Organized jointly by the Albaylasan Art Center and the Saudi Cancer Foundation, the exhibition has drawn international artists such as Fawzi El Seed of Canada, Mohsin Attea of Egypt, Abdulrazag Hamouda of Geneva, Abbas Al-Mosawi and Omar Al-Rashid of Bahrain, and Michael Klaus Schmidt of the United States.
Saudi, Pakistani and Arab artists are taking part in the exhibition which runs until Tuesday. It is open to all. Part of the proceeds from the sale of exhibits will go toward the cancer foundation.
“The idea behind this exhibition is to create awareness about breast cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And we thought what can be a better way than bringing in the artists to promote the message of our foundation,” said Abdul Aziz Al-Abdulkarim, board member of the Saudi Cancer Foundation, while opening the show.
“We are thrilled by the response,” said Saeed Al-Ghamdi, another board member of the foundation. “We were not expecting these many people at the opening. There are businessmen, diplomats, artists, young Saudis, professionals, everybody is here. This only indicates that our society is always in the forefront for a good cause,” he said.
Mustafa Ibrahim Mubarak, director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Eastern Province, said creating awareness about cancer is a divine cause. “The organizers need to be complimented for this art exhibition. We need more such initiatives. Cancer can be cured provided there is early detection. And unless and until there is enough awareness people will not know till it is too late,” he said.
Among the young Saudi artists at the exhibition was Sana Yahya bin Alsheikh from Riyadh. “This is my first exhibition. And I am excited by the response. Artists have their own way of expressing their emotions. We transfer our emotions to paper and the result is here,” she said pointing at one of her beautiful paintings. “I am studying interior designing in Riyadh and painting is my passion. I am thankful to my parents for encouraging me,” she said.
Her father, Yahya Nasser Alsheikh, was present by her side at the exhibition. “She is an intelligent girl. When she showed interest in painting I encouraged her. However, I told her that she should complete her studies first. She told me, painting would not distract her from her studies. And so I supported her all the way. And I am proud of my daughter,” said Alsheikh.
For Sadia Hussain from Karachi, the exhibition was a unique opportunity to showcase her talent as a digital artist. “I work on Adobe and mine is a highly painstaking job. It takes hours on end to complete one work of art,” she said. “I am displaying three of my works and the response is exciting. One of her works, titled Medley of Hues, was attracting a large number of visitors. She, along with her husband and daughter, was enjoying the attention her work was getting.
At the other end of the exhibition was Abeera Atique, from Pakistan, and her three students, Amanda Helbig (US), Anum Khan (Pakistan) and Nawaf El Daher (Syria). Abeera herself is an accomplished artist and she teaches art at Dhahran High School.
“I am here to support and promote the works of my students. They are highly talented, and it gives me immense pleasure when they get all these compliments,” she said.
Among the early visitors was Amal Al-Muraikhy of Saudi Aramco. She was fascinated by the concept of the cancer foundation and the artists coming together. “We all have an obligation toward our society. Every person should contribute to the well being of society. Artists are known for having soft hearts. They are sensitive people. Who can understand the plight of a cancer patient better than an artist? I congratulate the artists and the cancer foundation for this thoughtful collaboration,” said Al-Muraikhy.
