During one of the most transformative and divisive periods in American history, as anti-Muslim feeling in the US is stoked by Donald Trump, a group of young Saudi Arabian artists travel from Houston, Texas to San Francisco, California, exhibiting their artwork along the way . Traveling in a converted 34ft Gulf-stream RV that serves as a mobile studio, the artists create artwork that explores common concerns and confronts the stereotypes and prejudices their audience fears. During landmark exhibitions at the Station Museum in Houston, Gonzo Gallery in Aspen and Minnesota Street Project in San Francisco, the they reflect what it means to be an artist in Saudi Arabia.
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Release Date
October 2016
Project Artists
Locations
Houston, TX
Aspen, CO
San Francisco, CA
Ajlan Gharem is a multidisciplinary artist who explores Arab and Islamic culture in a world of increasing globalization and changing power dynamics. In a climate of rapid development across the Gulf and a cautious Saudi response to the growing art community, Ajlan’s work focuses on the balance of power between the individual and the state and on his generation’s ability to create change. Ajlan received an undergraduate degree in Mathematics at King Khalid University and continues to apply this analytical training to his art. Born in the conservative southern city of Khamis Mushayt in Saudi Arabia, Ajlan is now based in Riyadh where he works as a teacher of Mathematics at Al Sahabah Public School. He is a co-founder of Gharem Studio along with his brother, the artist Abdulnasser Gharem.
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