Saudi films win big with five Viddy awards and six Vega Digital gongs
Ra’ee Al-Ajrab, Horizon and Station 7 received a total of five platinum Viddy awards and six Vega Digital awards
Films were produced as part of the Ministry of Media’s Saudi Konoz initiative, which spotlights the nation’s hidden treasures, significant events, and cultural elements
Updated 27 June 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: Three films highlighting Saudi Arabia’s natural beauty and achievements under Vision 2030 have gained international recognition with a string of industry awards.
“Ra’ee Al-Ajrab,” “Horizon,” and “Station 7” received a total of five platinum Viddy awards and six Vega Digital awards.
The three films were produced as part of the Ministry of Media’s Saudi Konoz initiative, which spotlights the nation’s hidden treasures, significant events, and cultural elements.
“Ra’ee Al-Ajrab” received the Viddy award in cinematography, while “Horizon” was awarded in the integrated marketing plan category, Saudi Press Agency reported.
“Station 7” won two awards in the cinematography and documentary categories.
“Ra’ee Al-Ajrab” won Vega awards in the categories of directing, cinematography, and short films, while “Station 7” received the award in the marketing and long documentary categories.
“Horizon,” produced by the Konoz initiative in partnership with the National Center for Wildlife, showcases the natural beauty of Saudi Arabia, including more than 10,000 species of creatures, each uniquely adapting to its environment.
“Station 7” documents the achievements of Saudi Vision 2030 in its seventh year, 2023, highlighting progress achieved at various levels in the Kingdom.
Launched in 1995, the Viddy awards are administered by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals.
The Vega awards recognize outstanding work in the field of digital media marketing by professionals and organizations, and is run by the International Awards Associate.
Previously, the Konoz initiative won 12 awards in various international and local competitions, such as the Saudi Film Festival, Telly Awards, and Hermes Creative Awards.
The latest achievements increase the number of international awards received by the initiative this year to 23.
Saudi Konoz, part of the Human Capability Development Program under Vision 2030, aims to visually document the treasures of the Kingdom and contribute to a leap in artistic production.
It has presented several documentaries such as “Chapter 295,” “What Saudis Eat,” “Saudi Atlas,” “A Difficult Stage,” and “Ala Hadden Sawa.”
Dubai Design Week returns with brand new fair: Dubai Editions
As large-scale architectural and design installations take over the Gulf metropolis, the inaugural Dubai Editions is set to offer a mix of art, design and prints to appeal to the city’s changing demographics
Updated 06 November 2024
Rebecca Anne Proctor
DUBAI: Until Nov. 10, visitors to Dubai Design District can relish in riveting large-scale design installations, exhibitions and fairs dedicated to high-end and collectible design objects from the Gulf, wider Middle East and international markets.
The annual event, now in its 10th year, will present over 500 designers, professionals and brands from various creative industries, transforming the bustling UAE metropolis into a global hub for design and art.
Numerous returning elements include Abwab, an annual commission showcasing talents from across Southwest Asia and North Africa, dedicated this year to the theme of vernacular architecture and regenerative design processes through the utilization of local materials, climate-responsive techniques and community-centered designs.
Abwab this year will feature three regional practices that will present their work in pavilions across the Dubai Design District. These include “Present/Absent Mudhif” by Ola Saad Znad from Iraq, portraying the Marsh Arabs’ architectural heritage in Iraq using reeds and ancient Sumerian techniques; “ReRoot” by Jordanian-Palestinian Dima Al Srouri, Andy Cartier from France, Rosa Hamalainen from Finland and Palestinian-Lebanese Dahlia Hamati exploring emergency housing solutions through an ecological lens using palm waste and mycelium; and “Material Witnesses and Narrating Lifeforms” by Miriam Hillawi Abraham from Ethiopia, which draws inspiration from coral stone found in early settlements on the East African coast.
Other notable returning platforms include workshops in the Maker’s Space and the weekend Marketplace, offering one-of-a-kind handcrafted objects and cuisine.
In a dedicated section within the 10th edition of Downtown Design will be the new fair titled Dubai Editions. Featured are over 50 galleries, design studios and collectives from the region and internationally presenting editioned artworks, collectible design objects and furniture and editioned prints.
The new fair reflects the changing demographic of Dubai, Pablo del Val, artistic director of Art Dubai, told Arab News.
“The fair is extremely exciting because it represents the shifts taking place in the city,” said Del Val. “There are many new generations of people that have recently moved to Dubai that have different collecting needs.
“People are beginning to buy properties that are arranged in new ways with different needs,” he added.
Participants include Dubai and New York-based Leila Heller; renowned Lebanese carpetmaker Iwan Maktabi, which opened its new flagship showroom in Dubai’s Jumeirah 3 featuring the first-ever global shop-in-shop for Italian contemporary rug company, cc tapis; Dastan from Tehran; Comptoir de Mines Galerie from Marrakech; Studio Bazazo and Fadi Basbous Studio from Lebanon; and spaces from Dubai, including Gulf Photo Plus, The Urbanist, Meem Gallery and Zawyeh Gallery.
“The fair offers a great concept of presenting works that are less expensive by our artists,” Leila Heller told Arab News. “Our artists became so inspired to create new prints and sculptures that are available in editions. The fair also offers works on paper, so our artists have created smaller works in paper as well.”
Heller will present works by artists such as Farideh Lashai, Reza Aramesh, Keith Haring, Darvish Fakhr, Azza Al Qubaisi and Stephany Sanossian.
Iwan Maktabi is showing a carpet designed by acclaimed Emirati artist Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim. CEO Mohamed Maktabi said they switched their booth from Downtown Design to Dubai Editions and are launching what he calls “Iwan Maktabi: Artist Edition,” presenting the brand’s special carpet collaborations with artists.
While Dubai Design Week will offer much to see and experience, it represents a shift and growth in Dubai’s recent population that has sought out the Gulf city as a new place to call home.
As Del Val put it: “Everything starts to change when you belong to a community where you expect to live for a much longer period of time.
“This (fair) could be an incubator for things to come.”
Exploring innovation at ‘Behind the Curtains: Scenes of Craft’ exhibition in Saudi Arabia
Step backstage to experience the creative processes of 10 renowned design studios, where failure fuels creativity
Updated 05 November 2024
Hind Al-Khunaizi
DHAHRAN: As a part of the annual Tanween conference at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, the “Behind the Curtains: Scenes of Craft” exhibition stands out as a captivating exploration of creativity, resilience and innovation in the world of design.
The exhibition, aligned with the Tanween 2024 theme “Fail Forward,” invites visitors to embrace the beauty of setbacks as vital stepping stones in the creative process.
The exhibition, aligned with the Tanween 2024 theme “Fail Forward,” invites visitors to embrace the beauty of setbacks as vital stepping stones in the creative process.
(Courtesy of Ithra Studios)
Curated and designed in collaboration with Isola Studio, the exhibition showcases the works of 10 internationally acclaimed studios specializing in crafts, circular design and material research, and is on until Nov. 6.
“The idea of staging the exhibition led us to the name ‘Behind the Curtains’ because we want to show what’s behind what you see, through a theater approach,” Gabriele Cavallaro, co-founder of Isola Studio, told Arab News.
“We asked studios to display their latest projects, not just the final results, but also the process, including failures, trials, and broken pieces. This highlights that reaching successful design involves going through mistakes and challenges.”
Curated and designed in collaboration with Isola Studio, the exhibition showcases the works of 10 internationally acclaimed studios specializing in crafts, circular design and material research.
(Courtesy of Ithra Studios)
Each studio provided a behind-the-scenes glimpse into their artistic processes, sharing inspirations, prototypes, and materials that did not make the final cut. This transparency highlighted the essential nature of experimentation in design.
At the heart of the exhibition lies an interactive workshop area, where visitors can partake in hands-on activities including sketching, molding, and experimenting with various materials, allowing them to experience the creative process firsthand.
This interactive component emphasizes that creativity is often a non-linear journey filled with exploration and discovery.
The “Fail Forward” theme runs throughout the exhibition, encouraging visitors to see failures as essential learning experiences. By sharing their struggles and lessons, the design studios inspire visitors to embrace their own creative challenges.
Cavallaro expressed his hopes for visitors, stating: “I want them to understand the importance of taking risks in life to achieve success.”
Hia Hub session highlights vital role of pharmacies in Saudi Arabia’s growing skincare market
Updated 06 November 2024
Rahaf Jambi
RIYADH: Industry leaders discussed the evolving role of pharmacies in skincare during a session at Hia Hub, Saudi Arabia’s fashion, beauty and lifestyle conference, held in Riyadh’s JAX District from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3.
The session, titled “Re-Defining the Pharmacy Channels in Skincare,” brought together prominent figures, including Charlotte Devaux, general manager of wellness and masstige, Pierre Juhen, group president of Patyka, Mahmoud Mamdouh, CEO of Whites Pharmacy, and Cynthia Kattar, editorial director of Hia Magazine.
Mamdouh emphasized the pivotal role of trust in pharmacy skincare. He said: “When discussing pharmacies and skincare, the main concept is trust.”
(AN/ Huda Bashatah)
Over the past 15 years, pharmacies have cultivated strong relationships with customers, who often turn to pharmacists for personalized skincare consultations, he said.
Devaux added to the discussion by highlighting social media’s impact on consumer behavior.
(AN/ Huda Bashatah)
She said that while platforms such as TikTok and Instagram offered abundant information, consumers still preferred advice from trusted pharmacists. “Wellness has become a priority for consumers, driving the growth of skincare,” she said. “This reliance on pharmacies as credible sources of information and products is crucial in a marketplace filled with conflicting messages.”
Juhen elaborated on the expansive reach of pharmacies. In Saudi Arabia, there are about 6,000 pharmacy locations, compared to 20,000 in France, he said.
(AN/ Huda Bashatah)
He said that this dynamic retail channel had shown resilience, even during challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, where the pharmacy segment in France experienced growth of 4 percent.
Juhen highlighted the universal appeal of pharmacies and said: “Everyone visits pharmacies, regardless of age or socioeconomic status,” making them essential points of contact in the community.
The session concluded with a consensus among the speakers on the importance of pharmacies in the skincare sector. As trusted providers of personalized advice and quality products, pharmacies were well-positioned to lead the growth of skincare, they said.
Displaced Gazan artists’ work on display in ‘Under Fire’
An exhibition in Amman shows works smuggled out of Gaza during the ongoing Israeli assault
Updated 01 November 2024
Rawaa Talass
DUBAI: A couple tenderly embracing each other; a family gathering; a flowering cactus; and a sunset colored in pink, yellow and orange. Such imagery represents some of the delicate drawings produced by four displaced Gazan artists, whose works are currently being showcased at Darat Al-Funun, an art center in Amman.
Other images on display make for less comfortable viewing: exhausted people with missing limbs; men kneeling blindfolded in their underwear; women and children whose eyes are wide with terror.
“Under Fire,” which runs until the end of the year, consists of around 80 artworks by Palestinian artists Basel Al-Maqousi, Majed Shala, Raed Issa and Sohail Salem. All four have been forced from their homes due to the ongoing Israeli assault on the Gaza strip, which began in October 2023.
A piece by Basel Al-Maqousi from the series 'I Draw with Love, not with War.' (Supplied)
For the exhibition’s curator, Mohammad Shaqdih, receiving the artists’ highly-charged artworks proved to be a cathartic experience. “I was following their work on social media, but when (the pieces) reached Amman and I held them in my hands, I cried at first, to be honest,” Shaqdih tells Arab News. “I was in a state of sadness and I don’t know why. While I was looking through them, I would take a drawing and then quickly put it away. There’s so much death, sadness and blood in these works. At the same time, they embody a form of resilience and resistance. They have life.”
Organizing any art exhibition comes with its own set of challenges, but planning “Under Fire” was exceptionally difficult. According to Shaqdih, communicating with the artists through messaging applications and having their works transported across the border were the main issues faced by the curatorial team.
Raed Issa, 'Friends.' (Supplied)
In May and June 2024, around 100 artworks were taken from Gaza to Egypt. In early October, the works reached Jordan. “These works were passing through some conditions that were dangerous. Some of works were damaged or torn apart,” explains Shaqdih. “It was an adventure taking these works out of Gaza, but, thank God, they reached us.”
The surviving artworks — predominantly sketches and line drawings — were created, by necessity, using the most basic of materials. Raed Issa, for instance, created his figurative images on medical aid packages using tea as a coloring base. Sohail Salem drew intensely-lined pen drawings in school notebooks provided by the UN Relief and Works Agency.
Al-Maqousi is showcasing a series of drawings of daily life in crowded camps. “He said: ‘These works are not paintings or works of art for people to see or buy. They are a part of our bodies,’” Shaqdih says.
Sohail Salem, 'Tala Abu Ajwa, Girl Skater.' (Supplied)
Thematically, the artworks — which are being sold to benefit the artists — are simple and touching. They evoke despair, loss and confusion, but there are elements of hope, love and beauty. One of Issa’s images of two young individuals, depicted with unclear features, is slightly enlivened by the red flowers they hold in their hands.
“When you read the artists’ incredible accompanying statements, they’re full of human feelings,” Shaqdih says. “What they’re saying is that despite everything they’re going through with this genocide, they are still standing strong and resisting even if it’s through the act of drawing the daily massacres. They’re still able to work and express their existence as human beings under all the ugliness in this world. It’s a form of resistance and resilience.”
Majed Shala, born in Gaza in 1960, is one of the exhibition’s participants. His works in “Under Fire” depict personal memories, scenes of nature, and life under bombardment.
Shala’s home and studio were destroyed more than a year ago and he lost all of his artworks. “Under the sound of nonstop bombing, we were (told) to leave our area. We didn’t know where to go,” he tells Arab News. Shala is currently in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, where, he says, “the situation is continuously difficult. There is no safety and there are no essential supplies.”
On a positive note, he says he feels a sense of pride at having his sketches on display in Amman, a city he loves and where he has many friends.
“I hope that the world stands by those who have the rights, who own the land,” says Shala, “and doesn’t simply watch indifferently from a distance.”
DUBAI: The Future Generation Art Prize, one of the art world’s most prestigious prizes initiated in Ukraine in 2009, has announced its 2024 winners. Among the recipients are multidisciplinary artists who are associated with the Arab world.
The main $100,000 prize was granted to Dhaka-based artist, Ashfika Rahman. Other “Special Prize” winners include Iraqi-Kurdish artist, Tara Abdullah Mohammed Sharif, Palestinian artist Dina Mimi, Pakistani artist Hira Nabi, Indonesian-born artist Ipeh Nur, and Zhang Xu Zhan, who was born in Taiwan.
Special Prize winners will share a $20,000 pot between them to support the development of their projects.
Ashfika Rahman. (Supplied)
The prize’s 21 shortlisted artists are displaying their works at the PinchukArtCenter in Kyiv until Jan. 19, 2025 amid a recovering domestic art scene following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“A lot of artists are still actively present. Obviously, many artists in the beginning of the war have escaped but many also stayed,” artistic director of PinchukArtCenter and jury member, Björn Geldhof, told Arab News. “What is important is that from the very start of the war, artists were looking for ways to engage, and when I say ‘engage’, I don’t only mean through art, but how can they be functional in a situation like this? How can they serve their country?”
Ashfika Rahman. (Supplied)
The prize’s participants this year are exploring a thoughtful range of topics, expressed through immersive installations. According to a press release, what is “recurring through the exhibition is the exploration of local histories and mythologies to overcome historical trauma and the long-lasting effects of wars, as well as the process of liberation from the oppression of colonial influence.”
What sets the Future Generation Art Prize apart from others in the field is its focus on championing up-and-coming artists who are 35 years old or younger from around the world.
The curators of the exhibition. (Supplied)
One of the main issues facing emerging artists is a lack of access to curators, galleries and museum professionals to help boost their careers and encourage their artistic practice, according to Geldhof.
“We want to really speak to an emerging generation with the strong belief that they kind of imagine the future,” he said. “They are dealing with concerns differently than the middle generation, so to speak. . . They imagine, in a very different way, how the world can look like.”
