Saudi Artist Ayman Daydban’s ‘Treehouse’ Lands at Art Basel

“A bird does not build a nest because it needs a place to sleep,” the Palestinian-Saudi artist Ayman Daydban tells SceneNow Saudi, “but because the eggs and chicks require a safe, warm, and hidden environment.” Daydban is speaking in metaphors. He is not speaking about birds, but about ‘The Nest’, the installation work of his that is now on display at Art Basel. “Like a bird's nest, this artwork does not speak of stability, but rather of the constant need to invent a temporary shelter.”

Born in Palestine in 1966, Daydban grew up in Saudi Arabia where he says his awareness and cultural and artistic identity were shaped, and where he took his first steps into the art world. “My artistic practice began in the early nineties,” he says. “It evolved through various mediums including painting, installation, performance and video, but for me art has always been a way of thinking and reconsidering our relationship with objects and the world.”

The work he is presenting at Art Basel through Saudi-based Athr Gallery is part of a larger series called ‘The Treehouse’. Developed over the course of many years, starting 2019, ‘The Treehouse’ is a conceptual project that seeks to deconstruct stereotypical narratives of Middle Eastern cultural heritage and identity. In ‘The Nest’, however, Daydban zooms in on the person rather than the collective. “In this version of the work, I address the self's connection to the concept of home and shelter, exploring the intersections between the personal and the public, and between outward appearances and hidden internal intentions.”

Daydban’s installation is made of semi-transparent acrylic panels that allow light to become an integral part of the work, creating a dynamic relationship between form and space. “This piece, and the series as a whole, explore the idea of home and space as fluid concepts rather than fixed forms,” he explains.

Likewise, the work itself is still an ongoing project, conceptually fluid and evolving. Before landing in Art Basel, it had already gone through multiple stages of development and experimentation to reach its current form.

But at Art Basel, Daydban’s first appearance on the world’s biggest stage for contemporary art, the artist wants audiences to find new meanings in his work beyond its original connotations. “Participating in Art Basel is important to me because it places the work within the context of a broader dialogue with a diverse audience. Ultimately, what matters to me is that the work begins a new life outside of its original context.”

In addition to Daydban’s work, Athr Gallery is also bringing the works of two other Saudi artists to Basel: Zahrah Alghamdi and Muhannad Shono. With locations in Jeddah, Riyadh and AlUla, Athr Gallery has been a leader in Saudi’s contemporary arts scene since its founding in 2009.