Saudi Arabia’s Hafez Gallery is making its debut at Frieze London with a presentation titled Dialogue of Forms. The showcase runs from October 14 to 18 at Regent’s Park.
,The exhibition brings together Egyptian artist Ahmed Nawar and Bahrain-born Saudi artist Faisal Samra. The display explores the relationship between drawing, sculpture and the human body, placing two pioneering artists from the Arab world in conversation.
,Founder Qaswra Hafez spoke about the mission behind the gallery. Since Hafez Gallery opened in Jeddah, the purpose has been to support Saudi and Arab artists and to give them a place in the wider conversation, Hafez said. Frieze London is one of the best opportunities to get that conversation going, Hafez added.
,The presentation features Nawar’s Irada Watan series, which comprises felt-tip pen drawings on paper. These dense black-and-white compositions combine geometric patterns and human forms to explore memory, endurance and experiences of conflict.
,Samra contributes pieces from his Suspended Transformations series. This work features mixed-media sculptures constructed from wire mesh and fabric. The translucent, suspended forms shift continuously with the light and the movements of viewers.
,Both artists examine how the body carries memory and responds to historical upheaval, despite utilizing distinct approaches. Nawar works flat, while Samra takes the body off the wall entirely.
,In his economy of black and white, line carries everything, including density, movement and time, Hafez said of Nawar. Samra’s sculptures hang, translucent, and they change as you walk around them.
,The pairing tells a story involving different generations, different countries and different mediums, while arriving at the same questions, according to the gallery founder. That is what the gallery believes about art from the Arab world, which is not one style or one story, but a set of voices in conversation. Each artist questions what memory does to the body and how human will survives historical rupture, Hafez said.
,Nawar is a prominent figure in modern and contemporary Egyptian art. Samra is regarded as an early pioneer of conceptual art in the Gulf. Their works are held in collections including the British Museum and Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art.
,For Hafez, the presentation also reflects the growing international visibility of Saudi Arabia’s cultural sector. Platforms like Frieze let the world see that this growth has depth and history behind it, he said, adding that relationships built in London could help strengthen the art scene back home in Jeddah.
