Saudi artists bring Arab culture to limelight in London

RIYADH: Artists from the Kingdom were the cynosure of all eyes at the Shubbak Festival, a window on contemporary Arab culture, which kicked off on July 11 and concluded on July 26 with a series of events to bring Arab culture to the limelight in London.
Aimed at popularizing the rich Arab culture and celebrate the growing influence of London’s Arab population with 15 days of concerts, films, theater shows, visual arts, exhibitions and literary session in the British capital, the festival had performances from Riyadh-based artists Shaweesh and Talal Al-Zeid.
“As part of the Shubbak Festival three artists were invited to work in public spaces around London. They include Riyadh-based Shaweesh, and Talal Al-Zeid and Fathima Mohiuddin from Dubai,” British Embassy said on Sunday. These artists visited a number of festive sites across the capital, creating a ripple effect among the ever-growing audience to experience the cultural festivity.
A major attraction of the festival this year was the Shubbak Literature Festival at the British Library” held on July 25 and July 26 as the library is one of the leading collections of historical and contemporary Arabic texts in the United Kingdom.
The British Library partnered with Shubbak to bring together some of the finest writers from across the Arab world while reflecting the diversity of current Arab writing in the UK and Europe. According to organizers, Shubbak Festival is held every two years and is well considered as London’s largest biennial festival showcasing the best in contemporary Arab culture, bringing together artists from across the Arab world.