Saudi Art Council launches latest 21,39 Jeddah Arts exhibition

The Saudi Art Council has launched its eighth edition of the 21,39 Jeddah Arts exhibition, taking visitors on a new interstellar adventure into “The Secrets of Alidades.” The new 21,39 exhibition — referring to the coordinates of Jeddah — opened to the public on Thursday.

Curated by French academic Fabien Danesi, a doctor of philosophy in art history and university professor, “The Secrets of Alidades” alludes to the pointers found on astrolabes and other astronomical instruments that help us observe distant objects and guide travelers.

The alidade is a scientific and astronomical device for citing a distant object and for measuring an angle by posting to a star to determine directions.

In the exhibit, the ancient alidades guide you through the 33 artworks across a journey that reveals a world of new dimensions and systems, earthly or otherwise.

Danesi’s exhibition reflects the spirit of sailors using the stars to guide their journeys across uncharted waters. Amid the travel-limiting era of the coronavirus pandemic, 21,39 invites you on a mental voyage through the artworks.

“This allegorical perspective means that the show attempts to produce a representation with the potentiality of a journey. Just as sailors used the stars to navigate the seas, artwork can help us drift in our cultural field with the contrary winds and ocean currents,” Danesi told Arab News in a previous interview.