The Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) invited the gallery, ranked as one of the nation’s repositories, to curate an exhibition of Modern Middle Eastern Art.
The collection of modernist paintings by leading Arab artists of their respective generations is drawn entirely from the gallery’s private collection of Arab art dating back to the 1920s.
Featured artists include Louay Kayyali, Fateh, Moudares, Ismail Fattah and Seif Wanly, each considered a pioneer. The exhibition examines how they were influenced stylistically by Modernism, a Western art movement, and how they adapted this notion of Modernism to express societal and nationalistic themes.
The authority recognizes an opportunity to harness the country’s creative capabilities and is actively involved in an effort to mobilize the positive impact culture and creativity can have from economic, social and human development perspectives.
Arts Channel at GCF
Ikono Menasa, the Middle East’s first television channel exclusively devoted to art, is being broadcast live to dedicated screens in reception area at the 2011 Global Competitiveness Forum.
Ikono.tv aims to provide its viewers with the pure visual experience of art, refraining from adding commentary or audio during broadcast. Instead it provides a virtual journey covering a broad range of art.
The channel presents a high-definition virtual journey. Working closely with artists and curators, it previews international museum exhibitions, private collections, and produce special features such as the artist of the month and a Friday Focus show.
“Imagine the best art in the world hanging in your living room, from old masters to cutting edge artists, but like you’ve never seen before, in vivid and glorious high-definition television. Ikono.tv is pure visual pleasure,” said one of the early arrivals at the conference.
