Art shows don’t usually start with the people who carry the ladders, build the walls, or unpack the crates, but this time is different. On September 17, 2025, ATHR Gallery in Jeddah is launching Behind the Frame, an exhibition curated by the gallery’s own art handling team. Usually working quietly in the background, they’re stepping forward to share their perspective on the artworks they’ve installed countless times.
Alongside it, visitors will also get to experience You Ask, We Answer, an immersive installation by Saudi artist Sarah Abu Abdallah. Together, the two exhibitions invite audiences to see art from fresh angles, through the people who make it possible, and through the creative lens of one of the Kingdom’s leading artists.
Who Makes Art Experiences Possible
Behind the Frame focuses on the people who make every exhibition possible: the art handlers. They are the ones who build the walls, carry the crates, adjust the lighting, and ensure that every artwork is safe and displayed as the artist intended. Without their steady work, galleries would remain empty.
For the first time, ATHR’s six art handlers were asked to select works from the gallery’s collection that they personally connect with. The result is not just an exhibition of artworks but also a reflection of the choices and sensibilities of the team who have spent years working so closely with them.
The selection includes ten artists working across drawings, collage, photography, print, sculpture, and installation. There are Sara Abdu’s abstract canvas drawings, Asma Bahmim’s collages that weave together heritage and female narratives, and Rami Farook’s striking paintings that mix tenderness with social commentary. Other highlights include Sultan Bin Fahad’s sculptural installation Holyland: Rose 2, Dana Awartani’s pigment-based piece from her Heavenly Bodies series, and Moath Alofi’s photographs documenting overlooked traces of Saudi heritage.
Art Through Their Eyes
What makes Behind the Frame stand out is that it lets audiences see art from the point of view of those who usually stay invisible. The team members bring decades of combined experience, from conservation and packing to carpentry and audiovisual work. Each has developed a different way of looking at art, not only as objects to be displayed but as pieces they have lived alongside, installed, and cared for.
This perspective adds a personal touch to the exhibition. Visitors are invited to think about how much unseen effort goes into every artwork they encounter, and how the quiet labor of a few dedicated people helps shape the experience of many.
The People Behind the Work
The team featured in Behind the Frame includes both long-serving and newer members. Some have been part of ATHR since its founding in 2009, guiding exhibitions with trusted precision. Others bring skills in packing, textiles, or technical installation developed over decades in Jeddah. There are also newer hands, adding fresh energy, expertise in audiovisual design, and strong organizational systems for storage.
Together, they form a backbone that is rarely acknowledged but absolutely essential. Their exhibition reminds us that while artists create, there is also a craft in presenting that creation to the public.
A Second Exhibition: You Ask, We Answer
Alongside Behind the Frame, ATHR Gallery presents You Ask, We Answer, a sweeping installation by Sarah Abu Abdallah. First shown at the Sharjah Biennial, this 50-meter-long work is making its Jeddah debut.
The piece combines projection, collage, stickers, and moving images into an environment that feels like both a painting and a living space. Rather than presenting a single narrative, it unfolds as fragments of thought and emotion layered together. The work poses questions about longing, fate, and the contradictions of daily life, inviting viewers to move through it at their own pace.
Where Behind the Frame offers insight into the world of art handlers, Abu Abdallah’s work invites reflection on broader questions of existence and meaning. The two exhibitions may seem very different, but together they expand the ways audiences can engage with contemporary art.
A Shared Purpose
By bringing Behind the Frame and You Ask, We Answer together, ATHR Gallery continues its role as a platform for dialogue. One exhibition celebrates the unseen work that supports the art world, while the other shares the bold vision of an established Saudi artist on the international stage.
Both point to the idea that art is not just about what is seen on the walls, but also about the relationships, labor, and thought processes that shape how those walls come alive.
Visit the Exhibitions
Behind the Frame and You Ask, We Answer will be on view at ATHR Gallery in Jeddah from September 17 to November 2, 2025. Visitors can expect to see a wide range of media, from collage and painting to installation and video, while also gaining a deeper understanding of the people and processes that make art experiences possible.
What’s new in Saudi?
Saudi National Day is almost here, and the buzz can already be felt all around. From major discounts to concerts featuring some of the region’s biggest names, the weekend is shaping up to be full of energy and activity.
