Up and coming Middle East artists, enterprising businesswomen and charitable organizations fused their activities this weekend at the Almas Jewellery Show & Konooz Fine Art Auction and Exhibition in London. The event, held under the patronage of Sheikha Alyazia bint Nayhan Al-Nayhan at the Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane, was organized by the dynamic UAE businesswomen Zainab Al-Farhan Al-Imam. Al Imam, owner of A&Z Traders, is the founder and director of Women’s Growth and Success Foundation; she is passionate about helping women to achieve their business goals. She was behind the successful Ziryab Fashion Show staged in London earlier this year which featured the collections of leading Middle East designers including from Saudi Arabia, Balkees Al-Qadheb, and Eman Benjabi.

The event was an imaginative mix of art, charity and enterprise. Fifty paintings curated by the well-known artist Ihasan Al-Khateeb, founder and director of Inter. Craft Gallery in the UAE, were auctioned with several of the paintings being sold for charity. The charities were the Iraqi Women’s Association Funds, World Wide Welfare, the AMAR Foundation, Syria Relief, International Action for Iraqi Refugees, and Vital Voices.

Al-Khateeb, who has nurtured artists over several generations, personally gifted three of his paintings to charitable causes.

Al-Khateeb is highly regarded as both artist and teacher. Originally from Iraq, he went to the UAE in 1975. He has worked in art and art education for over forty years and his father was also an artist in Iraq.

Asked how he set about choosing the art for the exhibition, he said he was looking for authentic voices; talented people who could convey their unique vision through the canvas. He encouraged young artists to be true to themselves.

“I chose artists who are painting for themselves,” he said.

Organizer, Al-Imam, who operates between the UK and UAE, said the artists were enthusiastic about participating in the auction and having their works viewed in London. She is keen to promote the up and coming artists and is introducing them to galleries, art collectors and the international media.

Speaking about the charitable dimension she said: “We are going through very difficult times and the artists have been generous in donating their works.

“When I came to London I found out that we need to make ourselves better known and to be represented at events. We deserve to be known.”

The Consul General of Palestine in Milan, Hani Gaber, said the event helped to raise awareness of the hardship experienced by so many people across the region. He made a special point of saying that he greatly valued the help given by the Gulf countries to the people of Palestine.

“I would like to thank the Gulf countries because they have greatly helped Palestine and our people under occupation with both money and political support,” he said.

Auctioneers from Christie’s handled the sales; the auction was unusual in giving a prominent platform to the charities. Representatives of each charity gave short speeches about their work immediately prior to the donated artworks going under the hammer. The art was a mix of work by established artists and up and coming talent from across the Middle East region. For Suhaila Al-Najdi, a talented Kuwaiti artist, the trauma being experienced by so many people through war and displacement has turned her paintings from vivid colors to somber black and grey. She feels especially the suffering of women who she sees struggling just to survive from day to day with no joy or comfort in their lives.

“Women are tired and don’t know where they can go. They carry great responsibilities. It is life or death for their families,” she said.

However, she has decided in her next painting to reintroduce a little color as a symbol of hope.

Raneen Khedari of Jordan explained that her company, Raneen Jewellery, gives all profit from its sales to supporting disabled children’s charities in Iraq and Jordan. It is a unique and generous business model. “We deliver wheelchairs directly to people in need. We are currently helping The Center of Hope charity in Jordan and all profits from today’s event will go to this charity,” she explained.

Syrian jewelers Laal Motif, with designs by Reem Zabadne, put the profits from its ‘butterfly’ bracelets into supporting the Healing Hand charity for children in need in Syria.

Lebanese Jewelers W. Salamoon & Sons donated a beautiful pearl and diamond brooch to the auction.

Maha Sharif Shakarchi, Chair and Trustee of the UK registered International Action for Iraqi Refugees, spoke about the plight of Iraqi refugees and the efforts to provide support.

It is estimated that there are some five million displaced people scattered all over the world.

“We deal with people who are in desperate need of help — those without money. We especially help women and orphans. We are currently trying to find channels to work with the UK government to help the new wave of refugees. Many of the half million Iraqis in the UK are well off and we want to share the responsibility with the UK government and help our people,” she said.

She added: “I have been living here in the UK for 35 years and my children have been raised here. We are blessed with things that these people lack. We need to find an official route to give help in a constructive way in line with government objectives.”

Vital Voices Sagra Maceira de Rosen, Board of Trustees, Vital Voices Europe, spoke about the work of the organization which was founded 20 years ago by former US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright and Hillary Clinton to support women leaders around the world. One such outstanding leader supported by Vital Voices is Malala Yousafzai. “We helped her very early on with setting up her own foundation and the Malala Fund with an initial donation. She recently presented our charity with a replica of her Nobel Peace Prize by way of acknowledging our support which was wonderful,” she said.

The UK based Syria Relief Charity, which is one of the few charities that operates within Syria, said it was a great opportunity to spread the word about the charities through such a well-attended and high profile art event. It has prosthetic limb clinics and rehab centers for women who have been raped. It also has mental health clinics which help to deal with the trauma that is experienced by many caught up in the violence, including a high proportion of young children. Former Lady Mayoress of London, Fiona Savory, said she was impressed with the entrepreneurial drive of many women across the Middle East who have long been successful ‘behind the scenes’ drivers of business and are increasingly taking a more public role in their enterprises.

Enterprising Qatari designer, Amal Al-Hajri, showed her ‘Hope’ collection of finely crafted crocodile and ostrich leather handbags. Al-Hajri explained that for her it is important to participate in international exhibitions. “I want to progress step by step; my Qatari brand is just 18 months old and is getting a good reaction. I am keen to expand,” she said.

Fatthia Ansah Plange, Director, Baidans Property Services, said she was happy to support the event as it was a good international platform to showcase talent from the Middle East region and to help charitable causes.

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