BASMA ALSULAIMAN COLLECTING ART IN THE MIDDLE EAST

por Ana María Salazar

ASaudi naonal, Basma Al Suleiman is considered to be one of e 100 most influenal people in e A World and one of e most relevant collectors and a patrons in e Middle East. She is e founder of BASMOCA (Basma Al Sulaiman Museum of Contemporary A), a museum and a gallery at relies on cuing edge visual technologies to disseminate her collecon among a wider audience. As she says: “by embracing technology, we can make e collecon available, all over e world, to as many people as possible. To be able to show an internaonal collecon in a global forum, is is e future”.

BASMA gained a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature in Jeddah and, some years later, took the diploma course in Modern and Contemporary Art at Christie’s. A love of international travel brought Basma into contact with contemporary art and she began to collect by instinct, her first acquisition, a David Hockney, was bought in New York before she even really knew the identity of the artist. She then relished the challenge and began to collect in earnest, bringing home works by Frank Stella, David Mack, Renier Fetting and Luciano Castelli. In 2004, Basma started looking into Chinese contemporary art. Travelling all over China, visiting artists’ studios and young galleries, Basma bought from artists such as Yue Minjun, Zhang Xiaogang, Zeng Fanzhi and Zhang Huan. Aside from BASMOCA, Basma is one of the founding members of the Saudi Art Council and the brain behind Jeddah Sculpture Park.

–Behind every art collection there is a human story. What is the personal story behind your own collection? –I’ve always felt very connected to the aesthetic, especially in visual art, but when I started to study art I realized that the art world is often seen as a closed circle where only the elite can enter. This has never sat well with me; I don’t believe that you need money or power to find truth in something beautiful. I want to build a collection that will cross borders and cultural boundaries, so everyone can feel welcome and find something they love. Of course my collection is very personal, I feel connected to the pieces in it, but I want others to share that connection with me. Art is about communication; after all, about reaching out to another human being and saying, “I feel that way too.” It’s the perfect way to tell people they’re not alone, and I don’t want anyone to miss out on that. –In the 1940´s André Malraux had this idea about creating a Musée Imaginaire, an Imaginary Museum where reproductions of works of art from different times and traditions could have a conversation in the minds of the beholders unconstrained by borders and physical walls. In our days, digital technologies are allowing Malraux´s vision to become real. Your own project, BASMOCA, is a virtual museum where global visitors can have on line access to your private collection. In your view, what are the main promises and perils that digital technologies can entail for the art world from the point of view of creators, curators, collectors and, of course, the spectator? What is your personal experience in this regard? –My personal experience has been very positive overall. Digital technology is going to help museums a great deal, as this new generation has different needs and demands than the ones who came before. Technology is so prevalent in our world today, and we can use it to reach a wider audience! Communities in remote areas who might not be able to visit a physical museum often still have access to the internet, and we can tap into that to introduce them to so many wonderful things, art included. The traditional concept of museums is not obsolete, by any means, but can certainly be enhanced by embracing the opportunities that technology offers.

–Your collection span different artists, styles and cultures but, at the same time, you seem to have a particular interest in the contemporary art emerging in the Middle East and the Far East. Both regions were connected before the current Western-centric wave of globalization by myriad threads across the Silk Road and the Indian Ocean. Are we witnessing a revival of those connections, also in the art scene?

“By embracing technology, we can make the collection available to as many people as possible, all over the world. To be able to show an international collection in a global forum, this is the future”.