JEDDAH — Bringing public art back to the people, the Saudi street Art segment “Inner Voices” is featured as part of the '21,39' Jeddah Arts program. Taking the dialogue of the arts to an urban context, the exhibition “Inner Voices” gives a close up glimpse of the un inhibited outpourings of a generation that can only find expression on the streets. The exhibition includes all forms of street expression such as graffiti, stencil, wheat paste, stickers, performance and mysterious anonymous writings scattered across the walls of the Kingdom. Street art is a fast growing art expression movement of youth on a global level with vast popularity in Saudi Arabia. Seen as an easy and accessible form of expression that is mostly self-taught and doesn't require formal study or training, increasing numbers of youth, both male and female are turning to this genre as an effective way to communicate with the masses and the world. While in reality the work is often removed or erased the next day, as it is still widely thought of as vandalism, with the help of good documentation and social media, these artworks tend to go viral and still manage to reach a tremendous audience. Organized by Aya Alireza, Raneem Farsi and Basma Felemban with Hamza Serafi as exhibition adviser, this show features real examples of Saudi street art. Having conducted research and investigations to identify and contact the artists, the organizers, in keeping with the nature of the genre, keep many of their true identities secret. Inspired primarily by its very unique setting, the show set in the semi outdoor space of an abandoned hangar in the historic district of Balad. The location lends itself to the medium and the artists were given free reign to dialogue with the space in their own way. The result is a show that embodies the essence of historic Old Jeddah combined with the spirit of youthful voices. It provides a unique and fresh experience, whereby the viewers are free to roam the space and discover the artworks, how they interact with the space and with each other. The participating artists are Ali Ibrahim, Abdullah Alothman, Ghofran, SAFFAA, Fish, the anonymous Jeddah cat, Ilakh…, Ta1a, Dhad Family, Ashekman, The Prosperity Project, Abdallah Abbas, Rze8a, Mazen Alshamrani, Ebrahim Rayes, Fai, Balqis, and Seven. The second edition of “21,39” Jeddah Arts will also offer the public a series of workshops and talks during the three-month duration of the event. A special educational program for students will also be taking place, giving opportunity to over 10,000 students from public schools across Jeddah to visit “Fast Forward” and attend specially guided tours of the exhibition. “21,39” Jeddah Arts brings together patrons, sponsors and art experts from around the globe who are aiming to move the agenda of art awareness, education and development forward. The strategic program partner for “21,39” Jeddah Arts is Al Mansouria Foundation for Culture and Creativity. The 2nd Edition of the program is sponsored by UBS Saudi Arabia, Rolls Royce – Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors, Tamer Group (SA'AID & the Community) and the educational sponsor Lifebuoy (Unilever). For more information, please visit the website www.21-39.com — SG
