The King Abdul Aziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) just launched its international COVID-19 exhibition, and it’s a form of collective introspection on the pandemic.
Through memories, feelings, and thoughts, Ithra is opening the stage to people’s various experiences.
After the cultural center opened its doors to the public again, the exhibit launched a teasing virtual shows which you can check out here.
For the actual show which will go live in July, Ithra is looking for brand-new artworks, images, or documentation that stand as a symbol of the pandemic.
Be it a book, a journal, or a musical instrument…
— إثراء (@Ithra) June 28, 2020
We all have something we seek refuge in when times get tough.
The past few months have brought new meaning to mundane objects around us; share them, and their stories, with us through our #COVID19_Exhibithttps://t.co/tR0sQodPSx pic.twitter.com/BB4jIBabvH
The second chapter of the Covid-19 exhibit will kick off in 2021 and will feature objects selected form online submissions in the Ithra building in Dhahran.
“While this is an unprecedented time, it is also an unprecedented moment of global solidarity,” said Laila Faddagh, Ithra’s head of museums. “Art is about connecting people through culture — and culture is based on the exchange of ideas and identities — but we connect maybe even more easily through common objects.”
A hub of self-expression for everyone, “Ithra is in Saudi Arabia, but, as a leading center for global culture, we want to include people from around the world. In the spirit of welcome, warmth and empathy — especially now during the pandemic — it is an opportunity to connect with everyone, from anywhere.”
A Saudi Aramco’s flagship initiative, Ithra is one of the Kingdom’s most culturally significant landmarks.
The center kept people engaged during lockdown with its Ithra connect platform which generated more than 50 ongoing programs.
Idris Elba to aspiring Saudi actors and filmmakers during an @Ithra talk: "For you to invite me here at this point is special to me." pic.twitter.com/Xe0F3YhVf5
— About Her (@AboutHerOFCL) June 14, 2020
Ithra Connect got Idris Elba and Neil DeGrasse Tyson to deliver powerful talks to Saudis. What’s more is that the center also gave access to its library archives and invited people to share their thought not he pandemic in a collective journal. Excited for what’s to come?
