France has awarded the French Order of Arts and Letters at the rank of Knight, in the name of the French President, Saudi artists and establishments in recognition of their exceptional contributions to art.
A reflection on the human condition in light of the global pandemic and the drive towards globalisation
Kevin Jones profiles Ahmed and his enduring commitment to art that can change the world. He writes, "Call him naive, but Ahmed Mater sincerely believes art has the power to change the world."
Ahmed is interviewed and profiled for The Village Voice during his groundbreaking exhibition at Brooklyn Museum.
Ahmed Mater’s photographs of Mecca arrive at a crucial time, to capture the divergent and often contradictory aspects of a city in transformation.
Ahmed discusses his work as an artist and and cultural producer with The National, the UAE's leading English-language newspaper
Chris Dercon reflects in The Art Newspaper on the rapid transformation of Saudi Arabia’s art scene. Amid rising investment, will it lose its grassroots spirit? He recalls Ahmed Mater’s lifelong commitment to preserving its unique identity.
At the time of his major Brooklyn Museum solo exhibition, The Financial Times reflect on the urgency of Ahmed’s portrait of a city in transition
Ahmed was interviewed by Elena Scarpa for My Art Guides at the time of his first solo exhibition at Galleria Continua
The Misk Art Institute has launched a regional cultural program with a groundbreaking series of exhibitions at the Misk Global Forum in Riyadh.
A photography exhibition in Washington by a Saudi doctor-turned-artist casts a critical eye on Riyadh’s ties to big oil and the transformation of Mecca.
The Saudi artist Ahmed Mater created a book of more than 600 photographs to document life in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city.
The first-ever solo museum exhibit by a Saudi artist in the US, Ahmed Mater’s “Symbolic Cities” presents an alternate narrative to the images of the desert kingdom familiar to most Americans.
As millions of hajj pilgrims return home, Mecca’s two million locals are left struggling with the impacts of their changing city.
As the hajj begins once again, Saudi artist Ahmed Mater has revealed unprecedented changes to the holy city – from flashy new hotels to the loss of priceless neighbourhoods.
After visiting Standing Rock, Ahmed recognises that the protesters are a warning for the whole world.
Hrag Vartanian interviews Ahmed Mater as he hoists the Evolution of Man flags at Standing Rock, finding parallels between the battle to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline and the impact of oil in his own country.
On the origins of Edge of Arabia and the struggle for contemporary art in Saudi Arabia.
Athr Gallery
The solo presentation at Sharjah Art Foundation ranked in the top ten exhibitions in the world.
Writer and artist Henry Hemming interviewed Ahmed for the Edge of Arabia publication, discovering a man of many masks – the artist, the doctor, the cultural influencer, the photographer.
Despite the hostile climate, a determined few are tackling issues such as capitalism in Mecca and the impact of Islam on peace.
