Jeddah is welcoming the brand-new art centre, Hayy Jameel, and it sounds like a one-stop-shop for all your cultural needs. The centre doesn’t open until December, but it has announced its opening festival and it looks set to be a cultural extravaganza.
The whopper five-month festival runs from December 6 to April 30 and will feature more than 45 artists from 20 countries. Visitors will have the chance to check out exhibitions, tours, talks and workshops. The festival culminates with the opening of Hayy Cinema, which is set to be one of Saudi’s first independent cinemas.
The opening exhibition Staple: What’s on Your Plate? is co-curated by Art Jameel with Delfina Foundation and takes place at Hayy Arts, which describes itself as a neighbourhood museum. Offering visitors food for thought, the curators want you to take a closer look at what wind up on your dinner table via impressive artwork that involves chocolate sculptures and beehives.
Other exhibitions taking place at Hayy Jameel include Illuminate: A Noor Riyadh Capsule, which involves light installations by 11 Saudi artists, and Paused Mirror, which is a collection of portraits of Saudi artists by Osama Esid.
Antonia Carver, director of Art Jameel, says: “Hayy Jameel opens with a robust cultural calendar in Saudi, from coast to coast, including the launch of the first Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, Red Sea International Film Festival, Misk Art Week, Tuwaiq International Sculpture Symposium and many more.
“Since its early days, Art Jameel’s working model has always been collaborative, dynamic and cross-disciplinary, complementing existing infrastructures while creating opportunities for alignment and expansion. Hayy Jameel has come at the right time, in the right city where contemporary art meets a history shaped by trade and tradition.”
Fady Jameel, chairman and founder of Art Jameel, says: “Hayy Jameel’s opening has been 20 years in the making and marks the celebration of over three-quarters of a century of Jameel philanthropic and community activities – manifesting at a dynamic moment and exceptionally exciting time for cultural life in Saudi Arabia.” Add it to your cultural checklist.
Al Muhammadiyah District, Jeddah, artjameel.org/centres/hayy-jeddah
