RIYADH: Saudi artist Shakir Samagandi has curated a solo exhibition at Madinah Art Center titled “Stations” to commemorate the Hijrah Highway — a vital link connecting the Kingdom’s two holiest mosques.
The road, winding between the sacred cities of Makkah and Madinah, is a stretch of asphalt over 400 km in length designed to accommodate the daily migration of bustling travelers.
It is an enchanting journey full of intricate details, evoking many an ancient tale.
“As I ponder upon this never-ending stretch of road, I am filled with the belief that countless memories have been ingrained in the hearts and minds of the travelers and pilgrims who have passed by, and this is what I aim to convey with my artwork,” Samagandi told Arab News.
His work translates the enduring power of the route’s legacy — hijrah means migration in Arabic — and envisions tales the path has to tell.
The “Stations” exhibition presents 26 works of contemporary documentation, including photographs, video works and light boxes, showcasing gas stations and rest stops along the route. It also includes old fuel stations once bustling with travelers that are now completely abandoned.
He chose to schedule the exhibition for June 22, during a significant time of the Hajj season for those traveling the route.
“We tried to study the best time to hold this exhibition at Al-Madinah Art Center, and I think that perhaps the appropriate timing is in conjunction with the entry of the Hajj season in its early days and the influx of pilgrims to Madinah, in a step in which we support the country’s tendencies in enriching the experience of the honorable guests to the holy sites.”
The “Stations” exhibition sheds light on the development process the Kingdom is going through, and how it affected one of its essential historical roads.
Samagandi spoke about his role describing this path, which Hajj and Umrah performers regularly traverse, through his art.
“Stations is an attempt to display the impact of development efforts that directly influence and affect the human experience when intangible concepts such as beauty and comfort are mixed with more practical concepts, sustainably updating the social and economic value of places in a contemporary manner that contributes to raising the historical elements of Hijrah Highway,” he said.
Samargandi, born in 1982, is a Madinah-based contemporary artist. He is also a short filmmaker at Al-Madinah Region Development Authority and president of the Photography and Media Club at the Madinah Art Center.
He furthers his interest in exploration by observing Saudi Arabia’s nature, civilization, culture, legacy, and urbanization through professional photography.
Samargandi has exhibited his works locally in Madinah and Jeddah, as well as abroad in Seoul, South Korea.
The “Stations” exhibition is organized under Namaa Al-Munawwarah’s supervision and with the Cultural Fund’s support. Artist Moath Alofi and the artistic director of the center, Rashed Al-Shashai, are curating it.
Madinah Art Center is one of the most critical cultural edifices in the region. Its broad vision supports and enriches the art scene, and develops the creative economy in the Kingdom.
The director of Madinah Art Center, Mohammed Al-Fozan, told Arab News about its recent contributions to the city’s art scene, which include cultural programs such as clubs and weekly dialogues.
“It started with two clubs, and now we have nine specialized clubs, and soon the opening of three others before the end of this year,” he said.
Al-Fozan added that the Art 365 Gallery project was inaugurated as the first art gallery without restrictions that allows artists to display their works for a week, free of charge.
Madinah Art Center was established in 2018 under the patronage of Madinah’s governor, Prince Faisal bin Salman.
