Maha Malluh

Artist’s Rooms:

Maha Malluh
11.11.2018 - 09.02.2019

Maha Malluh’s work reflects the vernacular, visual culture of Saudi Arabia, and the impact global trade and influences have had, and continue to have, on the country. Malluh’s Artist’s Room features sculptures and assemblages created from recycled materials and objects found in junk shops, flea markets and deserted construction sites. The discarded objects, indicative of a globalised ‘throw-away’ culture, are repurposed into large-scale installations.

Drawn largely from the Art Jameel Collection, Artist’s Rooms is a series of solo exhibitions by influential, innovative artists, with particular focus on practitioners from the Middle East, South Asia and Africa. These capsule shows are collaborative: curated in dialogue with the artist, with some presentations including new commissions. Winter 2018-19 features rooms by Maha Malluh, Mounira Al Solh, Lala Rukh and Chiharu Shiota in galleries 1, 2, 3 and 10.

Maha Malluh (b.1959) lives and works in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Maha Malluh’s work is influenced by her spiritual connection to the historic region of Najd, Saudi Arabia, with its distinctive architecture, strong religious and cultural heritage and colourful patterned textiles In recent year, Malluh has turned to mixed media installations, using found objects that are understood as symbolic of a collective, communal identity; these materials include massive chinco dishes, cassette tapes of religious lectures, discarded oil barrels and metal doors typical of the region. Malluh’s work has been exhibited in the British Museum, Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou and Louvre Abu Dhabi, among other institutions.