NABATT: a sense of being——Contemporary Art Exhibition from Saudi Arabia

Grand Opening: 10 September 2010, Friday, 6pm - 8pm
Exhibition period：11 September – 31 October 2010
Venue: Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai, China
Co-curator: Lulwah Al-Homoud 、JW Stella
Coordinator: Peifen Sung
Exhibition Organizer: CUBE ARTS
Exhibition Co-organizer: Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art
Acknowledgements: Saudi Arabian Pavilion of the Shanghai Expo、ARAMCO、King Abdul Aziz Center for World Culture

During 2010 Shanghai World Expo, Saudi Arabian Pavilion at 2010 Shanghai World Expo is delighted to announce NABATT: a sense of being, an exhibition of contemporary art from Saudi Arabia. It will be exhibited in Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art, premiering Saturday 11th September through 31st October 2010. The exhibition is co-curated by Lulwah Al-Homoud and JW Stella, and organised by CUBE Arts in collaboration with Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art.

The word ‘Nabatt’ meaning ‘to derive from’， in this exhibition, stems from ‘Nabatti poetry’， which has been read and performed by the people in Saudi since the 16th century and still in popularity even today. Also known as “the people's poetry”， Nabatti Poetry deals with all the themes dear to Arabic classical poetry but is free from any formality and constraint. It allowed the inhabitants of the Gulf to express their creativity and spontaneity. It is a medium that consolidated the Saudi aesthetic genealogy and still practiced nowadays as part of the artistic exploration of contemporary social themes.

More than 130 art works of 23 artists will be displayed in this exhibition. It is an interaction between visual art, literature and music created in response to one another. The artists on show explore the intersection of varied visual languages to expand the concept of NABATT and, at the same time, to question the conventional boundaries of visual arts. All of the artists are from Arab region, and has a profound cultural background of Saudi Arabia. They combine installations; paintings, sculptures, animations, videos, photography, calligraphy, music and poetry with spontaneous compositions and improvisations that allow them to express their sense of being through faith as well as responding to global and local issues.

As a professional art museum of government platform, Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art takes “originality, academic and internationalism” as its guideline and seeks to promote the culture and art exchange between China and foreign countries. This exhibition in Shanghai will be the first Comprehensive Saudi contemporary art exhibition and the largest ever shown in Asia. By the intriguing aesthetic interpretation of contemporary art, the spirit of Saudi Arabian culture will play an important influencer to the world wishing for “Better city, better life”， which is the theme of Shanghai World Expo 2010. It is a great opportunity for Asian and international audiences to look at Saudi contemporary art and culture from multiple perspectives.