Jeddah Art Week (JAW) will get the creative juices flowing in Saudi Arabia on Friday as it opens its doors for six days of contemporary art exhibitions.
Twelve exhibitions will open throughout the week and are set to explore the different takes on modern art that artists from Saudi Arabia and its neighbors are bringing to the paint splattered table. International auction house Sotheby’s will also bring its traveling display to the kingdom, highlighting creative concepts from around the world.
In its second year since inception, “JAW 2014 aims to nurture grass roots movements, whilst opening up its horizons to the global contemporary art family,” Lina Lazaar, Sotheby’s International Contemporary Art Specialist, said in a released statement.
From painting and sculpture, to film, photography, print and multi-media, Jeddah Art Week will also feature French-Tunisian street artist eL Seed, who combines graffiti with traditional Arabic calligraphy to create unique street art that he calls “Calligrafitti.” For JAW 2014, eL Seed will paint a mural in the Old Town of Jeddah, taking his art to the streets of Saudi Arabia.
The art on show is not devoid of a political and cultural message.
Artist Khalid Zahid’s exhibition, to be held on Sunday, is based on the visualization of what he would like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to be like in the future. His desire for empowered, educated, youth and a country run by its workers shines through in his work.
Meanwhile, 21 local Saudi artists will be displayed in “Limited Edition 3.” “The goal of the ‘Limited Edition’ exhibition is to exhibit artwork that is in keeping with Saudi Arabian culture and the tenets of Islam,” reads a statement on Jeddah Art Week’s website. The exhibit aims to frame traditional concepts of culture and Saudi society in a modern visual format.
On Sunday, an installation by Nour Kelani and The Loft Creative Hub will be open to public. Using the internet as a platform, fashion, art and technology collide in this design installation to express where the designers want to be in contrast to where they are.
Capturing and displaying the views of Saudi Arabia’s expat community is also a key component of the exhibition. “Kakaibang Jeddah” brings together the photographic work of 15 part-time Filipino photographers living in the country, which is home to more than one million Filipino migrant workers.
source: alarabiya.net
Tags: culture/art, Islamic Art, Jeddah Art Week, KSA News, local Saudi artists
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