UCCA Edge, Shanghai, China
Curated by:
Philip Tinari
Organised by:
UCCA Edge
Featuring over 100 artworks, Ahmed Mater: Antenna is the first large-scale solo exhibition by a contemporary Saudi artist in China. The title piece Antenna is inspired by Mater's childhood memories of climbing onto the roof of his family's house to lift a battered TV antenna to the evening sky.
As visitors step into the Museum, they find a mihrab in the reception hall. The structure appears as a decorated gateway or pavilion found in a traditional Chinese garden, but walking through it, a string of red lights light up around the gate, accompanied by an audio alert.
The second-floor galleries display the artist's early works, including his X-Ray series of paintings created from 2003 to 2004 when he was still practicing medicine, The Empty Land series consists of photographs showing the volatility of the abundance and decline of the oil economy through the years; and the Magnetism series symbolizing the Meccan pilgrimage for Muslims.
Presented by UCCA Edge in collaboration with the Saudi Ministry of Culture, the exhibition is part of the Saudi Chinese Cultural Year 2025, and marks the 35th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations between China and Saudi Arabia.
"The antenna carries unique symbolic significance throughout both my upbringing and artistic career. Like many of my generation in Saudi Arabia, I was seeking ideas, music, poetry — a glimpse of a different kind of life. This spirit of creative exploration, curiosity, and reaching out to communicate across the borders surrounding me have defined my journey as an artist."
