A Saudi artist Abdulnasser Gharem "pauses" in the face of politics

HYPERALLERGIC
By Emily Elizabeth Goodman

Abdulnasser Gharem, “The Path (Siraat)” (2012) (© Gharem Studio, photo courtesy the artist and Edge of Arabia)

LOS ANGELES---In his first solo exhibition in the United States, "Pause" at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Saudi Arabian artist Abdulnasser Gharem uses the pristine conditions of the gallery to captivate the attention of his viewers and draw them into the multiple facets at play in each piece. A self-taught artist and lieutenant colonel in the Saudi Arabian Army, Gharem’s works are designed to challenge initial perceptions and reveal inherent contradictions about Islamic and Arabian art and culture, but those impressions are dependent on the perspective of the viewer.  "Abdulnasser Gharem: Pause" closed on July 16, 2017. [More]