A growing interest in contemporary art in Saudi Arabia is creating a steady increase in the number of artists, which is slowly but surely going to put them at par with their international counterparts.
A large audience gathered at Dar Al-Hekma College on Jan. 19 and 20 for the 16th Senior Students’ Exhibition of its Interior Design Program.
The Changing Middle East: A New Look at Regional Dynamics” by Bahgat Korany is a response to the widely held opinion that very little is changing for the better in the Middle East. The Lebanese quagmire has spread to Iraq, Sudan and Somalia, and the Palestinian question still seems far away from a solution. However, this vision of the Middle East is only partially true; underneath the surface, a cauldron is boiling with discontent, disillusions and rage.
In Al-Andalus, gardens had more than just an aesthetic role. The orchards grew aromatic plants, fruit trees and vegetables not only to please the senses of sight and smell, but also for agricultural purposes. This aspect introduces the contribution of the era to not only religion but also to enrichment of natural resources and food sources.
LOS ANGELES: Mega-selling mystery author Dan Brown has taken over writing duties on the film adaptation of "The Lost Symbol."
ROSEVILLE, California: Fire officials say a Northern California mall was evacuated after nearly 5,000 holiday revelers showed up for a "flash mob" organized by a local choral society.
NEW YORK: Police stopped a driver for running a red light and discovered more than 500 pounds of marijuana inside his minivan, authorities said on Monday.
PARIS: British rocker Peter Doherty, who is to make his acting debut in Paris this month, said he is taking dance lessons to prepare for his new role.
The boundaries between professional historiography, moral commitment and fiction have been re-examined in new publications on the troubled land of Israel and Palestine. Professor Ilan Pappe, an acclaimed political historian from the University of Exeter and expert on Palestinian-Israeli relations, has recently published four challenging books.
French surgeon Dr. Maurice Bucaille (1920-1998) had a growing interest in studying Qur’anic verses in the light of science; consequently, he analyzed if they are compatible with modern science. Yet, he was not satisfied with the English and French translations of the Holy Qur’an that was available to him. Instead, he wanted to study the verses in their original language: Arabic.
No change in the Arabian Peninsula’s history has had so sudden and profound an effect as the revelation of Islam. Islam had a decisive and almost instantaneous impact on the material culture of Arabia as the archaeological finds from the Kingdom exhibited first in Paris and now in Barcelona show.
The Saudi Arabian exhibition, formerly at the Louvre, re-opened as Rutas de Arabia: Los tesoros arqueológicos de Arabia Saudí en España on Nov. 12 at La Caixa Foundation, Barcelona, Spain. It is open until Feb. 20, 2011.
The changes in Arabia that set in with the Bronze Age were incremental and far-reaching and the objects from Saudi Arabia displayed at the Louvre repeatedly demonstrated the point. These changes extended far beyond the implications of smelting metal, however useful a technical ability.
The magnificent objects displayed in the Routes d’Arabie — Archéologie et histoire du royaume d’Arabie saoudite, Roads of Arabia exhibition, at the Musée du Louvre in Paris and the intellectual coherency of the presentation gave an entirely new view of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its complex past.
I became familiar with James Zogby as soon as I arrived in the Kingdom in 1980, thanks to Arab News, which has regularly published his articles. For the past 40 years, Zogby has been trying to create a better understanding between the Arab world and the American people. He founded the Palestine Human Rights Campaign, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and Save Lebanon, but he is mostly known for creating the Arab American Institute in 1985, of which he is still president.
ROME: Another part of the 2,000-year-old Roman-era site at Pompeii crumbled on Tuesday, provoking more attacks on the Italian government from critics who say two collapses this month underscore the need for urgent action.
Wednesday 1 December 2010
A man with a transcendent vision and a remarkable skill to convey his thoughts through artwork and imagery, Abdulnasser Gharem is driven to go beyond the borders of his mind, his environment and without a doubt, his canvas.
WASHINGTON: At some point after leaving the White House, every ex-president comes up with his own version of his time in office. It's partly an attempt to frame history, partly a time to settle scores, always a way to reenter the spotlight, if only briefly.
Lebanese artist Mustafa Khalidy’s paintings are sometimes mistaken for art done by children. In fact, that is exactly what he aims for.
Seventeen graphic design students of Dar Al-Hekma College hosted their graduation graphic exhibition titled NAVAID from Navigation Aid on Jan. 11 and 12. In the two-day event, students showcased their ideas and projects in small cubicles where they explained them to audiences.
Culture has no boundary and always transcends geographical limits. This was evident recently at Al-Falah International Delhi Public School (DPS) Jeddah's Annual Day program when its students, all Indians, performed the popular traditional Saudi sword dance “Al-Ardha.”
Social responsibility has become the focus of many young Saudis. They try to help unfortunate people with whatever they can do. Some donate money, food and clothing. Others dedicate their time and energy to help people in need by cleaning their neighborhoods, houses or by offering physical help.
Passementerie is a French word used to describe any item such as braids, cords, pompoms, tassels, tiebacks, rosettes or decorative fringes, used as an embellishment to clothing or soft furnishing. assels and decorative trims have been used for both fashion and interiors for centuries.
The Edge of Arabia Istanbul: Transition is the latest international exhibition by Saudi Arabian artists. It has been among the contributions to Istanbul’s year as European Capital of Culture 2010. The organizers of Edge of Arabia Istanbulwere perceptive in recognizing that this year, Istanbul has been the right place to be.
The new style guidebook, “Culture Shock! Pakistan,” written by Zafar Ihsan and Karin Mittmann, tells visitors how to respond when faced with expected culture shock in Pakistan.
More than 300 children gathered at Roshana Mall last Thursday to compete in a reading competition. The competition was organized by Saudi publisher, Thuraya Batarji, who published the first Arabic children’s adventure book, “Moghamarat Bizarro Wa Qarasinat Al Ba7r” ("Bizarro’s Adventures and the Pirates of the Sea").
Princess Basma Al-Saud recently opened an art exhibition showcasing the work of students at Dar Al-Hekma College. The event — titled Room No. 5 — displayed five different styles of art: Photography, interior design, graphic design, fashion and creative art.
Moved by the 2006 Israeli attack on Lebanon, Kinda Hibrawi decided to participate in the humanitarian relief efforts as an estimated one million people were displaced and homeless. Thanks to her artistic talents, she decided to produce a limited edition print inspired by a poem written by the Syrian poet, Nizar Qabbani, and sung by the Lebanese singer, Majdah Al-Roumi.
Abu Bakr Omar, also known as Bakri, is a photographer, graphic designer and art director. He is also the founder of B&A; visual communication consultants, and founder of THE PASSIONATES for photography and digital manipulation.
Late September, a delegation of nine international journalists arrived in America’s heartland to take part in a press tour that promised to offer an “introduction to military structure, function, strategy, tactics and training.”
Located in southwestern Syria, in an oasis at the base of the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, is a city that has long been praised for its beauty and lushness. Referred to as “the Pearl of the East” and “the City of Jasmine,” this remarkable city is in fact Syria’s capital, Damascus.
The evocative title, “Gardens of Sand” by Issam Nassar, Patricia Almarcegui, and Clark Worswick lures us to the heart of the Orient with a collection of rare 19th-century photographs of Egypt, Arabia, Turkey and the Levant.
