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Meaning celebration in Arabic, “hafla” is a word that goes beyond the literal English translation to signify not only a celebration or a party, but also to care. In August, Sotheby’s is staging a multi-faceted exhibition titled Hafla, comprising artwork, jewellery, food, manuscripts and fashion – all elements the auction house believes deserve the care and attention of a wider audience, and that represent the strength and depth of the visual arts across the Middle East.
Staged from 12-30 August at Sotheby’s in London, Hafla will consist of a series of selling and non-selling exhibitions, loaned artworks and private sales. The exhibitions will also be complemented by a programme of events, including panel discussions, screenings, talks and gallery tours.
“Sitting outside of our auction season, this is an opportunity to look and to learn,” says Edward Gibbs, Sotheby’s chairman of the Middle East and India. “When it came to coming up with a name for the exhibition, we wanted something that would capture the joy and the labour of love that has gone into pulling something like this together. Hafla seemed to perfectly encapsulate this spirit.”
At the heart of Hafla is the selling exhibition Khamseen: 50 Years of Saudi Visual Arts. Curated in collaboration with Qaswra Hafez, founder of Hafez Gallery in Jeddah, the show presents more than 50 artworks encompassing 50 years of modern visual art in Saudi Arabia. The artworks range from paintings and sculptures to installations, highlighting works by Faisal Samra, Dana Awartani, Mohammed Al Resayes, Safeya Binzagr, Mohammed Al Saleem, Abdulrahman Al Soliman, Abdulhalim Radwi, Lulwah Al-Hamoud, among others.
Khamseen charts the rise of the present Saudi art scene from early phases of Saudi modernism, with the introduction of 1960s and 1970s pioneers such as Binzagr, Al Saleem, Al Soliman and Radwi, who staged the first exhibitions and lay the groundwork for subsequent generations. It then follows the development of contemporary Saudi art, from the 1980s to the early 2000s, when Saudi Arabia began allowing access to the Internet. This later phase, featuring works by Awartani, Samra and Zahra Alghamdi, shows the impact of that technology as Saudi artists move away from painting primarily on canvas to experimenting with a rich variety of materials, and tackling a wider range of subjects.
While Sotheby’s has regularly staged showings and events revolving around Middle Eastern and Islamic art and culture in London and in its Dubai showroom, Hafla will constitute the first event of its kind, presented over several weeks outside of the auction season, and taking over the entirety of Sotheby’s London galleries and auction rooms on 34-35 New Bond Street.
“As much of the traditional art market takes its summer break, the streets of New Bond Street are enlivened with people from all over the world visiting London,” Gibbs adds. “We wanted to take this moment to give our galleries a Middle Eastern makeover, exploring just some of the cultural offerings of the region.”
The event also has a strong focus on the Saudi art and luxury market. In addition to Khamseen: 50 Years of Saudi Visual Arts, five limited-edition, vibrantly coloured, crocodile leather clutch handbags, designed by Princess Nourah Al Faisal through her brand Nuun, in collaboration with London luxury house Asprey, are on display. Each is inspired by Saudi cultural heritage and a different region, including geometric motifs nodding to the Najd region’s architecture, and garments from the Banu Tamim tribe, as well as distinctive local bridal decorations.
“Through the collaboration with Her Royal Highness Princess Nourah Al Faisal’s handbag line with Nuun and Asprey, we’re also seeing a perfect blend of Saudi and British heritage,” Sophie Stevens, Sotheby’s Dubai-based jewellery specialist, says.
Fascinating jewellery pieces will also be on display, curated by A2Z Advisory Bahrain, highlighting the inspiration of the Eastern world on past and present jewellery design. Established by Abdulrahman Al Zayani in 2018, A2Z advises private and corporate clients in the Gulf and internationally on curating jewellery and art collections.
Presented at Sotheby’s, its collection will comprise diamonds, coloured gemstones and iconic pieces from leading jewellery houses, including Cartier, Bulgari and Van Cleef & Arpels, as well as contemporary jewels by leading contemporary designers such as Sabba Jewels.
“The showstopping jewels presented by the region’s leading jewellery advisory A2Z will not only be dazzling for their beauty and design, but will also reflect the influence of the East on the world of jewellery design,” Stevens says.
The well-curated list of art and luxury items brought together for Hafla continues with exceptional Qur’anic and calligraphic works from the Bashir Mohamed Family Collection. This includes 27 calligraphic works from the private London collection celebrating the Islamic world's rich calligraphic tradition as a mode for artistic expression, communication and spirituality. The loan exhibition explores the development of Arabic script from the earliest Qur’anic manuscripts in Kufic script, during the 8th century, to the lavish illumination of Persian Qajar dynasty manuscripts in the 17th century, and the development of calligraphic arts into the 21st century.