ties between Saudi and foreign artists.” With the help of Al-Mansouria Foundation, art lovers can bid to support educational programs for the local youth. Most artists have donated their work fully or partly to the cause, making this a silent auction. The fair is open from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. Location: Gate 2, Gold Moor Mall, King Abdulaziz Road, Zahra District.
