Author(s)

RAWYA MOHAMMAD ALJARED

Abstract

The unprecedented transformation of petromodernity in the Arabian Gulf’s landscape and culture during the 20th century coincided with the formation of the Arabian Gulf nation states. As such, the Arabian Gulf’s oil economy is considered an important factor in the stability and prosperity of these countries. This oil transformation has generated a modern lifestyle, denoted by petromodernity, which hinges on petroleum as its mode of energy. Petromodernity and its subsequent petroleum culture, or petroculture, serve as the framework for this research analysis of the Arabian Gulf’s contemporary art, specifically works by artist Ahmed Mater and Manal Al-Dowayan. This paper focuses on how these works of art reflect the manifestation of petroculture on urban landscape of the region. Navigating contemporary art in the Arabian Gulf through manifestations of petroculture attest to a new regional field in art history. This research aims to lay out art as a mode of civic engagement and critical space regarding the discourse around the inevitable ramifications of energy transition by opening the possibility for the advocacy and the discussion of this topic within and beyond the region.

Keywords

contemporary art, visual art, petroculture, Arabian Gulf, cultural anthropology, Middle Eastern studies, urban planning, energy, environmental studies