Art in Riyadh is about to take on a whole new texture. On Monday, September 29, ATHR Gallery JAX opens its doors to Between Memory and Matter, a solo exhibition by Saudi artist Zahrah Alghamdi, curated by Daria Kirsanova. Using materials like soil, stone, textiles, and organic matter, Alghamdi transforms everyday elements into works that carry memory, history, and emotion, giving visitors a chance to see how something as simple as mud or rock can hold powerful stories.
Rooted in the Land
Alghamdi’s artistic language is deeply tied to her hometown of Al Baha, where the mountainous terrain shaped not only the landscape but also its architecture, which seemed to grow naturally from the earth. Mud, rock, and natural fibers are more than raw materials in her work, they carry layers of emotional and historical meaning. In Between Memory and Matter, she transforms these elements into powerful symbols, allowing the land itself to act as a storyteller.
Figures That Speak Without Faces
One of the striking aspects of Alghamdi’s new body of work is how she extends her material vocabulary to the human figure. The sculptures and drawings are not traditional portraits but instead reflect emotional landscapes, shaped by solitude, resilience, and hope. These works blur the line between the individual and the collective, evoking feelings that many can relate to without being tied to a single identity.
At the focus of the exhibition is Echoes of the One in Many (2025), a sculptural circle of figurative bodies. Some slump, others intertwine, creating a rhythm of strength and vulnerability. The piece brings Alghamdi’s illustrative lines into physical form, rendered in leather that suggests both fragility and endurance.
Memory in Material
Two other highlights in Between Memory and Matter expand on her exploration of how materials embody memory:
- The Bodies in Quiet Reverie (2025) features embroidered fabric that unravels into abstraction, hinting at remnants of memory and exposing the skeletal framework of our bodies. The figures here represent fragility but also quiet strength.
- Shards of Quiet Strength (2025) builds outward from a clay and leather core. The forms cluster and disperse, suggesting unity within a broader collective presence.
These installations avoid single, fixed meanings. Instead, they leave space for viewers to bring in their own personal associations, making the experience both intimate and universal.
A Dialogue Between Past and Present
For curator Daria Kirsanova, Alghamdi’s approach highlights the way natural materials carry significance. As she explains:
“Zahrah Alghamdi’s art begins with the soil, stone and architecture of her hometown, Al Baha. For her, these natural materials are not neutral; they hold memory, history and emotion. Mud, rock, and organic matter become storytellers, linking past and present.”
It’s this dialogue, between history and the present moment, between memory and matter, that lies at the core of the exhibition.
Experience the Exhibition
Between Memory and Matter will open at ATHR Gallery JAX in Riyadh on September 29 from 7:30 to 11:00 PM. Whether you’re familiar with Alghamdi’s work or discovering it for the first time, the exhibition promises to be an insightful exploration of how art can transform the simplest materials into vessels of memory and meaning.
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