JEDDAH, 13 April 2008 — Members of the Art Shine group recently completed a three-day Artist Window Bazaar at the Jeddah House of Artists.
“We wanted women artists to speak up and have their own identity instead of sitting at home trying hard to make a name for themselves,” said Taghreed Al-Jadaani, Art Shine’s group director. “Hopefully, after this bazaar there will be more demand for works by Saudi women.”
On Friday, families were allowed to attend the event.
The first two days were for women only “so the artists could be more comfortable in presenting and explaining their art,” said Al-Jadaani.
“We made Friday open for everyone, so men could have a look at the women’s artistic work.”
The bazaar featured a variety of exhibits and tableaux.
Oil paintings, drawing on leather, drawing on porcelain, interior designing and fashion designing were among the works presented.
“Thankfully, we had a huge crowd and attendance was nearly full. Everyone expressed their support for the idea,” said Al-Jadaani, who expressed hope that events such as this would help raise the profile of Saudi women artists.
Waffa Yareemy, another of the event’s planners, said that although it was a successful event in terms of attendance, few works were actually purchased.
“I believe that people prefer accessories and clothes over art,” she said.
