A Dean Project curated group exhibition at the Sultan Gallery, Kuwait City, opening on May 7, 2013

Dean Project gallery is pleased to present Cloud 9, a curated group exhibition that includes painting, photography and sculpture.

Expressions of happiness and euphoria are the common theme in this exhibition, though the works explore these ideas using different modes of inquiry. While some feature a literal representation of imagery associated with these concepts, others incorporate historical, social, and spiritual references to evoke ideas of happiness and euphoria.

Nawaf Alali

In the latest of our series where we invite Kuwait’s artists to express their art through words, we meet photographer Nawaf Alali.

Fatina Al Sayed, and the joy of sharing inspiration and art
Emotions with Motions, Fatina Al Sayed’s latest art exhibition, and marked a new beginning, a renaissance for Fatina’s work as art curator. Her inspiration came during a trip to Istanbul, Turkey, where she visited a museum for contemporary art. Showcased there was a piece of video -art portraying a woman applying lipstick and kissing everything around her,

“First He Wrought, and Afterward He Taught”
Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales

Curated by Simin Dehghani

Dar Al Funoon is proud to host Dr. Parviz Tanavoli and his students for an exhibition of sculptures (small format) and jewelry on the 17th of December 2012. At 6pm Dr. Tanavoli will be present at the opening.

Dar al Funoon

Greece, today, is better known for its ‘economic austerity’ than its artistic profligacy. So it was a refreshing reminder of the creative fire that still burns deep within the nation to meet Natassa Georgopoulou and Christos Katsios at Dar al Funoon.

Thuraya Lynn

This month’s artist may be unknown to many of you. She graduated from Kuwait University, majoring in literature. During that time, she felt confident enough to put her work, and self, out there. Here’s a small taste of her style. She has, almost unnoticed, built a solid following for her art, her style, and for her sideways view of the world. She named Japanese artist Suehiro Maruo as one of her first major influences, and draws inspiration from other horror artists. And here’s what she has to say for herself:

Curated by Fatina Al Sayed

During the first week of December, Kuwait’s exclusive ‘C Club’ resort will host a remarkable art exhibition, curated by Fatina Al Sayed. As a prelude to the show, Fatina shares with us her thoughts on the genesis of the exhibition.

Every year, DAI organizes a series of public lectures and seminars given by internationally renowned scholars, as well as art courses, archelological field trips, musical concerts and audio - visual programs to enhance public awareness and the appreciation of Islamic art history. These activities are held at Maidan Cultural Centre and commence at 7:00 pm.

A photographic series by Christos Katsios

This November, Dar Al-Funoon will be presenting a contemporary Greek group exhibition, bringing together three artists working in a range of mediums, from photography, painting, and furniture design. Their works make a bold statement for new directions in Greek contemporary art today.

Scriptwriter

Who said that drama TV series do not compete with the big screen? TV shows have already proved that they are fierce competitors; with an exponentially increasing number of viewers and an ever expanding spread, they have become the material for everyday conversation among friends and families.

Preview

JAMM, an independent strategic art advisory, will host its 3rd annual auction in Kuwait on 29 November 2012 featuring over 60 works by emerging and established Arab, Iranian and international artists. TAG Heuer, one of the most desired brands in the luxury watch industry will be the exclusive sponsor for the auction.

Deena Qabazard

For the third of our series inviting artists to discuss their work in their own words, we feature Deena Qabazard. Sometimes resident in Kuwait, but often New York, she uses her work to explore with great visual eloquence the distinction between what we would rather lazily refer to as ‘beauty’ and ‘ugliness’. The results of this are invariably disturbing, sometimes on the surface they may appear humorous, yet are also often shocking. Deena’s work can never easily be ignored.

Ghadah Alkandari

In the second of our series inviting artists to discuss their work in their own words, we feature Ghadah Alkandari. Known to many readers through her distinctive paintings, over the past few years she has also cultivated a loyal following online through her blog PrettyGreenBullet.com, and is currently preparing for her third annual PrettyGreenBullet exhibition.

Kuwait’s first participation

For the first time since the international architecture exhibitions of the Biennale were introduced in 1975, the State of Kuwait will be represented through a pavilion curated by Zahra Alibaba and sponsored by the National Council for Culture, Letters and the Arts.

100 Years of British Landscape Art at Contemporary Art Platform, Kuwait - through 25th October

Opening to much anticipation in mid-September, Kuwait’s Contemporary Art Platform continues to host more than fifty works from the permanent collection of the British Council. 

Reconciling Art and Technology

The technological roller coaster gives us anxiety; but at the same time it promises great and unprecedented potential. Mobile phones, for instance, are no longer a mere traditional communication tool, as they are now designed to contain your email, camera, agenda, family photos, favorite books, number one songs, the public road map and mobile internet.

An elegant glove, a poodle, a hunting rifle

From 4 September to 4 November 2012, the Porsche Museum is exhibiting the works of the versatile Stuttgart painter and commercial graphic designer Hanns Lohrer (1912 -1995) - and these works extend far beyond the topic of motor cars.

Award-winning Exhibition Celebrates Scientific Achievements of Muslim Civilization

The award-winning exhibition, 1001 Inventions, arrived in the US capital on the 3rd of August 2012, introducing brand new audiences to the Golden Age of Muslim Civilization. The ground-breaking scientific and cultural achievements of this era, from the 7th to the 17th centuries, will be 

The RA’s Summer Exhibition

The Royal Academy’s annual Summer Exhibition marked the start of the Summer Season. The world’s largest open submission contemporary art show, now in its 244th year, continued the tradition of showcasing work by both emerging and established artists in all media including painting,

Nearly 11,000 visitors, 4500 of which on the opening night, have visited Beirut Art Fair 2012 for modern and contemporary art to discover its 3rd edition. The sales that took place until the closing of the fair are but a proof of the success of the fair which has been quick to assert itself on the cultural scene in the Middle East.

An exhibition of British Landscapes from the British Council collection

The exhibition Out of Britain brings together, for the first time in Kuwait, over 50 key artworks selected from the British Council Collection, spanning a period of almost one hundred years of creativity by major British artists. The works on display take as a common theme the landscapes of Britain.

Mohammad Sharaf

Kuwait is home to a vibrant under-current of rising creative talent. Much of this won’t readily be found within the nation’s art galleries, yet it is created as the purest expression of the artist’s emotions. One such is self-confessed art-addict Mohammad Sharaf. You might have seen his work at FA Gallery, it’s certainly worth closer examination, and how better to understand it further than through the artist’s own words?

“Since my childhood, my passion for art has gone through several stages, and each one taught me an important lesson. Each stage has instilled a value that I still carry and implement. 

CAP Kuwait, 21st September

What is POD? Peace One Day is a non-profit

with Abdulatif Yousef Al-Hamad

Throughout much of history, art, and perhaps more specifically artists, have relied upon benefactors and well-heeled patrons. Today the significance of these patrons remains as important as ever, but very often they now come in the form of large

Abandoning the commonplace, bland, interpretations of a hotel, hoteliers have chosen to think even farther outside the frame, adorning walls of their hotels with interesting and original art pieces. Fine art has been hung in hotels for decades, yet a new breed of hotels has arisen-one that will allow you to wake up next to a masterpiece, enjoying an ambience which makes for an experience more immersive than the average hotel or even museum. Delve closer into your intimate relationship with art by experiencing a unique art-and-hotel-combined experience. As many of you head off on holiday this summer, enjoy the vibrancy of emblematic art whilst complimenting the lifestyle enjoyed at home by visiting these art hotels.

Bahaadeen Al-Qazwini has spent the last three decades mastering the art of photography. For half that time he has been educating people in Kuwait - teaching photographic technique in the hopes of inspiring and discovering new artists.

The National Library is located in Qibla, on Arabian Gulf Street, between Al-Ma’ari Street and the Sadu House and the National Museum, overlooking Seif Palace. The garden with its high palm trees welcomes and leads you, in a few steps, to the huge building’s gate with its reflecting glass façade. The National Library of Kuwait won the prize of the best social project and the best tourism and entertainment project on the GCC countries level according to MEED- Middle East, the main provider of economic information in the Middle East.

Recently in Kuwait to deliver a series of lectures at Gallery Tilal on how better to understand and appreciate art, Tamam Al Ak’hal’s own story is one of a life in art, but against all odds. Born in Jaffar, Palestine, she and her family were forced to leave their homeland in April, 1948. The young Tamam settled with her parents in Beirut, where she completed her studies through to High School level, and was then awarded a scholarship to go to Cairo to study art.

Beirut, 13th - 16th July
The ME.NA.SA territories, proposed as a new cross-continent, extends from North Africa to South Asia, through the Middle East. The international art sales, growing more and more spectacular during the last years, have reflected the creative and artistic energy across these regions.

Shadows of Memory - continues through 22 June, 2011

For us, to see clearer, we have to listen better, We have to pay more attention to precise details of our lives and memories so we would be able to discover the true heroes who influenced us and formulated the lines on our faces and dug signs into our palms.

At The Sultan Gallery, Kuwait

Dubai gallery ‘The Third Line’ presented a solo exhibition of works by Huda Lutfi at Sultan Gallery, Kuwait. Zan’it Al-Sittat was an exploration into concepts and representations of femininity that proliferate through various channels in Egyptian culture at large.

Both historian and artist, Lutfi is a bricoleur. She collects disparate iconic images and manipulates them to re-invent her vision of Egyptian culture, its histories and events. In doing so, Lutfi simultaneously comments on the political relevance of her social context, lifting old feminine icons from history and giving them new life by re-contextualising historic time lines, creating hybridised, timeless female figures.

with Sulayman Al-Bassam’s Richard III: An Arab Tragedy

Based around an outstanding work written for the theatre by Kuwait’s Sulayman Al-Bassam and performed internationally during 2008 and 2009, this film documentary charts copious highs and lows as it recounts the story of the play’s performances in locations as diverse as an Arabian desert fort and Washington D. C.’s Kennedy Center. Recently premiered at the 44th WorldFest - Houston International Film Festival in Texas, where it won a top award in the Documentary Competition, and the 4th Gulf Film Festival in Dubai, Men’s Passion took a preview before the film’s Kuwait premier to be held during May.

Fine Art for International Women’s Day at Gallery Tilal

Once again this year curator Fatina Al Sayed assembled a group of artists to mark International Women’s Day. In a significant departure from a similarly themed exhibition in 2010, this year 50% of the exhibiting artists were men. Men, using their art to celebrate women’s day. Whatever next! We met Fatina along with artist Amira Behbehani together with two of the male artists, Jaber Alwan and Riyadh Neamah, to find out more.

Fatina is candid with her thoughts, “As far as I’m concerned men and women are very able to represent the same feelings, but sometimes in a different way. I felt that by having male artists in the show it would add a new dimension and add to the depth of the show”.

Fifth edition closes with strong sales and record attendance

The largest and most diverse edition to date, Art Dubai experienced strong sales during its 2011 presentation from 16-19 March and attracted more than 20,000 guests, with a 30 percent increase in international visitors.

Celebrated Middle Eastern and International artists will be represented at JAMM’s upcoming contemporary art auction in Kuwait

JAMM, an independent strategic art advisory, will host its 2nd auction in Kuwait on 9th February 2011 featuring 70 works by emerging and established Arab, Iranian and International artists.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to present the works of the top contemporary artists from Kuwait and to showcase the best of the best from across the Middle East and beyond. Part of the proceeds from this sale will benefit KAACH, the Kuwait Association for the Care of Children in Hospital,” said Sheikha Lulu Al Sabah, co-founder of JAMM.

Offering over 70 works of art by renowned artists, including Nabil Nahas, Rokni Haerizadeh, Rahim Sharif, Reza Derakshani, Damian Hirst, Hassan Meer, Ahmed Alsoudani and Farideh Lashai, the auction will provide an opportunity for both new and existing clients in the GCC region and beyond

Feminism in the Contemporary Art of Iran

Currently showing at Dar al Funoon is a noteworthy collective exhibition by fourteen Iranian artists. Here the curator, Simin Deghani, talks of the artists, their work, and the movement that inspired the exhibition.

Think you’ve seen it all? Well, think again!

A major addition in your to do list while you’re in Kuwait is visiting the FA gallery, a boutique and art gallery located on the Gulf road

Artist

Fresh from her first show in Kuwait last month, Men’s Passion’s Simon Balsom caught up with Saudi-born artist Jowhara AlSaud when she returned to her New York home. She shared with him her thoughts on Kuwait, censorship, and having artists for friends.

with award-winning calligrapher, Ali Al-Baddah

Calligraphy, at least for those who choose to do it right, is one of the most time-intensive expressions of art. The awards Ali Al-Baddah has been presented with are testament to the time he takes to make sure his work is the very best. We met Ali, looked at some of his recent work, and tried to get a feel for how he values his investment of time in the pieces.

The opening of any new art space in Kuwait is a welcome addition to our cultural agenda, but when this is a gallery to be opened by a lady whose family has a great artistic pedigree and who is herself a knowledgeable art critic then it becomes of particular interest to us. 

In the second of our two-part preview to this year’s Art Dubai - opening on 17th March - Men’s Passion catches up with co-founder and director, John Martin to hear his hopes and expectations for this year’s edition.

Political & Social Cartoonist

There are few devices in publishing better suited for getting a message across more directly than the political cartoon. They’ve been around for hundreds of years. The combination of engaging imagery and brief but pithy writing can often be guaranteed to raise a smile amongst some, and the hackles of others- depending on which side of the divide the reader sits. The tradition of social cartoonist is maintained across the Gulf, and is practised skilfully in Kuwait by Al Watan’s Mohammed Thallab who we visited at Al Watan’s offices in Shuwaikh.

There can be few in Kuwait unacquainted with Mohammed’s characters Bu Nabil and Bu Qutada. Having first appeared in Al Watan in 2005- the result of the management’s demand to add to the strength of the newspaper by providing daily social comment in a humorous and yet still very direct manner- the characters have since gone on the appear in Al Watan’s English-language daily,

In Kuwait for the first time recently for his exhibition ‘Peace from Beirut’ at The Sultan Gallery, Men’s Passion’s Simon Balsom spent some time with the artist and discovered a man as complex and as uncompromising as the works he creates.

Born in 1971 in the then Communist Bulgaria, Seyfettin Shekerov - known to all as ‘Sefo’ - has risen to become one of the country’s most prominent artists. His striking and assertive sculptures are now seen in the private collections of a number of high profile patrons, as well as on prominent display in public spaces. In Kuwait for his first showing, Men’s Passion met Sefo to discover his inspiration.

At Men’s Passion there’s only one thing we love more than art or fashion, and that is a rare combination of these two elements. When we heard the socially-conscious noon Collection was going to be launched at the Dar Al Funoon, and that the exhibition was going to be illuminated by a series of photographic works by Alfred Tarazi, for us there was only one place to be. There Simon Balsom met with Noon’s Nur Kaoukji and Siham Nuseibeh, along with Tarazi himself.

Although it only opened a few short months ago, Al Sabah Art & Design was always destined to make its mark felt in Kuwait. Having established residence in a spacious building adjoining one of Kuwait’s better health clubs, this gallery has quickly set about bringing one exhibition after another of inspiring, challenging, (if sometimes apparently frivolous) art to the collectors of Kuwait.    

Manga has a veritable history, one that dates back to Japan more than two-hundred years ago, but it began to reach a global audience after the end of the Second World War as a result of American influence in Japan during the rebuilding of the country.It is now one of the widest read forms of animation, and from this month, for the first time in Kuwait, a magazine begins a series publishing the manga illustrations of Mohammed Alnajadah and his team. Their story - “Of Cat and Windows”. The magazine in question - Studentalk - Kuwait’s leading student magazine. For those as yet uninitiated in the art of fine-manga, we offer self-confessed ‘Mangamaniac’ Mohammed’s view on his obsession.

Virtually every culture has its divas. The Arab world has Umm Kalthoum. With a devoted audience stretching from North Africa to the Levant and hailing from all parts of Arab society, this Egyptian born singer is regarded as the most gifted female voice of the twentieth century. Over twenty years after her death, Umm Kalthoum’s popularity is as phenomenal as the voice she was blessed with. Her expressive voice, her cries of despair, and her ability to convey the meaning and mood of her lyrics still manages to profoundly affect her audience. Whether they are national songs, religious chants, or love ballads, Umm Kalthoum’s voice touches the Arab soul.

In the art world, sometimes it appears that awards are ten-a-penny. Surely the more prizes there are to be given, the less value they have. There are, however, some prizes still worth winning. If not from a momentary perspective, at least instead because, perhaps, of who is awarding it.

The Arab world has witnessed a massive development in global interest during the last few years. As the focus on Arab artists intensified, so grew alongside this a new generation of galleries and a fresh crop of high-profile and internationally marketed shows. It was easy for the older, more established, galleries to get left behind in this surge of faddish interest. 

Hassan Hajjaj has a different view on art to the rest of us. His early years in Morocco before arriving as a teenager in London in the mid-70s surely contributed to his approach to life in no small way. A decade later and his flirtation with the New York art-scene saw Hajjaj launch his ‘RAP’ fashion label. He now divides his time between studios in London and Marrakech. Early this year his work formed a major part of the ‘REUSE 2.0’ exhibition in Kuwait.

Life, for those of us who have lived long enough to acknowledge it, is a series of unconnected and disparate journeys and events.  Those who achieve the most are often those who see in these journeys a vision of order where others may only witness confusion. Indeed there are many who never open their eyes for long enough even to see the vision of their journey. 

The invitation and pre-publicity for Tareq Alkandari’s ‘Sans Style’ was left deliberately vague. There was little to allude to the subject matter other than the reference to ‘a very special cube’. That this cube was, in fact, the Kaba’a became apparent immediately on entering the gallery space. What viewers shared was a brave concept using imagery reflecting on the Kaba’a as its focus, writes Simon Balsom.  

Ghada Khunji was born in August, 1967 in Bahrain. She is a graduate of Parson’s School of Design anwd the International Center of Photography’s documentary program. In 2006, she was named the Lucie Discovery of the Year;

Kuwait is at a crossroads as it struggles to determine an identity in the arts world. At the forefront of the new generation of artists stands Amira Behbehani. A relative newcomer to the arts scene in Kuwait, she has nonetheless built her own strong following amongst local and regional collectors. Men’s Passion caught up with Amira as she prepared for her latest exhibition, held during February at Kuwait’s Sultan Gallery.

In the seven years since it opened its doors La Fontaine Centre of Contemporary Art has made its mark on the arts scene both in Bahrain and across the whole of the Gulf. Eirian Hasler talks with the centre’s vivacious founder Fatima Alireza about her aim of bringing people together through culture.

“When I paint, I don’t paint thinking I’m in Kuwait. I could be doing the same work in New York, or anywhere else. If I change, my paintings change with me. I wouldn’t even think about it”.

You probably haven’t heard of Anthony Aziz and Sammy Cucher, yet through their collaborations they have become amongst the hottest of properties in the New York design world.