Concept
Abdulnasser Gharem (born 4 June 1973) is a Saudi Arabian artist and also a lieutenant colonel in the Saudi Arabian army. In April 2011, his installation Message/Messenger sold for a world record price at auction in Dubai. Gharem's work is in the collections of the British Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Culture and Information, His artwork is characterized by innovative use of materials, including rubber stamps, a collapsed bridge, and an invasive tree. Gharem was born in Khamis Mushait. In 1992 Gharem graduated from the King Abdulaziz Academy before attending The Leader Institute in Riyadh. He has had no formal art training. In 2003 Gharem studied at the Al-Meftaha Arts Village in Abha. In 2004 Gharem and the Al-Meftaha artists staged a group exhibition, Shattah. in Saudi Arabia. Since then Gharem has exhibited in Europe, the Persian Gulf and the United States, including at Martin Gropius-Bau and at the Venice Biennial, Sharjah Biennial and Berlin Biennale. His first monograph ‘Abdulnasser Gharem: Art of Survival’ was published in London in October 2011. In 2014 Gharem lives and works in Riyadh. He is the co-founder of the arts initiative Edge of Arabia. Gharem donated the proceeds of his sale to Edge of Arabia to foster art education in his native country.
