Shatta | Jeddah Attilier

June 2004

The Shattah group is the most important in terms of understanding the emerging Saudi contemporary arts scene. Shattah refers to something which is broken up or disembodied. The group emerged from the Al-Meftaha Artists Villiage in Abha and at the heart of the group was Abdulnasser Gharem and Ahmed Mater.
 

In 2004 Shattah held theirfirst group exhibition at the Jeddah Atelier [Fig. 3-6]. In the artists non-conformist approach to both medium and subject matter and in their decision to reject patronage and corporate sponsorship, it was considered a major breakthrough. In an interview with Henry Hemming, Gharem said:

“Usually in Saudi Arabia exhibitions are opened by a dignitary. We chose to change the rules… we sent out invitations giving just the time it began… at the opening there were actors, writers, all the people connected to cultural life in Jeddah. There were reviews in all the major newspapers… television… Not many people understood it but everybody wanted to understand it. That’s important.”

Although Shattah has now disbanded, this small scale exhibition was to have a great influence on the progression of a contemporary art movement in The Kingdom.