Young Saudi Artists Exhibition at Athr Gallery

Athr Art Gallery held its opening reception of Young Saudi Artists Exhibition on February 21 for a crowd of more than 200 art enthusiasts. Unfortunately I was not able to attend because, like all women here in Saudi Arabia, I cannot drive - and my husband dislikes driving across town in the horrendous evening traffic. Many Saudi women are fortunate enough to have drivers to cart them here and there, but I am not so fortunate.

So the following morning my husband took me to the dentist (note: when we lived in the states for 30 years, not once did Adnan accompany me to the doctor or the dentist, but now that I have the legal status of a child and cannot drive, he has to take me). To his credit, afterwards he obligingly drove me over to Athr Gallery at the Mega Mall complex on Tahlia Street to see the art exhibition.


The spacious and bright Athr Gallery represents many artists who work in many mediums in Saudi Arabia. Although this particular group of 23 talented artists is called Young Saudi Artists, they range in age from 17 to 70. Sixty per cent of the gallery’s business comes from international sales. Mr. Hamza Serafi, one of the owners and operators of Athr Gallery, told us that the gallery doesn’t necessarily represent the best Saudi artists, but rather it looks for artists who are passionate, motivated and enthusiastic about their work.

Below are a few of the many works of art to be found at Athr Gallery right now. I tried to include artist information with each piece, but I did not have it available for all. Just click on the photos for an enlarged view. This exhibition will be on display through March 20th.




























Special thanks to Mr. Hamza Serafi for so graciously welcoming us to the gallery, and also to Mr. Abdullah, a supervisor at Mega Mall, for his amazing assistance.