ABDULAZIZ ASHOUR | TRACES VIII

Park Gallery, London

Private Collection, Dubai (acquired directly from the above)

Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai

A testament to a strong creative spirit, Abdulaziz Ashour (b.1962, Saudi Arabia) can be considered as a pioneer of the Arab ‘art scene’ although he initially received no formal training as an artist. He is best known for painterly collages featuring newspaper, clods of pigments and technological fragments of CD’s, circuit-boards and wires. He worked with the Saudi Ministry of Energy while simultaneously exploring his art. He became fully committed to his artistic practice in 2009. Ashour has also served as a consultant of International Plastic Arts to the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Culture in 2006 and is a founding member of the first active cultural forum for the arts in Jeddah.

Ashour has held a number of solo exhibitions across the Kingdom, GCC and in the United States (in particular, between 1988-89 in Washington, Atlanta, Dallas, New York, Los Angeles). He frequently participates in group shows outside the Kingdom. Notably, Ashour took part in an Edge of Arabia group exhibition at SOAS (2008). He has also participated in international exhibitions across the Middle East and Latin America. He has participated in Jeddah Art Week, Jeddah (2014); Art Dubai Contemporary, Dubai (2014); Abu Dhabi Art Fair, lam art gallery (2013) and the 8th edition of the 25th February Arts Exhibition, Kuwait (1990). Additionally, he represented the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the Festival Internacional, Mexico (1990).

Ashour’s artistic and creative achievements are many. He has compiled and curated the art book Saudi Artists Today, driven by the desire to capture the richness and variety of the preceding two decades of Saudi art. Further to this, he achieved 1st Prize at the Danah Heritage Competition in Jeddah (1992).

Ashour currently lives and works in Jeddah.