The annual Jeddah Art Week (JAW) is set to celebrate local creativity and community unity this year, an organizer of the event said on Wednesday.

Lina Lazaar, founder of the event, said the JAW would bring together artists to share their experiences. “We very much look forward to welcoming a cross section of society to celebrate Jeddah’s vibrant art scene,” she said.

The event will be held from Feb. 1-6 at the Al-Fursiya, Park Hayyat Jeddah, under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and Information and Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives.

The Saudi Society for Culture and Arts, in collaboration with international auction house, Sotheby’s, Edge of Arabia Projects and Arabian Wings intend to build on the success of last year’s inaugural event, which saw 1,500 people attend.

“After the success of the JAW last year, we are eager to again celebrate the art scene in Jeddah with Saudis and non-Saudi artists,” said Lazaar.

The schedule includes art and design exhibitions, a series of public performances, a one-day international conference on global visual culture, highlights from an international contemporary art auction, and images from Kakaibang Jeddah! — a photography exhibition featuring 15 Filipino photographers.

“This event is all about the people, we want people to come together in a social event and enjoy the art. We want all communities to join us and reveal their hidden talents,” she said.

Sotheby’s will unveil an exhibition of contemporary art by Middle Eastern and international artists including Ali Banisadr’s “The Chase,” and work by acclaimed international artist Damien Hirst.

Arabian Wings, a grassroots organization dedicated to supporting visual arts in the Arab world, with a particular emphasis on Saudi Arabia, will hold its annual exhibition, Limited Edition, showcasing the work of 22 local artists who have studied and practiced in the Kingdom.

Edge of Arabia Projects will bring an exhibition of over 100 works on paper as part of Edition#1. The exhibition will feature works by renowned artists such as Banksy, Walid Raad, Peter Blake, Anish Kapoor and Ahmed Mater among others.

“As part of its commitment to education, the JAW will host an international conference at Dar Al-Hekma College. The conference, Global Contemporary Art and its Networks, is to be organized by Ibraaz, the leading critical forum on visual culture from the Middle East North Africa region, and will include a series of lectures and panel discussions on the development of contemporary art in its historical and global context,” said Lazaar.

Saudi artists Abdulnasser Gharem, Ahmed Mater, Maha Malluh and Faisal Samra will join panel discussions with international academics and celebrated art specialists.

She said the JAW encourages its audience to look at public space in Jeddah more creatively, and will synthesize literature, aesthetics and architecture, with celebrated Tunisian street artist eL Seed, assisted by five local Saudi artists, performing his “calligraffiti” on a building in Jeddah’s historical area.

The newly restored open-air public museum on Jeddah’s Corniche will celebrate the restoration of sculptures by masters such as Henry Moore, Alexander Calder and Juan Miro, which have been in situ since the 1980s.