Messages Behind Messages: Images of Anxiety at the Edge of Arabia

Abstract

Petromodernity and the Saudi petrosociety serve as the framework for this analysis of contemporary Saudi Arabian art. Focusing on artworks from members of 'Edge of Arabia,' the art collective that grew in the southwest region of the Kingdom in the decades following the 1979 siege of the Sacred Mosque in Mecca, and how they reflect the impact of petrosociety on 1) the urban landscape—mainly that of the holy city of Mecca, 2) the rights of women and issues of identity, and 3) the Kingdom's political and environmental issues, I argue that contemporary Saudi art is the critical form of engagement for sharing concerns and anxieties inherent in the Kingdom with the West. Following a curtain of deep conservatism descended upon the Saudi Kingdom. The government deemed it easier to ignore art than give it any credence. It was the direct spoken word which, when critical of official policy and Islam, was met with dangerous consequences. Visual art became the product of organic and grassroot groups and collectives, far from the vision of authorities. Thus, contemporary visual arts—mostly photographs, installations, and mixed media work—are uniquely positioned to spread messages across literal and figurative borders, messages of concern regarding the impact of petrosociety.