RIYADH: Following a successful preview tour at Cannes, Art Dubai, Tribeca Film Festival and others, Reframe Saudi will be shown in its entirety for the first time at the World VR Forum (WVRF).
Presented by the MiSK Art Institute, the virtual reality (VR) documentary Reframe Saudi has been chosen as an official selection of the WVRF, which is currently in its third year.
The experience is set to illustrate the continuing story of change in Saudi Arabia and will take place in a dedicated booth where it will be one of 13 films selected to take part in the competition.
MiSK Art Institute, a new artist-centered cultural organization operating under the auspices of the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s MiSK Foundation, will launch the world premiere of the Reframe Saudi VR film, produced by CULTURUNNERS, together with a panel discussion on June 8th.
Directed by Italian filmmaker Matteo Lonardi, Reframe Saudi explores Saudi Arabia from the perspective of a new generation of contemporary artists. As the country enters a new phase socially and economically, the film transports viewers to the studios of artists between Jeddah, Abha and Riyadh. Each of them, through their work, reflects on a different aspect of this transformative historical time.
The panel conversation on June 8 will examine how VR can explore an artist’s practice in unprecedented ways, as seen in the film. Director Matteo Lonardi discusses with journalist Marisa Mazria Katz how he has used documentary VR to tell the story of artists around the world, and why the medium is set to unlock a whole new way to experience art.
Ahmed Mater, Director of the Misk Art Institute, said: “We are thrilled to present the film Reframe Saudi, in the World VR Forum. Collectively, the documentary and discussions around new communications technologies illustrate how art and the creative industries are an integral part of the change that is transforming Saudi Arabia.”
Mater added: “The Misk Art Institute, like the Misk Foundation more generally, works to empower the young Saudi population to unleash its talent. We do this at home, but vitally, by encouraging international cultural exchange and diplomacy, also abroad. It is essential at this time that Saudi artists engage with audiences around the world to help to tell the continuing story of change in Saudi Arabia.”
Reframe Saudi documentary chosen as official selection at 2018 World VR Forum
Reframe Saudi documentary chosen as official selection at 2018 World VR Forum
- Presented by the MiSK Art Institute, the virtual reality (VR) documentary Reframe Saudi has been chosen as an official selection of the WVRF
- Directed by Italian filmmaker Matteo Lonardi, Reframe Saudi explores Saudi Arabia from the perspective of a new generation of contemporary artists
Sotheby’s to hold second Saudi Arabia auction titled ‘Origins’
- 70 works by local, Mideast, international artists on Jan. 31
- Work of late Saudi artist Safeya Binzagr will also be on sale
DUBAI: Sotheby’s will have its second auction in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 31 featuring more than 70 works by leading local, Middle East and international artists.
Titled “Origins,” the sale will be staged again in Diriyah, the birthplace of the Kingdom and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The full selection will be available for free public viewing at Bujairi Terrace from Jan. 24.
The event coincides with the opening of the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale and comes just ahead of the debut of Art Basel Doha in February, marking Art Basel’s first fair in the Middle East.
The sale spans a wide range of collecting categories, including Ancient Sculpture, 20th-Century Design and Prints, Middle Eastern, Modern and Contemporary, Latin American, and Modern and Contemporary South Asian.
Ashkan Baghestani, Sotheby’s head of sale and contemporary art specialist, said in a recent press release that the second auction reflects the company’s continued commitment to Saudi Arabia’s growing ecosystem.
Among the headline lots is “Coffee Shop in Madina Road” (1968) by Safeya Binzagr (1940–2024), estimated at $150,000 to $200,000. She is considered one of Saudi Arabia’s pioneering artists and the “spiritual mother” of contemporary local art.
The piece comes from the collection of Alberto Mestas Garcia, Spain’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1966 to 1976, and his wife, Mercedes Suarez de Tangil Guzman.
A 1989 untitled painting by Mohammed Al-Saleem (1939–1997), estimated at $150,000 to $200,000, is from a private collection in Bahrain. The work exemplifies his Horizonism style, inspired by desert landscapes, and follows his record $1.1 million sale at Sotheby’s London in 2023.
Also included is “Demonstration” (1968) by Iraqi modernist Mahmoud Sabri (1927–2012), estimated at $400,000 to $500,000. The work reflects Sabri’s socially engaged practice and combines social realism with Christian imagery in a charged depiction of mourning and protest.
Samia Halaby’s “Copper” (1976), estimated at $120,000 to $180,000, highlights the artist’s move toward abstraction in the 1970s. Halaby, born in Jerusalem and now based in the US, has works in major international collections and participated in the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024.
A rare early work by Egyptian artist Ahmed Morsi, “Deux Pecheurs” (“Two Fishermen”) (1954), is estimated at $120,000 to $180,000. Morsi’s works have appeared only five times at auction previously and are held in major museum collections worldwide.
International highlights include Pablo Picasso’s “Paysage” (1965), estimated at $2 million to $3 million. Painted in Mougins during the final decade of his life, the work reflects Picasso’s late engagement with landscape and his dialogue with art history.
Anish Kapoor’s large-scale concave mirror sculpture “Untitled” (2005), estimated at $600,000 to $800,000, is also offered. Executed during a period of major institutional recognition for the artist, the work comes from Kapoor’s iconic mirror series.
Andy Warhol’s “Disquieting Muses (After de Chirico) (1982), estimated at $800,000 to $1.2 million, reinterprets Giorgio de Chirico’s 1917 painting through Pop Art repetition. The sale includes Warhol’s set of four Muhammad Ali screenprints from 1978, estimated at $300,000 to $500,000.
Jean Dubuffet’s “Le soleil les decolore” (1947), estimated at $800,000 to $1.2 million, appears at auction for the first time. Painted after the artist’s travels in the Sahara, the work reflects his response to desert landscapes and nomadic life.
The auction will also feature seven works by Roy Lichtenstein from the personal collection of Dorothy and Roy Lichtenstein.
Leading the group are “Interior with Ajax (Study)” (1997), estimated at $600,000 to $800,000, and “The Great Pyramid Banner (Study)” (1980), estimated at $150,000 to $200,000.
