Ahmed Mater
Ahmed Mater (Arabic: أحمد ماطر; born 1979, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia) is a doctor–turned–artist who uses photography, film, video art, and text alongside traditional techniques such as painting, and calligraphy. Mater's work is in the collections of the British Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Centre Pompidou, Dalloul Art Foundation, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Nadour Collection Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, In 2016 his work was exhibited in a solo show at the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington DC entitled Symbolic Cities: The Work of Ahmed Mater. In 2017 he had a solo exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum entitled Ahmed Mater: Mecca Journeys.
Also recorded as Ahmed Mater al-Ziad · Ahmed Mater Al-Ziad Aseeri
Ahmed Mater
Arif11 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Ahmed Mater
- Born
- 25 July 1979
- Birthplace
- Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
- Education
- King Khalid University, Abha College of Medicine – Medical Degree (MBBS)
- Known for
- Photography, Painting, Conceptual art, Land art
- Awards
- * Takreem Foundation Cultural Excellence Award (2018)
- Nationality
- Saudi Arabia
- Occupation
- physician · painter · photographer · artist
- Fields
- conceptual art
- Movements
- contemporary art
- Languages
- Arabic
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q4695904 · wikipedia · Ahmed Mater
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
The documentary record
Statements marked “Documentary record” are set in the article beside the passage they confirm. Each is read from the authority records of the institutions named here; select “Prove” to see the record it was read from, where in that record, and when.
Institutions cited
Bibliothèque nationale de France · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Complete reading chain (JSON)In this article
Biography
Biography
In 2025 the exhibition Ahmed Mater: Antenna was held at the UCCA Edge in Shanghai. In 2009 his work was included in the Venice Biennale, and again in the exhibition The Future of a Promise at the 2011 Biennale. Other important groups shows include the 2013 exhibition Light from the Middle East at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Mater has exhibited his work in the Venice Bienale and at the British Museum.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Ahmed Mater • Born — 25 July 1979 • Birthplace — Tabuk, Saudi Arabia • Education — King Khalid University, Abha College of Medicine – Medical Degree (MBBS) • Known for — Photography, Painting, Conceptual art, Land art • Notable Works — "Magnetism", "Desert of Pharan", "Illumination" • Awards — * Takreem Foundation Cultural Excellence Award (2018) • Abha Cultural Prize • Al-Muftaha Art Prize • Ordre des Arts et des Lettres – Chevalier (2024) • Website — ahmedmater.com
Documentary record
Ahmed Mater, recorded as an artist, painter, photographer, performance artist, installation artist, video artist and physician, was born on 25 July 1979. The birth is recorded by the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Career
Career
In the 2000s, Mater worked in photography, installation, and conceptual art. His work Illumination (2009) referenced the Islamic world. His series Magnetism (2012) uses magnetism to arrange iron filings drawn toward a central black cube. In 2016, Mater participated in the protest gatherings at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota, where he exhibited Evolution of Man—a work that portrays a human X-ray morphing into a petrol pump. Mater has held solo exhibitions at Brooklyn Museum, New York (2019); King Abdullah Economic City (2018); Alserkal Avenue, Dubai (2017); Galleria Continua, San Gimignano (2017); and Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah (2013), among others. From 2017 to 2018, Mater served as the director of the Misk Art Institute in Riyadh. The institute organized the exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2018. In 2022, he created Ashab al-Lal (Mirage), a large-scale land art installation in Wadi AlFann in the desert. In 2024, Mater collaborated with German photographer Armin Linke on Saudi Futurism, an installation examining the intersection of infrastructure, landscape management and agriculture. In 2024, he was awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture in recognition of his contributions to the arts and cultural diplomacy.
Identity
Identity
Ahmed Mater is recorded as physician, painter, photographer and artist.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1979
Ahmed Mater born at Tabuk.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q4695904: Ahmed Mater
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
- “Ahmed Mater”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
scholarly publication
- Mater, Ahmed, Benezit Dictionary of Artists, 2018
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2018
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Ahmed Mater, revision 1361066049 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Albahouth, Ameer. Ahmed Mater: The Art of Exploration & Transformation. KSA ART. Apr 12, 2026.
- 2.Booth-Clibborn, Edward (2010). Ahmed Mater. UK: Booth-Clibborn Editions. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-86154-318-9.
- 3.Ahmed Mater al-Ziad. British Museum.
- 4.Ahmed Mater. Brooklyn Museum.
- 5.Ahmed Mater. Centre Pompidou.
- 6.Ahmed Mater – Artists. Dalloul Art Foundation.
- 7.Ahmed Mater. LACMA Collections.
- 8.Illumination XI & XII. Collection - Nadour.
- 9.Ahmed Mater. National Museum of Asian Art.
- 10.Ahmed Mater. The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation.
- 11.Symbolic Cities: The Work of Ahmed Mater - National Museum of Asian Art. National Museum of Asian Art.
- 12.Ahmed Mater: Mecca Journeys. Brooklyn Museum.
- 13.Gulf artists exhibit in Venice Biennale. AP.
- 14.The Future of a Promise: An Exhibition. Khaleejesque. 12 June 2011.
- 15.Light from the Middle East: About the Exhibition. Victoria and Albert Museum. 26 November 2012.
- 16.Batty, David. Contemporary Saudi artists break down old 'safety' barriers. The Guardian. 2012-10-04. 0261-3077.
- 17.L. An Art Scene Flourishes Behind Closed Doors In Saudi Arabia. NPR. 2015-09-08.
- 18.Hubbard, Ben. A Physician-Turned-Artist Offers a Diagnosis for Islam’s Holiest City. The New York Times. 2016-12-02. 0362-4331.
- 19.Ahmed Mater – Magnetism (2012). The British Museum.
- 20.Ahmed Mater: Magnetism. Brooklyn Museum.
- 21.Ditmars, Hadani. Saudi Artist Ahmed Mater Takes Stand at Standing Rock. Hyperallergic. 2 December 2016.
- 22.Ahmed Mater. Riyadh Art.
- 23.Saudi Arabia's Pavilion at Venice Biennale. Official Bespoke.
- 24.Wadi AlFann Presents: Ahmed Mater. Aesthetica Magazine.
- 25.Unveiling 'Saudi Futurism': Ahmed Mater and Armin Linke's Collaboration. Arab News. March 2024.
- 26.Nomination dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres – hiver 2024. Ministère de la Culture. 24 June 2024.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
Mater, Ahmed, Benezit Dictionary of Artists, 2018Crossref registry
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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