Auction in Lebanon

Ayyam Gallery is promoting an auction on the 28th of january 10 at 7pm in their Beirut Branch. In their third year of the auction business, the gallery finds art from collectors (private collections) or the artists themselves to sell to other collectors and therefore art circulates.
In the market business, galleries should promote their own artists and find buyers to blow up a better price for artists.
The question here is why doesn't Ayyam Gallery use the usual auction houses in the Gulf such as Christies to continue promoting their artists?
So what are the credentials of a gallery to go into the bidding process and who estimates works of art?
The online catalogue is nicely presented. And the choice of artwork is worth the look!

The link to Ayyam Gallery: Beirut Auction Catalogue
Photo of an artwork by Stelio Scamanga (pastel, 1997)

Faiza Ahmad Khan - Superman of Malegaon

First movie: "Superman of Malegaon" a low budget (as low as 250$) movie produced in the city of Malegaon in India, known for its loom industry. Shaikh Nasir is the multi-talented director who does everything and learns on the way. He takes the Superman hero and "indianize" him with local twist and plenty of humor. His target audience was the local video parlors or theater in his neighborhood. He says: "I did not go anywhere to learn film making. I just wanted to do something different". The objective is a parody, as he says :"Life is full of tears and sorrow, laughter is precious."




Second movie: presented in Kuwait at the DIA theatre by its director Faiza Ahmad Khan. It is a documentary on the making of "Superman of Malegaon". The process of casting, filming, editing, special effects is as light as the humor in the movie itself. It shows all the endeavor to surmount mountains of obstacles by the director and yet it doesn't dwell on poverty's misery and tough conditions. The one and only camera fell in water. This could have ended it all, but Nasir Bhai went to town, repaired and it rolled again. He doesn't shout the classical: "action!" but says to his crew and star actor: "start". And they all have a good laugh when they can.
The documentary (finished in april 08) won awards around the globe and the western media then got interested in Mollywood (the alternative to Bollywood). CBC Canada send a team of five to film another documentary on "India reborn" and the emerging film making in Malegaon.
Faiza Ahmad Khan was able to show with a much longer time frame and a heftier budget, a refreshing perspective to those who try to make a difference with what they have on hand.

Link to: caldecott productions

Aigrette from Topkapi to Paris

Strolling along the gardens of Topkapi Saray Museum in Istanbul, going from a courtyard to another, stepping into rooms, stopping at windows of lush jewelry, relics, arms, daggers, thrones, jugs, Chinese porcelain. All treasures of the Ottoman glory.
In one of the windows, there is a sign: this item is on a traveling tour to the exhibition in Paris: "Byzance, Istanbul" at the Grands Palais. The aigrette (headdress consisting of a white egret's feather or other decoration such as a spray of gems) of the 18th century is now seen along the Seine river.
Aigrettes were used both by the Sultan and notable women of the Harem as a symbol of power. It is known that Sultans gave the valuable aigrettes as presents or as awards.
Sultans received gifts and sent over gifts to display their supremacy in a time where the 18th century British Ambassador in Istanbul wrote that "Hafize Sultan, the wife of Sultan Mustafa II, wore a string of pearls down to her knees with a diamond as big as a turkey egg and two strings of emeralds'.
Today,  in order to show glory, history and capacity to be on par, it is enough to arrange exhibitions to promote a country.
As another diplomatic ballet beyond the news, Topkapi saray hosts “Ten Thousand Years of Iran's Civilization, Two Thousand Years of Common Heritage" as a special exhibit in one of its wings.  An eye to the West and another to the eastern side. Istanbul remains an intriguing bridge across the Bosphorus

Fawzi al Langhawi

In a private setting in Kuwait on the 19th of Dec, Fawzi al Langhawi, placed his Oud on his knees and played. His friend Mohamed al Mutairy sang. Dr Sami pitched in on the piano. And they performed in a gracious, mellow, warm way, some local and arabic tunes. Fawzi's fervour on the Oud gives him the extra touch to predict many years of good music to come.

Urban Sketchers

(Their website banner of the week)

A sketch at a time, a different way to show the world around us. Great idea, good concept, fantastic tool to share one's surroundings.

Their aim is: "as a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising the artistic, storytelling and educational value of location drawing, promoting its practice and connecting people around the world who draw on location where they live and travel."

They even have a section in their blog about "How to become a member or a correspondent"

In their list of contributors, some artists have traveled the Arab world, one is located in Mauritania. But that doesn't really match the richness and talent of the region, as we have many artists in the closet waiting for a way to show their works.

Link to Urban Sketchers

link to their page of sketches on Algeria

on Mauritania

on Lebanon

Gilles Kepel in Kuwait

Did you know that the French "croissant" was actually the Viennese celebrating their victory against the Ottoman army and Vienna's bakers shaped their dough, in the symbol of Islam, the crescent?
Did you know that "cappucino" is a reference to robes of the capucines who lead the crusades? The coffee left behind by the arabs was felt as bitter, hence hot milk, hence the reference!
Did you know that before the Islamic revolution in Iran,  Khomeini, when in France at Neauphle le Chateau, was know for his sweet tooth and how local patissiers went on a frenzy of religieuses, charlottes and eclairs!

These anecdotes were given by Gilles Kepel, a professor at Institut des Sciences Politiques in Paris,  in his lecture at the DAI in Kuwait on Middle eastern history.  Of course, one's own history seen by a French scholar is always interesting as he might highlight a few angles that are usually dark. He then gave the insight and  benefits of having nuclear power in the gulf, thanks to the French technology, as one major deterrent to the nuclear built across the Gulf in Iran. He tried to cheer to the motto of independence and autonomy in the region as a way to unlock Uncle Sam's grip on the oil and petrodollars.
He claims that one has to think diagonally and in a synchronized manner! yes, maybe after thinking straight and forward, and it all depends on the variables chosen as the base.
Contemporary decisions cannot be made as reproduction of the past based on elements of fear and alliances based on threat and pressure. Maybe he could have given us a lecture on food in relation to the Middle Eastern history and leave us with a few recipes to improve our current cooking "avec le french touch" rather than the proposal of a nuclear plant tucked in the desert as a solution to all ailments.

Raghida Haddad - award Earth Journalism

Earth Journalists Awards is planning to honor the best written piece on what should concern us all. In their 15 finalists, stands out Raghida Haddad an executive editor of Al-Bia Wal-Tanmia (Environment & Development), environment magazine in the Middle East. In 2008, she spent 2 weeks in the Arctic Ocean to witness global warming.
COP15, or the 15th meeting in Copenhagen of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, is about pulling as much efforts and initiative to think and act in the best possible ways and reverse human's destructive behavior and impact on the planet.  Discussions are still hot. Fund raising and commitments of payment are piling up. Alarmists will say the end is near. Others will talk about positive ways that have worked. 
Overall, the Arab world is discreet, as it is divided in two camps: countries with little resources to act upon it, and countries producing oil and gas that have more important issues to address. "Will the polar bear survive the ice melt down at the arctic circle" is not on the agenda.  Others might argue that we also have human rights, freedom and equality topics that are more urgent than the well being of the polar bear.
At best, we can hope that more awareness will trigger actions on the individual smallest scale to the largest governmental impact.


In Kuwait, en.v magazine is a leader in this field of awareness and promotion. They held their 3rd annual "recycling through art" exhibition at the Avenues mall on Dec 7th.
link to EN.V


Link to al Bia wal tanmiya magazine
Link to Earth Journalism Awards
Link to Raghida's article

Razek-Francois Bitar in Kuwait

Countertenor, Razek-Francois Bitar is a voice born in Syria and now established in Italy. Tonight, with David Simonacci on piano, he gave a warm performance at the DAI theatre, including the "Che puro ciel". In an intimate ambiance, he let his voice fill the space with his fragile yet powerful emotions. The repertoire was Handel, Gluck, Ravel. He then switched to Armenian, to Arabic and he embraced both worlds with as much ease and finesse. In sweet words, he dedicated the last song by Rahbani to his mother as if she was in the audience.
This was a treat.

a link to an interview by ORTF in german, where Bitar speaks in italian, and sings in arabic. youtube

Al Sabah Collection "Treasure of the world"

"Treasury of the world", jewels arts of India in the age of the Mughals, the touring exhibition of the Al Sabah Collection is coming back to Kuwait. Its last visit was in St Petersburg, Russia,  at the Hermitage Museum from the 7th of August to the 29th of November 09.
It saw the end tail of the White nights in the summer, it was in the Imperial palace, a monument in russian baroque architecture. It rubbed shoulders with the treasures of the museum from the pharaonic period to the impressionist paintings. It waited for the opening with its long speeches, to the crowds in line. It stared for long hours at visitors staring back trying to get a glimpse of beauty.
  It showed the masterly craftsmanship behind stones laid in gold. It distracted attention with the large number of items in small cases. It spoke about its history beyond the detailed writings on the tags below. It carried the sense of a collection where the collector's eye is felt choosing and acquiring. It illustrated a passion set up in the best display. It expressed in the excess of gemstones the infinite details. It reflected light in a multitude of directions.
  It then waited patiently to be put back in the darkness of boxes to go back home.
Will it tour again the world as the "good will" ambassador of Kuwait and its hidden treasures? Or will it find a final destination in Kuwait in a long waited museum?

Link to:  al Sabah Collection

Finger Ring (1st quarter of the 17th century), Indian, Mughal or Deccan - Gold, rubies, emeralds, turquoises; carving, kundan technique - Photo by Bruce White - The Al Sabah collection,

Ghazi Abdel Baki - new album "The last Communique" release

Ibtassim, poem by Elia Abu Mrad, music by Ghazi Abdel Baki and Band in "communique #2"

Did you attend Ghazi Abdel Baki live concert at the BO18 in Beirut, yesterday 28th November 09?
Based on the previous two albums, Abdel Baki has given the music scene at deep soft voice and a modern twist to arabic poems. It seems reviews could not settle whether it falls into the category of jazz, bossa nova, salsa, blues, rock... Or it might just be a mix of all of the above.
He is known to be a heir of the musical movement in the early seventies in Lebanon, "the cradle for interacting cultures and a fertile breeding ground for mixing musical influences and experimentation. With a soundscape that varied from traditional Arabic Music to Psychedelic Rock, a synthesis was born. Today forty years later, musicians in this region are still pushing the envelope to create more variations and new contemporary colors."
His selection of poems and words inspire for a brighter outlook in the general gloom and doom reports in the arab world.
So if you were at that concert, how was it??

Katayoun Karami

Present at the Paris Photo at the Gallery Silk Road in Teheran, Karami shows simplicity, intimacy and yet powerful images.
Her statement is as follows
"The Other Side
Far gone are the years when lullabies caressed my hair and the summer breeze could call it home. And suddenly everything went dark... and the only brightness is the reflection of my own gray hair. In Islam, when a girl reaches the age of nine, she has to cover her hair. Thirty-one years onwards, when turning 40, I witnessed in sorrow my hair had started to gray without even having the chance to be touched by the sun. This series of double sided self portraits portray a dual image of this moment in my life; the front image through a veiling of the back of the female hair, coupled with a fading of the black color saturation. The reverse image, reflecting that what is always unseen and forgotten through a cover of handmade black and white silver gelatin emulsion, rendering the exposed female hair as limp, wasted and useless. "

Paris Photo: part 2

Paris Photo - 19 to 21 November 09

our guest blogger Tamara wrote how this event with Arab and Iranian photos gave a new perspective:

" The exhibition as a whole presents this region in a very different way and challenging to the public, either it’s a western or middle eastern public. It puts into question what is the region, who are the people, what is the landscape, what are the images and symbols--both to old fashioned orientalised views of the region, but also to a stylized sometimes fanciful self image of its own people.
It is current and engaged with a reality, harsh, complex and loaded. The representations of the topics, whether they be memory— personal, war, geographic; self representation through lyrical imagery; or a new language for self expression are in many ways an important departure from the past. They are contemporary in their use of material and technique, but also honest in their preoccupation with the issues of the regions. This collection of work is as local as it is global. That has both strengths and  weaknesses, but it is certainly a reflection of the times."

Sherihan, Egyptian actress, 1976,

by Van Leo

from the Arab Image Foundation

Paris Photo - guests: Arab and Iranian photography

by our guest blogger: Tamara

This annual show  at the Carousel du Louvre (19 - 21 Nov 09) had a special focus this year on Arab and Iranian photography, old and new that was represented by archival images from the Arab Image Foundation and STATEMENT, a collection of galleries from the region (Lebanon, Morroco, Tunisia, Dubai and Iran)  curated by Catherine David who directed Documenta X in 1997 and directed several shows concerning the region.  A collection from the Arab Image Foundation (in Beirut) leads the visitor into selected space for the Middle East. The images are a selection from Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine and Egypt of private family photographs such as those of Chafic el Soussi from Saida, film celebrities in Egypt by Chadi Abdel Salam and stylised studio images such as those of Al-Ani from Iraq and Hisham Abdul Hadi from Palestine those ranging from 1860  to 1960.

The STATEMENT show is rich in the subject matter and scope of the artists. The works of Lebanese artists such as Fouad Elkoury, Akram Zaatari (both of who are founders of the Arab Image Foundation), Lamia Joreige and Walid Raad deal with the memory of war (represented at Sfeir- Semler Gallery in Beirut and Tannit in Munich), in images and video installations such as elKhoury’s Place de L’Etoile and Zaatari’s video of a newly realised Lebanese prisoner of war from Israel, Video en 5 Mouvements, 2006-2009.

London based Iranian artist Reza Aramesh (GALLERY B21 DUBAI) uses his photography as metaphor to communicate violence committed by man. He uses historical images, often of war, men abusing men recreated in unexpected settings, forcing the viewer to react to the initially illogical image. Each of his works is captioned with the original image that inspired it, such as ACTION 51: Kerem shalom Israel-Feb 17, 2008 Palestinian Soldiers sit blindfolded on the ground after they were captured by Israeli soldiers.

The work of Katayoun Karami (GALLERY SILK ROAD TEHRAN), The Other Side is a different approach to time and memory where she captures a series of double sided photographs, the front is the same image of her face and the back are changing images of her hair.

Rula Halawani of Palestine (SELMA FERIANI GALLERY, LONDON-TUNIS) is more concerned with identity and territory in her work, depicting abstract concepts through series of realistic images—Intimacy

Farah Nosh (EMPTY QUARTER GALLERY, DUBAI), presents a series of intimate family photographs from her native Iraq to demonstrate the persistence of daily life and ritual despite war and violence outside.

Gohar Dashti (Silk Road Tehran) has a series of a couple’s daily life, sleeping, eating, sitting, set in a battleground, with tanks and soldiers in the background, rendering their lives more fragile and poignant.

Other artists such as the Cairo based Iraqi artist Yasser Alwan focuses on the urban condition, documenting repeated scenes of daily life in Cairo over extended periods while Morrocan artist Yto Barrado focus more on themes of migration. Other artists represented included Bahman Jalili, Mohammad Ghazali, Sadegh Tirafkan, Ramin Haerizadeh, Asim Rafiqui, Malik Nejmi, Wael Shawky, Sama Alsahibi, Raja Aissa, Lara Baladi.

 

Reza Aramesh

Arab Image Foundation (Hashem al Madani - 1950)

  Arab Image Foundation

Katayoum Karami

Rula Halawani - Intimacy (2004)  

Farah Nosh - Dinner

Fouad el Khoury - Wedding

Dr Naif al Mutawa - "The 99", comics

Dr Naif al Mutawa gave a presentation on his works as creator of the "99" superheroes tonight at Dar al Athar al Islamiyah, Kuwait.
He talked about the journey that led him to his comic books' success.
It starts with the bad image Islam, in the west, in addition with one version of Islam depicted as being the only version possible. Trained as a clinical psychologist in the US, he says:"it is all about perception, how to alter and control it".
He wants to show that Islam is about values, although there is no religion reference in the comics. He uses ideas, symbols to built a positive spin and an identity boost. He targets the dichotomy between traditions and modernism. He calls on women as Superheroes, some veiled, some with hair flowing in the wind. He plans to tackle many issues young readers face with a new archetype based on an Islamic culture.
His aim is to be on equal level as Superman and his fellow friends Batman, Wonder woman etc. He was proud to announce that Superman is in close contact with the 99 superheroes to form a possible cooperation. Islam and muslims don't have to be on Bad side all the time.
The plot is thrilling, drawings and colors are of high quality, characters and powers are inspiring.
A question from the audience was about the dilution of Islam through this media: Dr Mutawa answered that the message of Islam is given by him through lectures around the world, but he doesn't see fit to give a direct message of religion in his comics as the intellectual antibodies will come out and destroy them.
As long as Dr Mutawa leaves preaching for the preachers and continues to address a void in the public image, then let "the 99" be a successful business.

link to the website: the 99

Sadu Weaving

Sadu weaving, a lecture given by Dr Keiriene Canavan at the American  University of Kuwait, is about the traditional textile art of the Bedu, nomads of the desert.
"I am interested in this basic simple way of weaving uninterrupted for centuries, the same way in different geographical locations in the world" says Dr Canavan. She presented a series of photos on the importance of textiles, the symbols they carry and the creativity they bear.
She has spent years with the Iban Dayak tribes in Borneo, getting through their weaving to the essence of  their outlook on religion and life. Each Iban Dayak house is specialized in a skill, woodcarving, sculpting etc... and any skill is considered a gift from God. Some old patterns were lost with memories not recorded or knowledge not transmitted.
"Weavers are not interested in words... Patterns are individual and need to be interpreted by the weaver." Dr Canavan will spend the next five month in Kuwait on a sabbatical to study traditional symbols in the geometrical forms of triangles, diamond shapes in black and white from the desert weaving, a craft close to extinction. A modern state today, Kuwait has the capacity to wipe out the past and build for the new.
In march 2010, she will share her conclusions in another lecture at the Sadu House Museum. Hopefully, she will find with her fresh eye and experienced perception what seems to be less valued and meaningful by the the future generations.


Dr Canavan's blog: Link