LONDON: Works by well-known Saudi artists Maha Malluh and Ahmed Mater will go under the hammer at Sotheby’s auction of 20th Century Middle Eastern art in London on April 24.
Arab News spoke to Sotheby’s consultant Mai Eldib to learn more about the much-anticipated sale. Eldib is a huge fan of Malluh and noted that for those who grew up in Saudi Arabia in the 80s and 90s, her work “Food for Thought,” depicting cassette tapes of religious sermons encased in wooden bread-baking trays, will have particular significance.
The minds of this generation were “baked” with these ideas, Eldib observed.
“The work is delivering a message in a very clever way — and the message is very relevant to the social dialogue in the region today,” she added.
Ahmed Mater’s striking “Evolution of Man” — in which a petrol pump “evolves” over five images into an x-ray of a man holding a pistol to his own head — will also be auctioned. The piece is expected to fetch between $8,500 to $10,000.
“This is one of the most recognized images in contemporary Saudi art,” Eldib said. “It is very much a statement piece for any collector.”
Some of the most beautiful and emotionally resonant works in the sale are by the Syrian artist Louay Kayali.
“Kayali is one of the Syrian modern masters. If you are trying to acquire a comprehensive Arab modern collection, you must own a Kayali. He is the father of Syrian modernity and a very important artist,” said Eldib.
The three Kayali works in the sale come from the estate of the late Mrs. Pearl A. Baker, whose 40-year career as a diplomat with the US State Department included posts in Saudi Arabia and Libya. It was during a trip to Syria in 1963-1964 to visit her friends in the Foreign Service that she met Kayali, who at the time was painting portraits for the UN personnel in Damascus.
According to her personal memoirs, Baker commissioned Kayali to paint her own portrait (Lot 59) for just $50. The piece is expected to sell for between $5,700 to $8,500 at the auction. In addition, Baker mentions having bought a painting of the artist’s niece (Lot 58), who was 10 years old at the time, which she proudly hung in her living room in Minneapolis.
Other works up for grabs at Sotheby’s auction include “Minotaur,” by Iranian artist Bahman Mohasses — sometimes called “The Persian Picasso” — whose “Requiem Omnibus” fetched $836,265 at this event last year; Mahmoud Said’s 1937 painting “Adam and Eve” (described by the auction house as “seminal”); and “Bestiare,” by Moroccan modernist Farid Belkahia.
Saudi artists feature in Sotheby’s ‘20th Century Art/Middle East’ auction
Saudi artists feature in Sotheby’s ‘20th Century Art/Middle East’ auction
- Sotheby's is hosting a sale of 20th Century Middle Eastern art in London
- Works by Saudi artists Maha Malluh and Ahmed Mater will go under the hammer
Hail museums: Treasure troves of history and heritage
- Samia Suleiman Al-Jabri: Museums play a vital role in preserving heritage, protecting it from extinction, and connecting generations to their civilizational and cultural legacy
- Al-Jabri: They (museums) provide an information-rich environment that enhances historical and scientific knowledge for both international visitors and tourists
Hail’s museums offer visitors a journey through time, bringing to life the ancient stories of the region’s ancestors.
A number of museums in the city highlight historical ways of life, traditional craftsmanship and an array of archaeological artifacts.
“Museums play a vital role in preserving heritage, protecting it from extinction, and connecting generations to their civilizational and cultural legacy,” Samia Suleiman Al-Jabri, associate professor of modern history at Hail University, told the Saudi Press Agency.
“They provide an information-rich environment that enhances historical and scientific knowledge for both international visitors and tourists, including students, researchers and cultural enthusiasts.
“Moreover, museums are key tourist destinations that promote cultural tourism, offering visitors access to diverse collections of rare heritage artifacts, which in turn significantly boosts the local economy.”
Al-Jabri said that Saudi Arabia’s leadership was committed to enhancing the role of museums nationally, which strengthened national identity by showcasing the Kingdom’s cultural heritage.
The Authenticity Museum is one of the most prominent cultural, heritage and tourist landmarks in Hail.
It features a diverse collection of artifacts and tools that provide insight into the past.
The museum also highlights traditional furniture, from historical majlis (sitting rooms), heritage seating, and intricately hand-crafted cabinets once used in traditional homes.
Ali Bakhrisa, owner of the “Asalah” Museum, said: “Among the most notable items on display are ancient heritage tools, including pottery, cooking implements and hunting gear.
“The museum also showcases a collection of traditional clothing worn by the region’s tribes, featuring men’s garments such as the sadiriyya, dagla, kut and bisht, alongside women’s attire, which is hand-embroidered and woven, including the dagla, sabah, burqas and dara’a once worn by Hail’s women.
“In addition, the museum proudly exhibits a selection of classic cars from various manufacturers.”
The museum, which Bakhrisa said took 20 years to curate through extensive research trips across the Kingdom and beyond, boasts a rich collection of traditional weapons, including swords, daggers and antique rifles.
It also features an exquisite array of traditional jewelry and ornaments, historically worn by women on social occasions and renowned for their authentic heritage designs.
The museum also highlights traditional architecture once common in the region, showcasing distinctive architectural styles and locally sourced building materials.
One of the most renowned museums in Hail is the Found Influence from the Past Museum, housed in a clay structure more than a century old.
Its owner, Khaled Al-Matroud, has carefully transformed this historic home into a museum that showcases a remarkable collection of more than 2,000 artifacts, elegantly arranged across its wings and corridors.
A standout feature is the heritage majlis, known for its soaring ceilings — reaching up to eight meters — and its impressive 15-meter width, reflecting the region’s architectural style.
This majlis was ingeniously designed to adapt to seasonal needs, with distinct shapes for summer and winter.
The museum also preserves the charm of a traditional Hail house, featuring numerous rooms and an open courtyard that facilitates natural ventilation, further enhanced by the lush greenery of palm, orange and lemon trees at its entrance.
Fadi Al-Abdullah, a passionate admirer of historical artifacts, praised these museums for preserving and documenting the intricate details of a past era.
Antar Al-Kilani, an Egyptian resident, views these museums as a gateway to discovering the cultural and historical heritage of the region.
Saudi content creators win big at TikTok Awards in Dubai
DUBAI: Two Saudi content creators made a mark at the TikTok Awards ceremony on Wednesday.
Mohammed Hemex was honored with the Sports Creator of the Year Award, while Emad Ramen earned the title of Food Creator of the Year.
The event drew a star-studded crowd, including US-Iraqi entrepreneur and fragrance mogul Mona Kattan, accompanied by her co-stars from Netflix’s “Dubai Bling.” Among them were Ebraheem Alsamadi, who decorated the venue with centerpieces from his brand Forever Rose, Safa Siddiqui, Danya Mohammed, Marwan Al-Awadhi (DJ Bliss), and Jwana Karim. Also in attendance were “Love is Blind Habibi” stars Mohammed AlKiswani and Nour El-Hajj.
The Creator of the Year award was presented to Yara Aziz. Ahead of her win, Aziz, who boasts 6.5 million TikTok followers, told Arab News: “I started everything on TikTok. It’s been five years now, and this is my first award ever with them. I am nervous, I am excited, I am happy, I am content and I am grateful.”
Originally a medical student, the TikToker attended the event wearing a dress handmade by her grandmother, a process she documented on TikTok for her followers.
Reflecting on the experience, Aziz described the process as “extremely stressful.” She explained, “Honestly, it was stressful for my grandma, she felt like she was under pressure to make something quick and fast. But honestly, it turned out perfect.”
Before the announcement, Aziz mentioned that winning this award would mark the most memorable moment of her social media career — and it did.
The night included performances by Haitian-French artist Naika, known for the viral hit “Sauce,” and Egyptian rapper Marwan Moussa, a TikTok favorite, who thrilled the audience with tracks such as “Tesla,” “Batal Alam” and “Hob Khenaa,” joined by co-singer Nourine Abouseada for the latter.
The night celebrated other talents including Syrian Canadian Osama Marwah, who won the Video of the Year, while Egyptian singer Tul8te was named Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Lebanese chef Abir El Saghir received the Visionary Content Award, Abdullah Annan was honored as Changemaker of the Year, Shihab Al-Hashemy won Education Creator of the Year, and Nouran El-Sayed took home the Fashion & Beauty Creator of the Year award.
Qatar exhibition explores relationship between AI and humanity
DOHA: The Media Majlis Museum at Northwestern University in Qatar launched “Ai or Nay? Artificial vs. Intelligent,” a thought-provoking exhibition exploring humanity’s evolving relationship with machine learning.
Running until May 15, the exhibition brings together over 20 works by international and regional artists.
Directed by Alfredo Cramerotti, the exhibition emphasizes interdisciplinary dialogue, he said. “For me, it’s important as a curator to combine arts with something else and have a foot in art and a foot in something like technology or media,” Cramerotti told Arab News.
“We’re embedded in an environment of communication, technology, and media and (in this exhibition) we bring in artistic elements… to tackle themes that are relevant for society now.”
On display are installations from international creatives such as Jan Zuiderveld (Netherlands), Patrick Tresset (France/Belgium), and Adnan Ayub Aga (UAE/Portugal), alongside interactive and visual works by Amr Alngmah (Yemen/Egypt), Farjana Salahuddin (Bangladesh), graphic designer Hind Al-Saad (Qatar), Hadeer Omar (Egypt) and Bilge Emir (Turkey/Germany).
“We thought, let’s bring in in different voices — from the region and internationally, from different sectors of society and cultures — to help us understand the different pinch points of AI to make the general public more aware of certain issues,” explained Cramerotti.
The exhibition also addresses the tension between digital and physical experiences, he added: “This hybridity is central to the show. It’s about being aware of how AI and information flows shape our identities and impact our lives.”
As an example, Cramerotti highlighted the work of Al-Saad and Omar, which features screen walls offering a glimpse into how AI works in our everyday lives.
“The idea of how computers see us is actually quite central, but it’s completely invisible — like facial recognition,” he said. “It is integrated in your life flow. You don’t notice it. But there is an incredible amount of ‘bio-politics’ behind it.”
Italian sculptress Arianna Palmieri contemplates world’s cyclicity at Tuwaiq Sculpture
RIYADH: With the theme “Then and Now: Joy in the Struggle of Making,” the sixth edition of the Tuwaiq Sculpture symposium has brought together 30 sculpture artists from around the world.
Among them is Italian artist Arianna Palmieri, whose piece “Motion of Revolution” was inspired by the movement of the solar system around the sun. Depicting the inevitable cycles of birth and death, the work contemplates the notion that birth is conditioned by assured fatality.
“It’s all about the circularity of life — you are born, you are a child, then you are an adolescent, then you grow older, and then you die. But your life will continue after this, and we give life to other things. So it’s more about how everything is connected and a circularity of life; as humans move within the planets, the planets are moving around the sun,” Palmieri told Arab News.
Originally from Milan, Palmieri moved to Carrara, a town known worldwide for its white marble, to study sculpting. She graduated in 2023 and the 26-year-old is one of the youngest artists amongst the group at the symposium.
She says it is an opportunity to learn and grow as an artist.
“It’s like a dream. I didn't think they would choose me because I am so young,” she said. “The last edition was more about people that had experience. This edition, they tried to concentrate more (on) the artwork and the background of the artist,” she said.
The finished works will be exhibited from Feb. 12-24 and moved to various locations across the city as part of Riyadh Art’s initiative to beautify the capital.
“Public art is the main thing that our sculptures can achieve because you can do big stuff and they will be like a journal in some way. I’m really, really happy that I can do something so big that will stay there so much longer than me,” she said.
Palmieri’s work is not merely a reflection of planetary movement but contemplates the existence of the human race and its role within a larger picture. Her work itself is a representation of this thought: As every human diminishes, remnants of them and their work on earth will be set in stone — waiting to be discovered by another.
“I thought about nature a lot, and all of humanity. I hope at least that my art can get through this idea, to connect all the people,” she said.
Ian McDiarmid, Hideo Ishikawa to headline Middle East Film & Comic Con 2025
DUBAI: Scottish actor and director Ian McDiarmid, known for his portrayal of Emperor Palpatine in the “Star Wars” saga, has been announced as the first confirmed celebrity guest for the Middle East Film & Comic Con (MEFCC) 2025.
The region’s largest pop culture event will take place from April 18 to 20, 2025, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).
In addition to his role as the “Star Wars” saga, McDiarmid is also known for his performances in films such as “Sleepy Hollow” and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” as well as his extensive work in theater, including his Olivier Award-winning role in “Faith Healer.”
Anime fans are also in for a treat with the announcement of Japan’s leading voice actor, Hideo Ishikawa, best known as the voice of Itachi Uchiha from “Naruto.”
His notable roles include Toyotomi Hideyoshi in “Samurai Warriors,” Kyo-ya Onizuka in “Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero,” Ray Penber and Hideki Ide in “Death Note,” and Squall Leonhart, Auron, and Cait Sith in the “Final Fantasy” series.
Loy Pinheiro, show director of MEFCC said in a statement: “MEFCC 2025 is set to be our most diverse and engaging event yet. From casual fans to devoted collectors, we’ve created an experience that celebrates every aspect of pop culture with something for everyone.”
The event is organized in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi.
