Located in Riyadh, Lift Gallery’s current exhibition, Middle/South, features the work of South African contemporary painter Frans Smit. Portrait of Princess Reema by Frans Smit is one of the pieces in the exhibition in Riyadh. Photo: Courtesy of Lift Gallery “In establishing Lift Gallery, it was a personal objective to collaborate with artists on a global scale, thereby promoting Saudi culture internationally and enhancing awareness about the Kingdom through the medium of art,” starts the gallery’s founder, Princess Nouf Bint Abdulaziz AlSaud.
Located in Riyadh , Lift is both an art gallery and a co-working space providing Saudi young creatives with a place to explore and further their creativity, and its current exhibition, Middle/South, features the work of South African contemporary painter Frans Smit. His reimagining of Dutch old masters and Renaissance works sees the joining of traditional and modern painting techniques. This modern expression offers a new optic to old work.
“Since I am unable to be in direct contact with these masters, I see myself as collaborating with their respective practices from afar,” he explains. “Their literal works become a part of my practice, trying to embody them as I recreate their work, being very much a part of the past while creating in the present.” The exhibition is curated by Victoria Nasser, who notably co-created and curated the unique Beiruti street art village Ouzville.
Portrait of Lulwah Al-Homoud by Frans Smit. .