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Ithra Art Prize is an annual leading art initiative launched in 2017 by the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra). This 5th edition continues to extend its geographical reach to include established contemporary artists from or residing in the 22 Arab countries.
The Ithra art prize is open to adult (18+) contemporary artists and art collectives from or living in (10 years or longer): Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen.
The 5th Edition
Adel Abidin, an Iraqi-Finnish artist based in Helsinki, wins the Ithra Art Prize 5thedition. His winning work (ON) explores the intricate relationship between history, memory, and identity. As Abidin delves into the intangible aspects of history, he is confronted with the challenge of scarce reliable archival sources. This challenge is especially present in the context of Arab history, where much remains shrouded in ambiguity, allowing for a broad range of interpretations and augmentations. In studying the Zanj rebellion in Iraq, he finds a captivating example of this complexity. His wall installation highlights the fragility of history and the organic nature of memory, and offering a glimpse into what remains of this ancient event in a unique and compelling way.
Photo Credit: STUDIO Adel Abidin
Nadia Kaabi-Linke, a Tunisian-Ukrainian artist based in Berlin, is the most recent winner. Her winning artwork, E Pluribus Unum – A Modern Fossil, takes a reflective look at one of the effects of the pandemic, which – among other things – grounded many of the Arab world’s commercial airlines and led to questions about how humanity measures progress and economic growth.
Fahad bin Naif, Saudi-based, the winner of the third edition of Ithra Art Prize. His installation — Rakhm which means ‘incubation’ in Arabic — aims to conceptually preserve a nursery as both an urban typology and its ‘incubatees’ as an environmental micro-economy.
Daniah Al Saleh, Saudi-born and London-based, was announced as the winner of the second Ithra Art Prize in 2019. Her large-scale multimedia installation: Sawtam, was unveiled at Art Dubai 2019 and was showcased at the Artificial Intelligence and Intercultural Dialogue Art Exhibition at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Ayman Zedani, Saudi-born UAE-based conceptual artist, was the winner of the first Ithra Art Prize in 2018. His art piece, Meem, was exhibited at Art Dubai in 2018.
