Biography

Informed by his education and work as a medical doctor, as well as his traditional religious upbringing in Saudi Arabia, Ahmed Mater’s practice – which encompasses photography, calligraphy, installation and video – explores the narratives and aesthetics of Islamic culture in an era of globalisation, consumerism and flux.

Ahmed Mater has exhibited internationally, at venues including the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, India (2012); Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan (2012); National Museum of Carthage, Tunisia (2012); British Museum, London, UK (2012); Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California, USA (2011); Venice Biennale, Italy (2009); Cairo Biennale, Egypt (2008); and the Sharjah Biennial, UAE (2007). In 2008, he cofounded Edge of Arabia, an independent arts initiative devoted to contemporary Arab art and culture, with a particular focus on Saudi Arabia.

Included in Sharjah Biennial 11 and 8, Mater's work was featured in a solo exhibition, 100 Found Objects at Sharjah Art Foundation in 2014.