French Algerian singer Lolo Zouai goes goth at ‘The Crow’ premiere
French Algerian singer Lolo Zouai goes goth at ‘The Crow’ premiere/node/2568857/lifestyle
French Algerian singer Lolo Zouai goes goth at ‘The Crow’ premiere
French Algerian singer-songwriter Lolo Zouai embraced gothic fashion on the red carpet at the New York premiere of the upcoming comic book adaptation, “The Crow.” (Getty Images)
French Algerian singer Lolo Zouai goes goth at ‘The Crow’ premiere
Updated 26 August 2024
Arab News
DUBAI: French Algerian singer-songwriter Lolo Zouai embraced gothic fashion on the red carpet at the New York premiere of the upcoming comic book adaptation, “The Crow.”
Zouai, who divides her time between Brooklyn and Los Angeles, took to Instagram to share images of her all-black, lacy ensemble.
“The Crow,” by filmmaker Rupert Standers, stars Bill Skarsgard as Eric Draven, who is murdered alongside his girlfriend Shelly, played by singer-songwriter FKA Twigs in her second feature film role.
Existing somewhere between life and death, Eric transforms into the invincible superhero known as The Crow, who is determined to avenge the tragedy and sacrifice himself to rescue Shelly. Sanders’ new adaptation of James O’Barr’s comic book series arrives 30 years after the original 1994 film.
Meanwhile, Zouai, known for her unique blend of R&B, club-pop and hip-hop, has gained an international fanbase for her dynamic stage presence and genre-blending music.
Her career highlights include the release of her debut album, “High Highs to Low Lows,” in 2019 and her follow-up album “PLAYGIRL” in 2022.
In April, Zouai took to Instagram to celebrate the five-year anniversary of her debut album. “Happy 5 years to the album that started it all,” she wrote. “Thank you to all my lil lo-riders for being on this ride with me from the beginning.”
To celebrate the milestone, Zouai brought back merchandise pieces originally created at the time of her debut album, including some signed clothing.
Second album “PLAYGIRL,” released in October 2022, featured 13 songs. The singer was featured on a billboard in New York’s Times Square and she shared a video of herself posing in front of it.
“I always said that one day, I would be on a billboard in Times Square. Today is that day,” she said in the short clip.
An expansive tour in 2023 included 30 dates across North America and Europe, including the US, Canada, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
DUBAI: Here are the major acts performing at this year’s festival, which runs Sept. 19-21 in AlUla.
James Blake
(Getty Images)
The UK singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, Grammy winner, and in-demand DJ and producer has managed the rare feat of maintaining both critical and commercial success for the majority of his career since first coming to prominence in his homeland with his eponymous 2011 debut album. That’s a feat which is even more impressive when you consider his penchant for stylistic experimentation, inspired by his love of electronic music. But whatever’s going on musically, his soulful soprano and smart, honest lyrics are a constant — his popularity as a collaborator among hip-hop’s A-listers tells you plenty about the latter.
Top tracks: “I Need A Forest Fire,” “Coming Back,” “Say What You Will,” “Where’s The Catch?”
The Blaze
(Getty Images)
Paris-based ambient electronic music duo consisting of cousins Jonathan and Guilluame Alric. They’re not the most prolific of acts — releasing just eight singles and two albums in seven years — but the high-quality of their output, not just in terms of songs, but visually too (their music videos have led to headlines like Fader’s “Somebody Give The Blaze an Oscar Already”), suggests that’s a wise strategy. Their music is a slow-burn delight that combines elements of pop, house, and dub to create something all their own. “Blaze” is French slang for “name,” but, Guillaume told Fader, “the principal meaning is warm and strong things — love, and hope.”
Top tracks: “Territory,” “Heaven,” “She,” “Places”
Ben Bohmer
(Getty Images)
Critically acclaimed German DJ-producer whose live shows generally see him embellish his tracks with live synthesizers and effects. He’s known for his progressive house sound, which also incorporates indie electronica elements. The Azimuth audience may well get to hear some as-yet-unreleased material too, as his new album, “Bloom,” drops Sept. 27.
Top tracks: “Breathing,” “Begin Again,” “Home”
Jamie Jones
(AFP)
The Los Angeles-based Welsh DJ-producer is a busy man. Not content with putting out a regular stream of his own music and being a good enough DJ to top Resident Advisor’s rankings in 2011, he’s also a member of the band Hot Natured, head of a record label, host of a radio show, and founder of online store House of Hot, which sells clothing, records, and artwork. In an interview with Wales Online, Jones credited his mother for giving him the emotional support to pursue his dreams of a career in music. He recalled that she told him she didn’t care what he did as long as he was happy, “and I think to hear that from your parent at an early age allows you the freedom to not care about some of the other pressures that life throws at you.”
Top tracks: “Lose My Mind,” “Fine Fine Baby,” “Summertime,” “La Musa”
Seth Troxler
(Getty Images)
The American DJ-producer famed for his mammoth live sets topped the Resident Advisor Top 100 DJs poll the year after Jamie Jones, in 2012. Like Jones, he’s a keen entrepreneur — founder of several labels and also owner of a barbeque restaurant in London, Smokey Tails. He’s known primarily on house and techno music, with a solid grounding in the Detroit (he’s a Michigan native) and Chicago sounds. But that’s not the sum of his music by any means. As he told Forbes in an interview last year, “The best genre is no genre. I try really not to be definable.”
Top tracks: “(still) WON’T4GETU,” “Hate,” “Dead Room; Trust; Dexter”
Ghostly Kisses
(Getty Images)
French-Canadian singer-songwriter Margaux Sauve heads up this musical project, which is also a collaboration with producer Louis-Etienne Santais, her real-life partner. Sauve’s singular vocals and gift for melodic melancholy have brought Ghostly Kisses international acclaim, although their most-recent album “Darkroom” saw a shift in atmosphere. Sauve told Montreal Rocks shortly before its release, “So far our music has been felt, mainly, for our introvert fans, but we wanted them also to feel it in their body and be able to move with the music. That was kind of a goal. I think this album is a bit more affirmative and maybe a bit more confident.” In that same interview, Sauve also mentioned that Ghostly Kisses’ fans are “mainly from” overseas, citing Saudi Arabia as one of the countries where her music is most popular.
Top tracks: “Empty Note,” “Golden Eyes,” “There’s No More Space”
‘The Camel Through the Ages’ exhibition opens at Ithra
New exhibition ties in with Ministry of Culture’s Year of the Camel
Updated 13 September 2024
Jasmine Bager
DHAHRAN: The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) is currently hosting “The Camel Through the Ages” exhibition at its Dhahran headquarters in collaboration with the Riyadh-based Layan Cultural Foundation. The show runs until Nov. 1 in a year designated by the Ministry of Culture as the Year of the Camel.
“Camels have long occupied a special place in the societies of the Arabian Peninsula, including the kingdom of Saudi Arabia; they were a means of transportation across vast distances, crossing mountains, valleys, and deserts, similar to ship movements within the sea waves,” Ithra said in a statement.
In an emotional keynote speech at the opening of the exhibition, LCF founder, Prince Faissal bin Abdullah bin Mohammed, expressed the significance of the camel to the Kingdom’s cultural heritage and as a symbol of strength and resilience.
Prince Faissal bin Abdullah at the opening of 'The Camel Through the Ages.' (Supplied)
Ghada Al-Tobaishi, executive director of the LCF said: “We are very pleased to cooperate with Ithra (on this) exhibition. This academic and cultural project aims to enrich the knowledge of many important facts of cultural heritage of past eras.”
Last year, the LCF published a two-volume Arabic-language book about camels, in cooperation with the King Abdulaziz Public Library. That was the inspiration for the current exhibition at Ithra. Some of the works were commissioned specifically for the exhibition, while others were part of the book. The show is curated by Kumail Muhammed Almusaly with the help of Maryam Al-Dossary.
“We, at Ithra, reached out to Layan Cultural Foundation to collaborate on an exhibit specifically for the Year of the Camel,” Almusaly told Arab News. “And it fits very well with the intent of this gallery, which focuses on the history of Saudi Arabia.
Digital mosaics created at the Layan Cultural Foundation for 'The Camel Through the Ages.' (Supplied)
“We came up with five themes in order to create a journey in which the visitor could flow freely between the artworks — it is not a linear journey,” he added.
The five themes are: the camel as an iconic symbol of the Arabian identity; the camel as a meditative or spiritual connection — especially through Qur’anic verses; the camel as a source of pride in camel races and as part of the family; camels as part of oral or folk history; and camels as a companion, in times of rest and travel.
The first thing visitors see on entering the exhibition space is a collection of paintings, including a 2013 work by Saudi artist Abdulrahman Al-Soliman entitled “The Camel is not a Ship.”
'The Camel Through the Ages,' the two-volume book that was the inspiration for the exhibition. (Supplied)
“This is a statement by a pioneering artist,” Almusaly said. “(It’s) a piece that ‘corrects’ our perception toward camels. He is using text over the painting, which states that the camel is ‘not the ship of the desert.’ He wants to convert that perception back to the reality that the camel is a creature — it is not an object.”
This section of the exhibition also includes digital mosaics created by the LCF, alongside works from international and local artists. “There is a part where we switch to how Western artists have looked at Eastern culture — how they are examining the camel and Arabic culture from their perspective,” Almusaly explained.
After the paintings, the show moves on to sculptures of various styles and sizes, to photographs, to old coins and a few traditional garments. Arabic calligraphy is a part of many of the pieces.
According to Almusaly, the LCF has been instrumental in “maintaining culture, maintaining history and preserving culture through these materials,” bringing in experts to examine each object and in order to elevate our overall understanding of the camel.
The exhibition provides an opportunity to examine the camel through the eyes of various artists, and through a visual language that is steeped in Saudi identity, highlighting the vital role the camel has played in the Kingdom’s cultural and economic progress throughout history.
Saudi rapper Asayel discusses her debut single, ‘Asliyah’
Updated 13 September 2024
Adam Grundey
DUBAI: Saudi rapper, singer and songwriter Asayel Bishi (who uses just her first name as an artist) has released her debut single, “Asliyah” on MDLBeast Records. In it, according to a press release, she “addresses naysayers and doubters with a playful smirk, her words laced with Hejazi slang (Bishi was born and raised in Makkah but now lives in Jeddah) and a wisdom beyond her years.”
The song is billed as “a statement of intent” and will serve, for most, as an introduction to Bishi’s music. Her flow, on this track at least, is deliberate, closer to a spoken-word performance than a rap. And that was a conscious decision, she says.
She released her debut single, “Asliyah” on MDLBeast Records. (Supplied)
“I’m actually telling a story. I’m not really rapping and I’m not singing,” she says. “It’s like I’m talking to someone. This is stuff that really happened to me and stuff that I really want people to know. I’m basically telling how people have mocked my style. And the reasons why they don’t like my style. And at the end, I’m saying, like, ‘OK. I’m here. And I’m entering the scene.’”
The colorful accompanying video was shot on the streets of Jeddah.
“All the locations in the video are very famous (here). The director (Ahmed Lebleb) wanted to reflect the image that, here in Jeddah, you can do these (creative) things. It’s not just about the beach and swimming,” Bishi explains.
The colorful accompanying video was shot on the streets of Jeddah. (Supplied)
“Asliyah,” Bishi tells Arab News, was the first song she wrote in Arabic.
“When I started out, I was writing in English, but when I started working with MDLBeast, they told me, ‘OK, now you need to focus on the Arabic side because you need to communicate with your community,’” she says. “They also told me about other artists — local artists — I should be listening to, like Moayad and Dafencii.”
It’s been an inspiring change, Bishi explains. “I have purpose now,” she says. “I want to do it to improve myself, but also to encourage other girls to go out and to sing, to perform, to write, to rap… to build this female music community.”
Founder of Saudi Arabia’s fine art movement Safeya Binzagr dies at 84
Pioneer forged a path of opportunities for many artists to follow
Her first exhibition was in 1968
Updated 13 September 2024
Arab News
JEDDAH: Saudi artist Safeya Binzagr, best known as the pioneer of the Kingdom’s fine art movement, died on Thursday and will be buried tomorrow after Friday prayers. She was 84.
Jeddah and Our Sweet Days Foundation mourned her death in an obituary post on X saying: “With great sadness and sorrow, Jeddah and Our Sweet Days Foundation mourns the esteemed professor Safeya Binzagr, who passed away today Sept. 12, 2024. Prayers will be held for her tomorrow, immediately after Friday prayers, at Al-Jafali Mosque, and her body will be buried in the cemetery of Umna Hawwa.”
Born in 1940, Binzagr forged a path of opportunities for many artists to follow.
Along with her friend, Mounirah Mosly, she was one of two female artists to hold the first art exhibition in the Kingdom in 1968.
Born in Jeddah, Binzagr began her education in Cairo, completed high school education, and spent three years at a finishing school in England. In 1976 she obtained a diploma in art and design at Central Saint Martins, London.
In 1964 in Jeddah, Binzagr witnessed the rapid changes impacting all aspects of life, in clothes, customs and habits. She began her artistic journey inspired to record social history, traditions and folklore.
Her first exhibition was in 1968. Binzagr authored the books “Saudi Arabia: An Artist’s View of the Past” and “A Three-Decade Journey with Saudi Heritage.”
In 1995, she established “Darat Safeya Binzagr,” a cultural center containing her artwork, cultural collection, studio, and an art and literature library.
She was honored in 2017 by King Salman bin Abdulaziz for her contribution to Saudi art and culture with the King Abdulaziz Medal-First Class.
ISLAMABAD: Fatima Salman, a 43-year-old miniature painter, found solace in art after being diagnosed with cancer in 2019, using her brush and canvas as therapy to overcome the disease and paint her way to healing.
Nearly five years later, she curated the two-day Connecting Dots art exhibition at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) this week, featuring the work of nine cancer survivors whose techniques range from oil, watercolors, mixed media and calligraphy.
Cancer has become a growing burden in Pakistan in recent years, posing a significant cause for concern. An International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) report in 2021 says the proportion of newly diagnosed cancers is 0.18 million in Pakistan, the number of cancer fatalities is 0.11 million, and the number of prevalent cases (5 year) is 0.32 million. In Asia, Pakistan regionally represents the most significant breast cancer rate, with one out of nine women now having a lifetime risk of the disease. Pakistan also has one of the highest breast cancer mortality rates globally.
“Initially, after my diagnosis, I had taken a little break from painting,” Salman, who graduated from Lahore’s renowned National College of Arts in 2001, told Arab News at the exhibition.
Pakistani artist Fatima Salman gestures as she displays her artworks during the two-day Connecting Dots art exhibition at the Pakistan National Council of Arts on September 11, 2024. (AN Photo)
“But soon I felt a void … So, that’s when I thought that I don’t have much time, and I have so much work to do. So, I started painting, that was my therapy.”
Even after her recovery from stage four metastatic cancer, Salman said her creative work proved vital for her to open a new chapter of hope in her life.
“As I went through all the life-changing challenges, I thought that I could not be the only one going through this,” she added.
Salman then started looking for other cancer survivors interested in exhibiting their artwork.
“The basic idea is to create a platform for artists who can just come together and voice their feelings through art,” she said about the exhibition this week, which also saw the launch of a deeply personal memoir, My Cancer Journey, by Shirin Gheba Najib.
Pakistani artist Shirin Gheba Najib speaks to former Pakistani culture minister, Jamal Shah, during the two-day Connecting Dots art exhibition at the Pakistan National Council of Arts on September 11, 2024. (AN Photo)
A 70-year-old retired school principal, Najib said painting had always been a “constant” in her life since she completed her first oil painting at the age of 12 but she had to put her passion on hold when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021.
Weakened by the illness and the relentless trips to the hospital, she found refuge in writing instead.
“I used to take my laptop to chemotherapy as each session used to take six to eight hours, where [one could] write very freely,” Najib told Arab News.
The articles crafted while battling for her life became the foundation for the newly launched book and also gave Najib the impetus to go back to painting.
“Now that I’m completely out of cancer, which was within 15 months, now I’ve started painting again,” she said with a smile.
Speaking to Arab News, another artist, Ambreen Rashid Khan, reflected her newfound appreciation for life following her battle with stage 4 breast cancer, diagnosed four years ago.
“It’s strange,” the 65-year-old retired schoolteacher said. “You take life for granted until something like this happens. After that you learn that your time is short. So that is it, I love color and I love happiness.”
Khan said she started painting flowers in bright colors after her recovery as a display of her “gratitude and happiness.”
Experimenting with both oil and watercolors, she said her aim was to paint life and nature itself.
Asked about her ambition, she said that she wanted to “leave something behind” as her legacy but also to live out the rest of her days “in happiness.”
Sixty-year-old Nafisa Ather, an Islamic calligrapher, also said painting became her biggest source of solace when she was diagnosed with cancer.
“Cancer struck me [and] the thing which I didn’t have in me before was the fear that you are going to die,” she told Arab News. “And I just felt that I still have to fulfill some of my responsibilities, which have not been fulfilled. So, I think that gave me courage.”
Painting had helped her fight her fear of death, Ather said.
“You are creating something, you are making something and actually you forget your fear. That’s the beauty of it.
“Don’t give up on life,” she added. “If you give up, you’ll lose the battle. You have to believe you will survive.”
