JEDDAH, 3 November 2003 — The Nassif House in downtown Balad, which showcases local history, culture and traditions, came alive on Saturday night with the opening of “Our Ancestors,” a traveling exhibition of artists with special needs from the Arab world.
Abdul Maqsoud Khojah formally opened the weeklong show, organized by Help Center, which consists of 54 exhibits, all artworks by mentally challenged artists from the Kingdom, Kuwait, the UAE and other Arab states.
“I’m proud to sponsor this show and am delighted to inaugurate it. We should support and encourage such projects as they give people with disabilities the opportunity to freely express themselves about how they perceive the world of their ancestors through fine arts,” Khojah said.
Khalid Juffali, a member of the board of trustees of Help Center — an organization dedicated to the cause of meeting the physical, spiritual and cultural needs of the mentally challenged — paid tribute to Khojah for supporting the exhibition. “He has always been in the forefront to support causes that are dear to him,” he said.
Abdul Rahman Al-Jomaih accompanied Khojah and Juffali on a tour of exhibits.
The exhibition is an attempt to bind together people with disabilities in the Arab world and strengthen the relationship between Very Special Arts (VSA) representatives in the region, said Reem Gazzaz, public relations manager at Help Center. “VSA is a voluntary arts program that works on support from philanthropists. Help Center locally represents VSA, which has 52 centers worldwide,” she said. Help Center looks after 280 children up to the age of 18 who are mentally challenged.
Russian Consul General Mir Pasha Zeynalov, Dutch Consul General Hans Wagenaar and Japanese Consul General Hajime Tanaki were among a large number of invitees.
Ali Zaman and Rabab Hussain had specially come from Kuwait to participate in the show. Rabab Hussain, a teacher of mentally challenged people in Kuwait, said she was delighted by the exhibits.
On show are paintings depicting mosques, clay water pots, glimpses of deserts in the Arab world, villages, decorated doors, Arabic calligraphy, old palaces, and other images reflecting the artists’ views of their heritage.
The show will move to the Saudi Arts Center Gallery in the Kara Building on Waly Al-Ahd Street from Nov. 10-14; and to Heraa International Market from Nov. 17-22 before moving to other Arab states.
