Art Jameel, an independent organization that supports artists and creative communities, announces the first wave of homegrown partner tenants, Hayy Residents, set to move into the forthcoming creative complex during its opening season this winter. Hayy Jameel is built to bring together the broadest range of creative disciplines in one destination – Residents sit alongside the Art-Jameel run spaces and programs, including Hayy Arts, Hayy Cinema, Hayy Learning, Hayy Studios, Fenaa Hayy and Saha.
Hayy Residents are like-minded pioneering enterprises from Saudi Arabia that have shaped their respective fields and join Hayy Jameel with renewed and compelling new concepts – from contemporary art and design to performance and culinary arts, through publishing and design houses.
Hayy Residents are like-minded pioneering enterprises from Saudi Arabia that have shaped their respective fields
The first Hayy Residents include:
● Athr, a leading contemporary art gallery in Saudi Arabia, set to stage a new gallery experience through immersive, multi-sensory spectacles in collaboration with Superblue, a ground-breaking global enterprise dedicated to producing experiential art;
● Al Comedy Club, Saudi Arabia’s first comedy club, was established by stand-up comedian Yaser Baker in 2012. It serves as a performance venue as well as a space for interactive workshops designed by industry professionals, developing a new generation of storytellers;
● Al Mohtaraf, a multi-disciplinary design house that offers over 35 years of expertise in editorial design, branding and corporate identity, including Arabic type design, print publications and space design from offices in Jeddah, Riyadh, Khobar and Beirut;
● Aysh Academy, a new local baking institute founded by Sumaia Showail, who brings a decade of experience as a pastry chef trained by world-renowned chefs and leaders in artisan bread and pastry education. Serving as a space for dedicated workshops, Aysh Academy aims to modernize the traditional approach to baking;
● Dahr, a Jeddah-based design studio by architect and furniture designer Albara Osama Saimaldahar whose objects focus on materials from the country’s natural landscape, marrying elements of craft with architecture. Hayy Jameel will see the launch of Riwaq, Dahr’s first permanent location and site for collaborations with local and international brands and designers;
● Homegrown Market, a Jeddah-based concept store and online platform founded by Tamara Abukhadra for budding designers from Saudi Arabia and the Arab world. Fostering entrepreneurship, Homegrown Market offers a host of independent brands that span fashion and beauty, home and gifts through to stationery items, hand-crafted accessories and culinary creations.
More spaces are expected to launch following Hayy Jameel’s opening season
More spaces are expected to launch following Hayy Jameel’s opening season, unfolding from November 2021 through to March 2022, with Residents bringing new concepts that build on the thriving local arts and culture community in Jeddah. Hayy Jameel culminates 75 years of Jameel family global philanthropy and comes to fruition in line with a new era for culture and the arts across the Kingdom. The name of the 17,000m2 creative complex is derived from the Arabic word for neighborhood, to denote its intent as an accessible, communal and collaborative space. Hayy Jameel’s building is designed by multi-award-winning architectural studio waiwai, whose lead architects, Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto, were recently awarded the Golden Lion for Best National Participation through their curation of the UAE National Pavilion at this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale.