Art Alive!

There was a mixture of cultures in one room during the Art for Life Exhibition. Displayed paintings were symbols of Saudi Arabia’s religious and cultural features. Thirty-one Saudi male and female artists exhibited 60 of their painting at the Jeddah Hilton Hotel last Wednesday. One painting was chosen as the winner — the best — and it will be consigned to a charity auction in London during the Gulf Polo Cup in June.

There were five judges and each one favored a different painting. “A good piece of art always attracts you and compels you to choose it. The painting was strong and it was attractive,” said Taha Sabban, one of the judges. The criteria for choosing the winning painting were the unity of the elements, power of the presented subject, the overall form of the work, motion, general impression, the harmony between the different elements, the fabric used, originality and modernity, artistic maturity and creativity.

Abdul Nasser Al-Amri, a professional artist since 2000, won with his painting of the Kaaba surrounded by the sayings of pilgrims. He said that artists did not have to stick to a certain theme though most of the paintings showed religious and cultural aspects of Saudi Arabia. “When I heard that the winning piece of art would be auctioned in London, I was thinking of the people who would see the work and ask about the content. I was concerned to display something important and so I chose the Kaaba,” he explained.

His painting includes many elements including equity, rules and cultures. The monochromatic colors in the painting resembled the pilgrims’ all-white garments. “No one knows what pilgrims would say. These words and concepts stay forever and spread among people and generations.”

Al-Amri, who is based in Baha, has won first prizes in other shows. Among them are the Gulf Art Contest as well as an exhibition organized by Saudi Arabian Airlines and the Ambassador Contest under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“I have tried all schools of art and wanted to make my own unique way. It was clear in the exhibition that one artist made the two paintings,” he said. Al-Amri likes conceptual art. He focused on the idea and concept behind the painting. “We in Saudi Arabia, unfortunately, do not have galleries that display styles of modern art. There are only paintings,” he noted.

All the paintings in the exhibition were shown earlier at the Jeddah Economic Forum in February.