Edge of Arabia - Transit

As part of the official exhibitions programme of the European Capital of Culture 2010, Edge of Arabia presented TRANSiTION, the two month closing exhibition of Istanbul 2010. This is Edge of Arabia’s most ambitious exhibition to date, and the largest ever showing of Gulf artists in Turkey.

TRANSiTION is a showcase for 22 emerging Saudi artists who are pushing the boundaries of contemporary art practice in the Kingdom. These artists, whose work spans a full range of installation, performance, photography, painting, video and sculpture, represent a new generation of creative voices, reaching out across borders.

The title TRANSiTION references the extraordinary era of change that young Saudi artists are living through today, and how many of them have chosen to document shifting conceptions of self, faith, culture and society in their work.

Through the artists’ visions we bear witness to a world in transition; a world where political, cultural and physical realities are in dramatic flux, and where the central axes of identity and faith are adapting to the influences of technology, consumer culture and the global information age.

Wide appreciation for the originality and diversity of Saudi contemporary art has grown exponentially over the past few years, and Progress Art and Edge of Arabia are extremely proud to be working together as co-curators of TRANSiTION in Istanbul, the symbolic borderland between East and West, and an ideal place to engage in intercultural dialogue.