Oman's debut at the Venice Biennale. Works from three generations of artists on display

The Sultanate of Omam makes its debut at the 59th International Art Exhibition and for the first time is participating with its own Pavilion. Anwar Sonya, Hassan Meer, Budoor Al Riyami, Radhika Khimji, and Raiya Al Rawahi are the five artists who, in the Omani section curated by Aisha Stoby, bring their country’s cultural history to the important event in Venice.

The participation, carried out under the patronage of His Royal Highness Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, is realized in an exhibition entitled Destined Imaginaries that brings together the work of three generations of Omani artists whose work spans five decades of modern and contemporary Omani visual art. Exploring the dynamic and intergenerational dialogue of the art movement in Oman over the past fifty years, the multimedia exhibition will highlight the breadth of Oman’s cultural history and the uniqueness of its traditions in the visual arts on an international scale, aiming to bring Omani culture to the world and local stage. The invited artists represent an unbroken thread of influence on Omani art over a span of the last fifty years to the present day.

The artists

Anwar Sonya, pioneer of Omani modern art since the 1970s, co-founder of Youth Studio, a major educational institution. Primarily inspired by Omani heritage, the artist portrays Omani landscapes, Bedouin women and a wide range of spiritual subjects supported by his contemporary vision. Anwar Sonya has been honored with numerous awards in the Sultanate of Oman, including the Gulf Co-operation Council(GCC) award obtained this year for local contribution to creativity;

Hassan Meer, artist and founder of the experimental art movement The Circle Group, whose exhibitions since the late 1990s have received international attention and inspired an entire generation of artists. The inaugural edition, along with subsequent Circle editions, aimed to promote experimental art methodologies in Oman. The Circle Group has gained a wide following beyond the borders of Mascate, and today includes artists and collaborators located in various parts of the Gulf, Pakistan, Lebanon, South Africa, Austria, Japan, Morocco, and Germany. Known for his multimedia works created on a large scale and presented both locally and internationally, Meer often employs video installations and scenic photography focused on local narratives set within the Omani historical framework, with a special interest in cultural history and spirituality. Since 2000 he has numerous monographic exhibitions and participation in group shows held at the following institutions: Kunstmuseum, Bonn; Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris; Mori Museum, Tokyo; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek, Denmark;

Budoor Al Riyami, a student of Sonya and a contemporary of Hassan Meer, awarded the Grand Prize in 2008 at the 13th. Asia Art Biennale with a groundbreaking work: a video installation entitled The Peak of Burning, one of the very few works in the exhibition to have made use of modern technology. Her work currently gravitates to photography and video installations;

Radhika Khimji, an internationally renowned artist interested in textiles, construction and personal narratives, who has been a member of the Circle Group. The mixing of media in Khimji’s work has been on display on the international stage: the artist has participated in a number of major exhibitions held abroad, including the 2015 Marrakesh Biennale in Morocco, and the Ghetto Biennale in Port Au Prince, Haiti. Monographic exhibitions include Shift at Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna, On the Cusp at Stal Gallery, Mascate (Oman), Artefacts from Below, Project 88, Mumbai (India), Found Gesture at Katara Art Center, Doha (Qatar) and Experimenter (India);

Raiya Al Rawahi, curator and leading artist of the younger generation. Influenced by a multitude of sources ranging from philosophy to medicine, her 2015 sound installation earned her first prize at the inaugural Stal Gallery Young Emerging Artist Prize. Raiya Rawahi’s work consists primarily of documenting and relocating everyday objects to the accompaniment of instinctive soundtracks. Her interest is particularly focused on the disparities we live with, the tensions and serene harmonies of our everyday existence. Rawahi passed away tragically in 2018 at only 30 years old. This major participation in the Venice Biennale will pay tribute to some of her last works.

On the occasion of the Sultanate of Oman’s participation in the 59th. International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth in Mascate will launch an educational, training and skills development program targeting the local Omani community, including the Venice Scholarship Program aimed at Omani youth aged eighteen and up, a series of nationwide lectures and events along with publications intended to document the history of Omani visual art. At the end of the Biennale Arte 2022, the exhibition and the selected artists will participate in a tour of Oman intended to support local communities in order to arouse their interest and involvement in visual art and to promote local creativity by supporting its future development.

The statements

“The 59th. International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia,” says Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, “represents a unique global platform that will allow Oman to showcase its contemporary visual artists and initiate a global dialogue with other pavilions through a showcase of Omani excellence. This momentous participation demonstrates the importance that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth attaches to the visual arts. From the very beginning, this initiative has benefited from the support of His Majesty Sultan Haithum Al Said and his wise leadership.”

“We are honored to have the opportunity to introduce for the first time all those who will be present in Venice,” says Sayyid Saeed, Commissioner, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, “ our artists and the history of our creativity. We are proud of the three generations of Omani artists whose work will be on display, artists whose extraordinary perspective captures a rich snapshot of Oman today.”

“Each of the five artists chosen to represent Oman at the 59. International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia,” says Aisha Stoby, curator of the Omani section, “ has made a significant contribution to their community by promoting the contemporary art movement in Oman over the past fifty years, while also representing a source of inspiration for new generations. We believe that their participation in Venice and the tour that will follow in Oman, through the opportunities it will provide for new generations to explore the vast world of contemporary art in Venice, will play an important role in the development of Oman and the future of contemporary Omani art.”

Oman's debut at the Venice Biennale. Works from three generations of artists on display

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