Masaha Residency Showcase

Misk Art Institute’s Masaha Residency program began in 2021 and aims to support artistic development and practice with research at its core.

Set amidst a backdrop rich in tradition, the sixth cycle of the Misk Art Institute’s Masaha Residency invites you to explore the interplay of heritage and futurism through the research-driven works of ten emerging visual artists and two writers.

Exploring common themes of materiality, daily life, new technologies, storytelling and cultural traditions, each resident attempts to answer the question “What does the past tell us about the future, and what—or who—do we take with us?”

Writers Abdullah Albahouth and Jumah Aljumaiah explore the connections between memory and knowledge; their sources, their condition, and transfer. Armando Perna has mapped Riyadh’s evolving character—and the accompanying liminality that comes with the city’s development. Abdulrahman Taha has looked to the edges—wabbal—and the emblematic objects that ground them. Abdulrahim Alkendi explores the dilemmas between spirituality and materiality, illustrating the intention behind religious practices, while Ivo Cotani creates visual bridges between past and future, mythologies, and local materials.

Drawing upon personal experience, Noha Alghalib presents a contemporary history in the making. Maan Alabbadi looks inwards to unearth the latent emotionality of everyday life, asking the viewer to intimately partake as well. Aisha Alshehri observes the evolution of Saudi housing and human behaviors, thereby speculating a future in the absence of hospitality. Mehdi Ouahmane imagines mythologies out of the mundane. Turki AlQahtani has explored the boundaries of AI-driven artistry—compelling us to reflect on the evolving landscape of authentic artistic expression. Jinseung Jang’s dives into the notion of the dune, both in physical and digital realities, ruminating on the deserts relationship between erosion and reinvigorations.

In this showcase, the dialogue between the past and the future has been paramount. The creative process, reflective of the residency's immersive environment, has been both a personal and collective exploration for the artists and writers. Their work is a reminder that the future is not a distant, alien frontier, but a homecoming—a place where the essence of our history can flourish in new and unexpected ways. 

Mentors:

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  Amal Khalaf

  
  
  



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  Nelson Crespo 

  
  
  



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  Aissa Deebi 

  
  
  

Artists:

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  Abdullah Albahouth   

  
  
  



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  Jumah Aljumaiah  

  
  
  



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  Abdulrahim Alkendi 

  
  
  



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  Abdulrahman Taha 

  
  
  



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  Armando Perna   

  
  
  



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  Ivo Cotani        

  
  
  



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  Noha Alghalib       

  
  
  



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  Maan Alabbadi    

  
  
  



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  Aisha Alshehri     

  
  
  



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  Mehdi Ouahmane    

  
  
  



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  Jinseung Jang      

  
  
  



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  Turki AlQahtani