Arab world artists invited to submit proposals for $100,000 grant

• The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture’s Ithra Art Prize is the Middle East’s largest art fund

DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA, FEBRUARY 1, 2023 –Calling all established artists! The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) invites contemporary artists from or based in the Arab world to enter the Ithra Art Prize for the opportunity to receive $100,000 to bring their proposal to life. Ithra is one of Saudi Arabia’s leading cultural entities, and the open call for its 5th Ithra Art Prize, the region’s largest art grant, closes on April 1, 2023.

The Ithra Art Prize is open to established contemporary artists and art collectives from the 22 Arab countries (Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen). International artists who have lived in these countries for at least 10 years are also eligible to apply.

The winner will be announced on May 15, and the 2023 winning artwork will be unveiled as part of Ithra’s 5th anniversary celebrations in June. Launched in 2017, the Ithra Art Prize was presented in collaboration with Art Dubai for its first three editions. The 4th edition’s winning artwork was unveiled with the Diriyah Biennale Foundation at the Kingdom’s inaugural biennale.

“The Ithra Art Prize reaffirms Ithra’s commitment to developing the creative industries in the Kingdom, the region and the wider world,” said Farah Abushullaih, Head of Museum at Ithra. “As one of the largest art grants internationally, we support artists from and based in the Arab world to develop important and meaningful work. “The Ithra Art Prize aims to inspire creative thought, broaden cultural horizons and enable talent while empowering the art ecosystem.”

UAE-based Ayman Zedani was the inaugural winner with his spatial installation Mēm, while London-based Daniah Al Saleh won the second edition for Sawtam – a digital, audio-visual presentation based on the phonemes of the Arabic language. Saudi-based Fahad bin Naif won the third edition for his installation Rakhm, meaning “incubation”, and Berlin-based Tunisian-Ukrainian artist Nadia Kaabi-Linke won for E Pluribus Unum – A Modern Fossil, which takes a reflective look at the effects of the pandemic on the travel industry and how humanity measures progress and economic growth.

For more information on Ithra, visit www.ithra.com.

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