Ahmed Mater

{{short description|Saudi artist and physician (born 1979)}}{{COI|date=May 2025}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2019}}

{{Infobox artist

| name = Ahmed Mater

| image = AHMED MATER SAUDIARABIA 2004.jpg

| caption = Ahmed Mater in 2004, pictured wearing elements of the traditional attire from the Asir region in southern Saudi Arabia.

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1979|7|25}}

| birth_place = Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

| nationality = Saudi

| 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) File:Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Chevalier ribbon.svg

| website = {{URL|ahmedmater.com}}

| signature = 150px

}}

Ahmed Mater (Arabic: أحمد ماطر; born 1979, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia){{cite web |title=Ahmed Mater: Antenna |url=https://ucca.org.cn/en/exhibition/ahmed-mater-antenna// |website=UCCA Center for Contemporary Art |access-date=6 May 2025 |language=en}} is a doctor–turned–artist who uses photography, film, video art, and text alongside traditional techniques such as painting, and calligraphy.Booth-Clibborn, Edward (2010). Ahmed Mater. UK: Booth-Clibborn Editions. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-86154-318-9.

Mater's work is in the collections of the British Museum,{{cite web |title=Ahmed Mater al-Ziad |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG168772 |website=British Museum |access-date=6 May 2025}} the Brooklyn Museum,{{cite web |title=Ahmed Mater |url=https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/artists/20389 |website=Brooklyn Museum |access-date=6 May 2025}} the Centre Pompidou,{{cite web |title=Ahmed Mater |url=https://www.centrepompidou.fr/en/ressources/personne/c6rBByp |website=Centre Pompidou |access-date=6 May 2025 |language=en-EN}} Dalloul Art Foundation,{{cite web |title=Ahmed Mater – Artists |url=https://dafbeirut.org/en/ahmed-mater |website=Dalloul Art Foundation |access-date=6 May 2025}} the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA),{{cite web |title=Ahmed Mater |url=https://collections.lacma.org/node/163096 |website=LACMA Collections |access-date=6 May 2025}} the Nadour Collection{{cite web |title=Illumination XI & XII |url=https://nadour.org/collection/Illumination/ |website=Collection - Nadour |access-date=6 May 2025 |language=en}} Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art,{{cite web |title=Ahmed Mater |url=https://asia.si.edu/explore-art-culture/collections/search/?edan_q=Ahmed%20Mater |website=National Museum of Asian Art |access-date=6 May 2025}} and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum,{{cite web |title=Ahmed Mater |url=https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/ahmed-mater |website=The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation |access-date=6 May 2025}}

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.{{cite web |title=Symbolic Cities: The Work of Ahmed Mater - National Museum of Asian Art |url=https://asia.si.edu/whats-on/exhibitions/symbolic-cities-the-work-of-ahmed-mater/ |website=National Museum of Asian Art |access-date=6 May 2025}} In 2017 he had a solo exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum entitled Ahmed Mater: Mecca Journeys.{{cite web |title=Ahmed Mater: Mecca Journeys |url=https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/ahmed_mater |website=Brooklyn Museum |access-date=6 May 2025}} 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,{{cite web |title=Gulf artists exhibit in Venice Biennale |url=https://newsroom.ap.org/editorial-photos-videos/detail?itemid=407d2a9d3297c844d2daa6456ff2de27&mediatyp= |website=AP |access-date=6 May 2025}} and again in the exhibition The Future of a Promise at the 2011 Biennale.{{cite web |title=The Future of a Promise: An Exhibition |url=https://khaleejesque.me/2011/06/12/the-future-of-a-promise-an-exhibition/ |website=Khaleejesque |access-date=6 May 2025 |date=12 June 2011}} Other important groups shows include the 2013 exhibition Light from the Middle East at the Victoria and Albert Museum.{{cite web |first1= |title=Light from the Middle East: About the Exhibition |url=http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-light-from-the-middle-east-new-photography/about-the-exhibition/ |website=Victoria and Albert Museum |access-date=6 May 2025 |date=26 November 2012}}

Mater has exhibited his work in the Venice Bienale and at the British Museum.Batty, David (October 4, 2012). "Contemporary Saudi artists break down old 'safety' barriers". The Guardian. [https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/oct/04/saudi-artists-find-outlet-in-britain https://www.theguardian.com]Fadel, Leila (September 9, 2015). "An Art Scene Flourishes Behind Closed Doors in Saudi Arabia". NPR – All Things Considered. [https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/09/08/437606987/in-saudi-arabia-a-flourishing-art-scene-behind-closed-doors?utm_source=chatgpt.com https://www.npr.org]Halbfinger, David M. (December 2, 2016). "A Physician-Turned-Artist Offers a Diagnosis for Islam's Holiest City". The New York Times. [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/02/world/middleeast/saudi-ahmed-mater-islam.html https://www.nytimes.com]