Whitewall published AlUla's Artists-in-Residency Program Presents Exhibition "Orbius Tertius" in Paris, by Erica Silverman, on 24 October 2024. The report covers the first presentation in France of AlUla's Artists in Residency Program, unveiled at 5 rue Saint-Merri during Art Basel Paris and on view from 15 to 20 October. Curated by Arnaud Morand, Head of Arts and Innovation at the French Agency for AlUla Development, the show united 43 works by 20 artists and, invoking Jorge Luis Borges, touched on the blurred lines between fantasy and reality in visual storytelling.
The Emirati artist Maitha Abdalla is the first name in Whitewall's list of participants, which also includes Mohammad Alfaraj, Monira Al Qadiri, Talin Hazbar, M'hammed Kilito, Aicha Snoussi and Ayman Zedani, each engaging in depth with the landscape and heritage of AlUla across painting, installation, sculpture, video and photography. Silverman speaks with Nora Aldabal, Executive Director of Arts and Creative Industries at the Royal Commission for AlUla, who calls the Paris debut a significant milestone for sharing regional and global artistic voices with a new audience, and the article describes Madrasat Addeera in the AlJadidah Arts District as a hub for reviving ancient crafts.
Maitha Abdalla, born in Khorfakkan in 1989, works across painting, sculpture, film, photography and performance, using theatrical, constructed characters to explore folklore, mythology, gender and psychology. Her fantastical scenes shift between abstraction and representation. She is represented by Tabari.
