Edge of Arabia Jeddah is a first for the kingdom

Saudi Arabia’s internationally renowned arts initiative Edge of Arabia, supported by Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives and Abraaj Capital, has launched one of the most significant shows of Saudi contemporary art ever. Edge of Arabia Jeddah: We Need to Talk, curated by Mohammed Hafiz and co-curated by Edge of Arabia founder Stephen Stapleton, will run until February 18 in a stunning 1000-sq m space in the Al Furusia Marina, a magnificent new development on the Jeddah Corniche overlooking the Red Sea.

Ranging from video to sculpture to installation, the exhibition features over 40 new works by Saudi’s emerging contemporary artists, including: Abdulnasser Gharem, Ahmed Angawi, Ahmed  Mater, Ayman Yossri Daydban,  Eyad Maghazil,  Hala Ali,  Hamza Serafi,  Ibrahim Abumsmar,  Jowhara AlSaud,  Manal Al-Dowayan,  Maha Malluh,  Noha Al-Sharif,  Nasser Al-Salem,  Saddek  Wasil, Sami Al- Turki and Sarah Abu Abdullah. 

To accompany the exhibition, Edge of Arabia will deliver an education programme to engage local school and university students in contemporary art from across the region. This includes a dedicated 100-sq m education room within the exhibition, with workshop, presentation and research  facilities for visitors, guided tours of the exhibition, practical workshops with participating artists for local school and university groups and an internship programme for local students. 

The complex of three luxurious hotels will include over 1,600 rooms and suites and will cost $ 1.33 billion. The development will comprise two tall classically elegant towers rising from a five-storey podium. Facilities will include a 5-star serenity spa, multiple themed restaurants, banqueting and meeting facilities, a luxury shopping arcade and a theatre, which potentially can become a prime destination point for visitors to Dubai.

This extensive theatre will introduce to Dubai some of the world’s best theatrical performances from places such as Broadway and Las Vegas. With over 1,000 seats, it will provide the highest degree of technical development and multi-media effects, including a hydraulic central stage, water features and movable floors.