Ahmed Mater

Ahmed Mater Al-Ziad Aseeri

Ahmed Mater
Born 25 July 1979
Abha, Saudi Arabia
Nationality Saudi
Education Medical Doctor, King Khalid University, Physician, MB BChir, Visual Art, Al Miftaha Arts Village, IVLP, USA, Washington dc
Known for Conceptual art, installation art, painting
Notable work prognosis, Magnetism, Evolution of man, Yellow Cow, Illuminations
Movement Post Modern Art

Ahmed Mater is an artist and co-founder of “Edge of Arabia “.[1] He works as an artist and medical doctor and splits his time between Abha, Jeddah and Makkah in Saudi Arabia.[2] He co-founded Edge of Arabia in 2003 and since then has attracted international attention for his art, which encompasses photography, calligraphy, painting, installation, performance and video. His work explores the narratives and aesthetics of Islamic culture and addresses consumerism and transformation in the region.[2]

Life and career

1979| Ahmed Mater was born in Tabuk in the north west of Saudi Arabia on the Jordanian border. He is the first child of Mater Ahmed Al-Ziad, a sergeant in the Saudi Arabian army, and Fatimah Hassan Abdullah Aseeri, a calligrapher and painter of traditional Aseeri houses. Ahmed has two brothers, Bandar and Mohamed, and four sisters, Aicha, Jawaher, Jamila and Reem.[3]

1981| Ahmed and his family moved to Rijal Alma, his father's village in the mountainous Aseer region of south-west Saudi Arabia. They live in a small stone house perched on a steep-terraced hillside. The house's interior is decorated by Ahmed's mother in vividly-coloured geometric designs, painted in the traditional Aseeri style. Ahmed's daily life is dominated by his involvement with a Qur'anic study group, helping his parents on the farm and traditional village activities.

1985| Ahmed is photographed for the first time for his primary school enrolment. He later reflected, ‘’I don’t have many pictures of myself as a child nor of my parents – nothing that can remind me of my childhood. To take pictures was considered sinful or haraam.‘’

1994| Ahmed and his family move to a modern house in Abha, the regional capital of Aseer, where he completes his school studies. This move from the village to the city has a substantial impact on Ahmed‘s view of the world; he begins to question the traditional beliefs of his childhood.

In the 1990s Mater was given a studio space in Abha at the al-Meftaha artists' village.[4]

Work

Mater's best known work is a series titled Prognosis, including the piece x-ray that was acquired by The British Museum. In this series, he combined explicit notes from his medical education with images of the Kaaba and a mosque, distributing them as a collage around blue and black x-ray images. The work seems to ask the viewer if humanity is more than just the structure of the body.[5]

In 2006, Mater mounted an installation titled The Yellow Cow products,[6] a work that address ecological challenges of modern urbanized society. According to the artist, "The cow with the yellow color was used as an expression of religious heritage."[6]

His 2012 photos and film Artificial Light/Desert of Pharan reflects concern about the ruling al-Saud family's redevelopment of Mecca, including a multibillion-dollar complex of luxury hotels, malls and apartments.[4]

His most famous piece is Magnetism, which uses a black square magnet surrounded by iron filings to represent the pilgrimage to the Ka'ba.[4]

Exhibitions

2001| Landing on the Earth's Surface, Al-Maseef Culture Club, Abha, KSA

2003| X-Ray Project - 6th Saudi Malwan Contest Tour, Jeddah, Beirut, Sidon and Manama (Jun10-sept25)

2004| Standing in Front of You, King Khaled University, Abha, KSA.

2004| Chewing (Mudgah), Almiftaha Arts Village, Abha, KSA.

2004| The End - Al Meftaha Arts Village, Abha (Dec15-Dec30)

2006| Ahmed Mater Al Ziad Aseeri -Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, London (May 12)

2006| Son of Aseer- Al Meftaha Arts Village, Abha (Oct10- Oct30)

2009| Illumination- Art Space, Dubai (Mar15-Apr 15)

2010| Ahmed Mater -The Vinyl Factory Gallery, London (Oct11-Oct31)

2013| 100 Found Objects, Sharjah Museum, Sharjah, UAE.

Talks and Lectures

2008| Edge of Arabia, University of London, London, UK.

2009| Catherine David Gulf Artists Programme, Louvre Museum, Paris, France.

2010| Edge of Arabia, Akademie der Künste, Berlin, Germany.

2010| Art Insight Panel, Asia House, Frieze Art Fair, London, UK.

2010| Zoom Contemporary Art Fair, Art Basel Miami, Miami, USA.

2011| Open Art Forum,The Armory Show, New York, USA.

2012| Art Basel Salon, Basel, Switzerland.

Publications and Monographs

2006| Word into Art: Artists of the Modern Middle East, British Museum Press

2009| ADACH Platform for Visual Arts in Venice, Catherine David

2009| New Vision: Arab Contemporary Art in the 21st Century, Thames & Hudson

2010| Art of the Middle East: Modern and Contemporary Art of the Arab World and Iran, Merrell Publishing

2010| Ahmed Mater (Monograph), Booth Clibborn Editions

2012| Edge of Arabia, Contemporary Art from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Booth-Clibborn Editions

2012| Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam, British Museum Press

Collections

References

  1. ↑ Scarborough, James (21 July 2013). "A Conversation With Ahmed Mater, Co-founder of Edge of Arabia". Huffington Post. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Young Global Leaders - Ahmed Mater". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  3. ↑ Booth-Clibborn, Edward (2010). Ahmed Mater. UK: Booth-Clibborn Editions. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-86154-318-9.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Batty, David (4 October 2012). "Contemporary Saudi artists break down old 'safety' barriers". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  5. ↑ "Ahmed Mater Al-Ziad". Word into Art. The British Museum. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "The Yellow cow products". Universes in Universe. Retrieved 16 March 2010.

External links