Basma AlSulaiman: Bringing Saudi art to the world

Art is universal, tangible and omnipresent. Many artists and art lovers can resonate this inevitable paradox – the fluidity, harmony, access and unity that art brings about. In doing so, a new exhibition in Saudi Arabia titled What Lies Within encourages to present a unique link from a digital space to the physical world.

At the helm of this artistic venture is Saudi art patron and collector Basma AlSulaiman, who brings to life works from her private collection that feature some of the most significant artists of the kingdom and its diaspora. On invitation by the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), the exhibition will showcase the seminal works curated by artist Lulwah AlHomoud with the background Maraya, which is located within Saudi’s cultural haven, AlUla.

“For many years, I have been passionate about sharing my collection with broad, international audiences, and particularly about bringing wider recognition for Saudi artists,” says Basma in an email interview. “These works – shown together for the first time in the Kingdom – trace a visual record of the evolution of artistic forms and ideals and reflect the time and context in which they were created; this collaboration project therefore furthers RCU’s ambition to present exhibitions in AlUla which honour Saudi heritage and culture.”

Saudi Arabia has been earning a significant share of the spotlight in the global art and cultural scenario having in recent times opened its doors wider attracting the world to revel in its rich heritage. In time, the Kingdom has grown to flourish in an optimistic manner owing to the immense talent flow current prevalent in the country. “It is such a pleasure to see how much the art sector has flourished. Art has long been an authentic part of Saudi Arabia’s identity and cultural heritage, and is known as the country with largest number of active contemporary artists in the Gulf and a respected grassroots contemporary art scene. The most dramatic changes in recent years have been down to a vast expansion of cultural infrastructure, which is still ongoing, and will hopefully bolster an ingrained art ecosystem made up of galleries, museums, artists, collectors, patrons, and so on. This is such an exciting time and, crucially, the government is doing so much to support the cultural scene, from scholarships, to residencies, to supporting artists in the creation of their works. This is only just the beginning!” expresses Basma.

A long-standing art patron, Basma made a mark within the art sector 10 years ago when she founded Basma AlSulaiman Museum of Contemporary Art (BASMOCA), considered to be the first virtual museum in the world to use cutting edge gaming technologies allowing wide audiences to view works and engage as avatars within its museum space.

On until March 20, the exhibition will feature some of the most significant artworks from the Kingdom, collected over a period of 20 years. In all, the exhibition will feature 17 artists, and each of the works represents an important turning point in each of their careers, cumulatively telling a story of the development of Saudi art and its reception both national and globally, as well as themes around the expansiveness of Saudi identity, spirituality, and culture. “I have sought to make my collection available to as many people as possible all over the world by embracing technology and creating a virtual museum. To now be bringing these works to physical audiences in AlUla continues my desire to make art accessible to the public. This dynamic and varied exhibition is a testament to the innovation and creativity of a generation of key Saudi artists whose works explore a range of themes around heritage, identity, and place.”

AlSulaiman collects international contemporary art as well as Middle Eastern contemporary art, with a strong focus on Saudi artists. She has loaned works to museum exhibitions around the world and has donated to the permanent collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Smithsonian, LACMA, the British Museum and MAK Vienna. Basma explains, “Each of my acquisitions is deeply personal. My Saudi pieces are particularly significant to me as they connect me with my country and our evolution; in terms of international artists, my installation by El Anatsui and my pieces by Georg Baselitz and Joana Vasconcelos are just some which I was incredibly excited to acquire.”

As the first Saudi woman to be honoured by the government for her contribution to arts and culture in Saudi Arabia in 2014, Basma is a force to reckon within the art sector of Saudi Arabia for years, spearheading women into a direction that fewer have trodden over the years.  “I am passionate about supporting all Saudi artists, irrespective of gender: my first priority is always to identify and support talent, intellectual creativity, and dedication. We are currently seeing huge changes in Saudi society, and it’s fantastic that female empowerment is part of that. Women now represent approximately half of the Kingdom’s emerging artists, and have an increasingly prevalent role in the artistic ecosystem as a whole.”

Interestingly, What Lies Within will feature the works of eight female artists. “A compelling example to cite here is the photographic work of Manal AlDowayan, with two series – The Choice (2005) and I Am (2005) – included in the upcoming exhibition. In assertive black and white portraits of highly skilled working women, AlDowayan addresses women’s historical contribution to the development of Saudi society. Since the time of their creation, there has been significant positive changes to women’s rights: in 2005, less than 3 per cent of Saudi Arabian women were in formal employment. Today, 34 per cent of the workforce are women,” Basma explains.

Another highlight will be a new iteration of Mecca-born artist Shadia Alem’s The Black Arch, which debuted at the Venice Biennale in 2011. The artist has captured site-specific audio and visual elements in the work, which marks a culmination of her journey from Mecca, to Venice, onto Paris (where she is based), and now to AlUla.

Basma’s journey with art was born from her travels to Europe and visiting important museums such as the Prado, and the Louvre. “It was my visits abroad that led me to understanding the concept behind building a collection. It also gave me an understanding of the vital importance of patronage for preserving history and heritage. Learning about the evolution of various museums and foundations around the world inspired me to seek a role in contributing to my own nation’s cultural evolution, building on my keen interest in the arts.”

It was during a moment of truth in 1970 when she was mesmerised by a painting by renowned Saudi artist, Safeya Binzagr. “I stood in-front of one of her paintings and wouldn’t move until my mother bought it! After that, the passion to collect beautiful things came to me in different forms – glass, embroideries, books ornaments, furniture – and later, once I developed a real interest in collecting, an appreciation of fine arts in its many different forms.”

Basma founded BASMOCA in 2011 while on the quest of alternative ways of presenting art collections. What eventually shaped out became a virtual museum, a first in the world, to use gaming technologies where users could engage as avatars within the museum space and move around the artworks. “I wanted to remove limitations of access due to geography and time zones, for example – that to me was particularly exciting. People from all over the world could meet virtually in this space, talk about art, and even attend openings! In BASMOCA, visitors can encounter a vibrant mixture of artistic styles and forms from all over the world: alongside Saudi and Middle Eastern artists, there are many Western names, as well as numerous Chinese and South Asian artists,” explains Basma, who is also a founding member of the Saudi Art Council.

At the time, the digital world was at a cross-junction evolving every day with newer versions and updates that became challenging. “While virtual museums and showrooms are now a norm – and this has been accelerated even more by the pandemic – back then they really weren’t; and, in fact, we did not even have physical museums in Saudi at that time. When we started on the project (in 2011) the technology was new and the software we used (called Second Life) couldn’t support our platform and it kept crashing. We therefore decided to do our own software and created the BASMOCA world. Then the new functions had to be explained in detail to our visitors as it was initially quite an unfamiliar technology for them to digest and experience.”

Nevertheless, as does most digital innovations, audiences soon became familiarised with the museum’s innovations, and not looking back since. “There are two parts to BASMOCA: the virtual museum and the collection. For the virtual museum, I am always looking for new technologies to develop it further – it’s a constant evolution and a strong desire to embrace the future. I also want to continue growing both the Saudi and International branches of my collection. I hope that one day I can perhaps have a physical space in Saudi Arabia to display my collection for our people, or to be part of a National Museum in Saudi. In many ways, What Lies Within is a dream come true in that sense, connecting my work in the digital space with the physical world,” Basma explains.

Presently Basma aims to focus her time on education and raising awareness of Saudi artists. “I have a home in Jeddah and spend lots of my time being immersed in the Saudi art scene and its emerging talent, which helps me to identify new voices and styles that I am drawn to amongst young creatives. I hope that encountering works by successful female artists in my collection will inspire women in particular to aspire to a level of international recognition. I have personally only focused on collecting Saudi artists so far, but I am definitely keep a close look on artists from the UAE such as Hassan Sharif, Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, Shaikha Al Mazrou and Farah Al Qasimi.”

The GCC is a group of young countries, so there is still work to be done in establishing cultural infrastructure and embedding art ecosystems, Basma explains. “It is heartening to see an increase in international events in the region – biennials, art fairs, and so on – which really boost the profile of GCC countries as important players in the global art scene, and encourage valuable cross-cultural discourse. Having governments that are invested in the value of cultural education is a real game changer.

Basma remains committed and driven to continue her pursuit in helping to build bridges between Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world by making Saudi art accessible (both locally and globally), as well as facilitating the presence of international art in the Kingdom as much as possible. “What makes me happy is to support our artists as much as possible through different initiatives. Also, since my son’s passing in 2012, I have been striving to preserve his memory by dedicating my collection to him. So, everything I do now is always in his memory, and this is my greatest inspiration,” Basma concludes.