Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Saudi Arabia's leading artist unlocks the complexity of the modern Middle East through his extraordinary personal and historical archives
This richly illustrated and superbly designed book explores its author's life and work against the backdrop of 40 years of transformation and conflict across the Arabian Gulf and Islamic world. A doctor-turned-artist, Ahmed Mater has continually confronted his traditional context. Here, he explores Arab and Islamic society in an era of globalization and social upheaval to uncover the unofficial histories that have shaped the present. Mapping his life and work on a historical timeline, the book offers an unprecedented insight into changes forged by and in the Kingdom, and its significance in world religion, culture, and geopolitics. Celebrating 20 years of Mater's art-making, organizing, and activism, this book is not only a mid-career survey of an essential artist, it is an urgent prognosis of a society in dramatic transition.
Synopsis
Saudi Arabia's foremost artist reveals his creative perspective on Theocracy, Kingdom, Petrocultures, Cities and Mirage in art, photography and archiveThis book tells the story of Saudi Arabia through my artists perspective. I am a doctor-turned-artist with a mission to confront with my traditional context, to explore Islamic culture in an era of globalization and to uncover the unofficial histories that have shaped the present. Mapping my journey between Abha, Jeddah, Mecca and Riyadh, this book is both a mid-career survey of my work and a prognosis of the changes forged by and in the Kingdom, and its significance in world religion, culture and geopolitics. From the year of my birth in 1979, when Islamic revolution reconfigured the region, my training as a community doctor on the Saudi/Yemeni border, my rise as the Gulf's most radical young artist, to my insider's role influencing national cultural policy, Prognosis is the story of my artistic journey into my society. In five chapters, Theocracy, Kingdom, Petrocultures, Cities and Mirage, the book incorporates photography, calligraphy, painting, installation and video, to reveal the complexities of Saudi Arabia in the context of wider global narratives. Beyond simple documentation, mine is an art of anthropology, politics, science and activism, tracing and recording the often-neglected histories that inform and structure contemporary life in Saudi Arabia. It is also an urgent prognosis of a society in dramatic transition.
Synopsis
Saudi Arabia's foremost contemporary artist explores the story of his homeland since 1979--its politics, theocracy, petroculture, technologies, urban and rural communities, and its future--in a visual history encompassing his artwork and autobiography Prognosis/Saudi Arabia explores Ahmed Mater's life and work against the backdrop of 40 years of transformation and conflict across the Arab and Islamic world. A doctor-turned-artist, Mater has continually confronted his traditional context, exploring Islamic culture in an era of globalization and conflict to uncover the unofficial histories that have shaped the present. Mapping his life and work on a historical timeline, the book offers an unprecedented insight into changes forged by and in the Kingdom, and its significance in world religion, culture, and geopolitics. From the year of his birth in 1979, when Islamic revolution reconfigured the region, his training as a community doctor on the Saudi/Yemeni border, and his rise as one of the Gulf's most radical young artists to his insider's role influencing national cultural policy, Prognosis/Saudi Arabia is a complex artistic journey into one of the most talked-about societies on earth. Through his personal and historical archives, Mater has created a book that gets to the very heart of contemporary Saudi society, its origins, and its uncertain future. Celebrating 20 years of Mater's art-making, organizing, and activism, this book is not only a mid-career survey of an essential artist, but it is also an urgent prognosis of a society in dramatic transition.