Christie’s Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds auction highlights rare finds in London
Updated 22 April 2024
Denise Marray
LONDON: Christie’s Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds spring sale will see 261 lots —including paintings, ceramics, metal work, works on paper, textiles, rugs and carpets — go under the hammer at a live auction at their London headquarters on April 25.
Arab News was given an exclusive viewing of some of the works prior to their public pre-sale showing from April 21-24.
Sara Plumbly, Christie’s Head of Department for Islamic and Indian Art, gave her expert insights into some selected pieces.
These included lot 45, an exquisite miniature octagonal Qur’an, dated AH 985/1577-8 AD, which was made in Madinah, the Qur’an has an estimate of $13,000-19,000.
“We very rarely see manuscripts that were copied in the holy cities. So this being copied in Madinah makes it very rare,” she explained.
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“It has a Naskh script. This a very steady, cursive script which is relatively easy to read — unlike some of the others. For example, Nastaliq script, which is copied on the diagonal, is much trickier to read. For Qur’ans you would almost always see a Naskh script for ease of reading. Nastaliq is usually reserved for poetic manuscripts,” she said.
This miniature Qur’an would be small enough to carry with the owner on a daily basis, usually around the neck. Alternatively, they would be hung in their silver boxes on an ‘alam (standard or flag) and carried into battle.
Plumbly, who completed her master’s degree in Islamic Art and Archaeology at the University of Oxford, has lived and travelled extensively across the Middle East and North Africa, including extended periods in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.
Another stunning item in the sale is a Watercolor Album depicting a selection of known prestigious and rare Iznik ceramics from the Louis Huth collection. It comprises 44 single and double-page watercolor paintings of Iznik bowls, flasks, ewers and dishes.
Watercolor paintings of Iznik bowls, flasks, ewers and dishes will go under the hammer. (Supplied)
It was also fascinating to see a rare and complete illustrated manuscript copy of the Khamsa of Nizami by 12th century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi, together with the Khamsa of Amir Khusraw Dihlavi, a 13th century Persian Sufi singer, musician, poet and scholar. The colors in the illuminations leap off the pages as though created yesterday.
Plumbly also pointed out the exceptional workmanship of an early 13th century Kashan pottery bowl, excavated in Iran’s Kashan in 1934.
A Khashan pottery bowl inscribed with three Persian quatrains, or poetic verses. (Supplied)
“This type of Kashan ceramics have a wonderful luster. It’s a very difficult technique to perfect. This bowl has a really beautiful dark gold color which is very well controlled. The condition is remarkable. It’s one of those ‘best of type’ objects,” Plumbly observed.
DUBAI: Hia Hub, Saudi Arabia’s fashion, beauty and lifestyle conference, returns for its fourth edition in Riyad’s JAX District.
Taking place from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3, the event will feature discussions, masterclasses, workshops, interactive exhibitions and live performances.
Tunisian actress Dorra Zarrouk will host a meet-and-greet on Oct. 31, while on Nov. 2 Egyptian actress Yasmine Sabri will talk about her career, challenges within the entertainment industry, and her personal development.
Iraqi YouTuber and content creator Noor Naeem, known as Noor Stars, will present a talk titled “Redefining Digital Success” on Oct. 31, where she will discuss achieving success in the digital world. The session will cover her methods for engaging with followers, balancing creativity with practical business strategies, and her experiences collaborating with major global brands.
Egyptian dancer and actress Fifi Abdou will join a discussion on Nov. 3 titled “Fifi Abdou on Redesigning Arab Entertainment,” where attendees can learn about her career path, contributions to the arts, and her role in Arab entertainment.
Also on Nov. 3, Saudi influencer Yara Al-Namlah, founder of Saudi skincare brand Treat, will host a session with her mother to discuss the personal experiences and family rituals that have shaped their skincare routines.
Masterclasses will include Lebanese celebrity makeup artist Bassam Fattouh, who will share tips and tricks; Maria Tash, who will offer insights on the art of piercing and fine jewelry design; Oscar de la Renta creative directors Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia, who will discuss couture craftsmanship; and a skincare masterclass with Inge Theron, founder of FaceGym.
International brands such as Benefit, YSL Beauty, Dior, Clinique, The Ordinary, Hublot, Shiseido, Guerlain and more will offer opportunities to connect with professionals and engage in hands-on learning through a series of workshops.
DUBAI: Actress, activist and presenter Jameela Jamil took to social media to show off an outfit by Lebanese designer Georges Hobeika in Morocco, days after it was announced she will star in “Hysterical” — a new feminist dramedy from Olivia Lee semi-inspired by controversial figure Andrew Tate.
The strapless, form-fitting gown, in a sleek white fabric, featured vertical cut-outs along both sides from the bust to the hem, with small circular accents framing the openings.
Jamil was in Morocco for the sixth Fashion Trust Arabia Awards, which took place in Marrakech.
For the event, she wore a black, strapless gown with a slightly plunging sweetheart neckline. The structured, voluminous skirt featured a glossy finish with faint circular patterns, while the bodice was embellished with texture and shine.
Fashion Trust Arabia is a non-profit organization that provides financial support, guidance and mentorship to emerging designers from across the Middle East and North Africa region.
The awards attract industry heavyweights from around the world, with the 2024 ceremony attended by the likes of Emirati singer Balqees Fathi, British model Jourdan Dunn, Egyptian-Dutch model Imaan Hammam, Lebanese-British fashion entrepreneur Karen Wazen, and American-Lebanese supermodel Nour Arida.
Jamil’s new series, “Hysterical,” also stars Naomie Harris and Romesh Ranganathan. Harris plays Leonora, a therapist who spirals into a world of toxic masculinity after her daughter is assaulted.
She learns the boy responsible is a fan of Tommy T, an influencer known for spreading harmful advice among young men. During a weekly “rage release” session with friends, Leonora, fueled by anger and alcohol, convinces the group to act and bring him down.
The plot is inspired by events surrounding Andrew Tate, a former kickboxer with over 10 million followers who once stated that women should “bear responsibility” for sexual assault.
“UMMMM A comedy series about female rage? Sign me up!” Jamil, who is British Pakistani, wrote on Instagram, sharing the news with her 3.8 million followers.
“Hysterical” is being produced by Ranganathan’s company, Ranga Bee Productions. It has not yet been announced when it will be televised.
HIGHLIGHTS: Vian Sora’s ‘House of Pearls’ at The Third Line in Dubai
Updated 25 October 2024
Arab News
DUBAI: Highlights from Vian Sora’s ‘House of Pearls,’ which opens at The Third Line in Dubai on Oct. 31.
‘Biomimicry III’
Iraqi-American artist Vian Sora’s latest show “House of Pearls” is a collection that — according to The Third Line, where the exhibition runs until Dec. 5 — uses “pearls as a metaphor for achieving stability and the needed structural integrity for life itself to regenerate.” In it, Sora “explores … caustic cycles, the solid and fluid violent states intrinsic to nature from which pearls grow.”
‘Olivine’
Sora left her home city, Baghdad, following the US invasion of Iraq. In “House of Pearls” she draws on her experience as an immigrant and a survivor of war and “reflects on the uncertainty and shifting boundaries of existence, capturing the physical, mental and emotional toll experiences across nations, cultures, and time.”
‘Exhale’
Sora begins each work with just three colors, which she builds on gradually to achieve up to 20 colors in a piece. They depict “imagined landscapes and seas marked with distorted Arabic calligraphy” and are intended to “capture the vulnerability and courage of displaced individuals.” Abstraction, Sora says, allows her to “dive into the subconscious in a way that is impossible to replicate through illustration.”
AlUla showcases artistic vision in Paris with ‘Orbis Tertius’
Exhibition of work from the AlUla Artist Residency Program was part of this year’s Art Basel
Updated 24 October 2024
Jean Grogan
PARIS: The AlUla Artist Residency Program made its debut in France during Art Basel Paris this month with “Orbis Tertius,” an exhibition showcasing the work of 20 international artists. The program was launched in 2021 by the Royal Commission for AlUla in collaboration with the French Agency for AlUla Development.
The exhibition is part of Arts AlUla’s global program to promote the ancient oasis city as an emerging hub for art and creativity. For millennia, AlUla was a key location for trade and culture — it is home to Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage site, and was a stop on the Incense Road. AlUla’s pre-Islamic heritage and breathtaking landscape continue to inspire groundbreaking artistic expressions, as shown in “Orbis Tertius.”
Arnaud Morand, AFALULA, Curator, Orbis Tertius (2024). (Supplied)
Artist and photographer Louis-Cyprien Rials told Arab News that at the heart of his residency was “the almost-uncomfortable idea of being nothing in a place that seems eternal and easily reminds us of our insignificance.”
Located in the palm grove of Mabiti AlUla, and with a newly-opened artists’ residence in AlJadidadh, the program offers an ideal setting for artists to reflect on the role and methods of creative practice in the contemporary world. It encourages a dynamic dialogue between the artists, as well as with the local community in AlUla.
This residency program, according to curator Arnaud Morand, head of art and creative industries at AFALULA, is “unique.” The artists are enrolled by invitation only after submission of a portfolio and a letter of intent. The breakdown of nationalities is roughly half Arab, half international.
“The artists had to have an established practice of interest and relevant to us, working between past and future heritage,” Morand explained. “In the unconventional and intense context of this desert oasis, they were working closely with the local communities. Many had previous experience in collaborating with scientists and experts. Spending a minimum of 10 weeks on the ground was mandatory. The artists met and interacted with AlUla’s field specialists; archaeologists, geologists, anthropologists, agronomists, botanists, heritage conservatists and environmental workers. If this time commitment was not possible for them, their candidature could not be considered.”
It was Morand who chose the theme “Orbis Tertius, A Journey Between Fictions and Myths” for the show, inspired by the Argentine writer, Jorge Luis Borges, whose “Fictions” explores how our world can be better understood through a blend of ancient myths and legends and observed reality.
“AlUla reinvents itself every day as a fundamental utopia of the 21st century,” Morand said. “The residency program offers a framework for creatives to integrate and meaningfully engage with the bigger project. It also provides an insight into how the community processes change. Ultimately, it steers us in the right direction, drawing on the artists’ perceptions and questions while offering time and an unparalleled context to develop their practice.”
At Art Basel, “Orbis Tertius” was displayed over four floors of the gallery at 5 rue Saint-Merri, a stone’s throw away from the Pompidou Center. The works were not confined to a single medium. The 20 contemporary artists presented 43 works that included paintings, sculptures, videos, photographs, poetry, calligraphy, brickmaking, installations and live performances.
In pride of place on the ground floor stood the 4.5 meter “The Guardian,” an aluminum sculpture by Kuwaiti artist Monira Al-Qadiri, whose work examines nature’s hostile retaliation to human presence in the environment. Her totemic sculpture is based on the Calotropis Procera, a plant native to the region, which grows on arid soil, and can survive for up to three years without a single drop of water. The Calotropis Procera secretes a milky substance that Bedouin lore has it can cause blindness.
The Jeddah-born multidisciplinary artist Anhar Salem works primarily in film. Her “A Day in AlUla” is a series of eight subtly beautiful social portrait vlogs documenting a day in the life of local and foreign AlUla residents.
.A still from Anhar Salem's 'A Day in AlUla.'(Supplied)
“I had to choose between approaching AlUla through its landscape and history or through its social and public aspects,” Salem said. “I ultimately chose the latter by simply talking to everyone I met from AlUla.”
Brothers Abdulrahman and Turki Gazzaz live and work in Jeddah, where they founded the architecture, design and experimental research studio Bricklab in 2015. During their residency, the brothers used rammed-earth techniques to develop a resilient material for construction unique to the region. Combining sand collected from different parts of AlUla with concrete, epoxy and other artificial additives, the bricks condense the storied narratives that make up AlUla today.
Jizan-based Reem Al-Nasser bases her work on anthropological study and concepts such as time, space and astrology. During her residency, she created “Alma of the North,” a structure of brilliant steel gates ornamented with archaeological and astronomical symbols found in AlUla’s history.
Riyadh-based Ayman Zedani’s immersive video installation “The Desert Keeper” was a result of research he had conducted on a parasitic plant from the Arabian desert over the past few years. It can acquire genes from its host plant, thus assuring the survival of its offspring. His work combined footage of the plants with a computer-generated journey through the cosmos and a voiceover by the writer and poet Wided Rihana Khdraoul.
Ayman Zedani's 'The Desert Keepers.' (Supplied)
“AlUla has long been a crossroads of cultures and a wellspring of creativity,” Nora Aldabal, executive director of arts and creative industries at the RCU, said in a press release. “With the AlUla Artist Residency Program, we are showcasing the extraordinary artistic vision flourishing in AlUla and demonstrating its power to bridge cultures and inspire dialogue.”
“Orbis Tertius,” she continued, was “a testament to incredible inspiration that artists and creatives discover in AlUla — a place where the world can connect with ancient history and experience contemporary artistic expressions. AlUla’s ambition for art, design and culture is to create a better future for the region, generating jobs and opportunities for cultural enrichment for those who live, work and visit there.”
Arab Week at UNESCO to showcase rich culture, heritage
Event will showcase the diversity of Arab cultural heritage and civilization while promoting intercultural dialogue and cultural development goals
Initiative reflects Saudi Arabia’s commitment to global engagement and received unanimous backing from Arab culture ministers at the ALECSO General Conference in May
Updated 23 October 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is organizing the inaugural Arab Week at UNESCO, set for Nov. 4-5 at its Paris headquarters.
This marks the first such event in more than 50 years of Arab-UNESCO relations, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
Supported by all Arab nations, the event will showcase the diversity of Arab cultural heritage and civilization while promoting intercultural dialogue and cultural development goals.
Organizing by Saudi Arabia’s National Commission for Education, Culture and Sciences, the event will highlight the Arab world’s artistic and literary traditions, creating a broad platform for cultural exchange.
The initiative reflects Saudi Arabia’s commitment to global engagement and received unanimous backing from Arab culture ministers at the ALECSO General Conference in May.
Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, minister of culture and chairman of the commission, has led the initiative, positioning Saudi Arabia as a key player in promoting regional and international cultural collaboration.
The program includes a marketplace for Arab cultural products, Arabic calligraphy exhibitions, UNESCO-listed heritage site displays, music, food demonstrations, traditional crafts, and fashion showcases.
Academic activities feature symposiums on novel writing, artificial intelligence, calligraphy, children’s literature, and poetry, alongside competitions and artist displays.
This event enhances Arab culture’s global standing, providing a platform to share its rich heritage and ideas while uniting Arab nations through shared values and contributing to global development.
