Swiss artist’s abstract portrait project comes to Ithra

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At his Face-O-Mat installation, Swiss-German artist Tobias Gutmann creates abstract interpretations of strangers’ faces using ink and paper. (Supplied)
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The Face-O-Mat atelier will remain at the Plaza in Ithra for the next two months. (AN photo)
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The Face-O-Mat atelier will remain at the Plaza in Ithra for the next two months. (AN photo)
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The Face-O-Mat atelier will remain at the Plaza in Ithra for the next two months. (AN photo)
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The Face-O-Mat atelier will remain at the Plaza in Ithra for the next two months. (AN photo)
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The Face-O-Mat atelier will remain at the Plaza in Ithra for the next two months. (AN photo)
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The Face-O-Mat atelier will remain at the Plaza in Ithra for the next two months. (AN photo)
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The Face-O-Mat atelier will remain at the Plaza in Ithra for the next two months. (Supplied)
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Updated 24 January 2024
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Swiss artist’s abstract portrait project comes to Ithra

  • “I made it quite intentional here because I didn’t want to be the European guy coming here and drawing the people … I felt like I want to take it a step further and actually let people draw each other,” he told Arab News

DHAHRAN: If you visited the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, or Ithra, during the Beyond Learning Conference this week, you might have seen Swiss-German artist Tobias Gutmann seated at his Face-O-Mat installation, creating abstract interpretations of strangers’ faces using ink and paper.

“With my project, Face-O-Mat, I look into people’s faces. It takes courage to look into someone’s eyes or let someone look into my eyes,” Gutmann said. “How would our world look like if we would take the time to connect through conscious everyday face-to-face encounters?”

Born in 1987 in Wewak, Papua New Guinea, to Swiss-German parents, and having moved to Switzerland at 13, the now 36-year-old Gutmann learned early on that no matter where he was in the world, he could communicate through art.




A participant shows off her drawing at the Face-O-Mat atelier. (Supplied)

The idea of Face-O-Mat was born in Stockholm as part of a class project in one of his two MFA programs. Through deliberate strokes made using a tool resembling a mini rake, Gutmann symbolizes facial features while fully utilizing the negative space on the page.

Once you decide to participate, you sit on a small table facing Gutmann. A cardboard box with a hole in it sits between you two. Some of his “collaborators” speak; others remain silent and let their eyes do the talking. Some stare at him and hold his gaze, while some shyly look away. The main language is the pen, the ink, and the individual’s face.

Since it takes about five minutes to create each drawing, it is a slower process than snapping a photograph.

How would our world look like if we would take the time to connect through conscious everyday face-to-face encounters?

Tobias Gutmann, Swiss-German artist

Gutmann captures a moment by crafting a tangible artwork that holds his interpretation of the expression on a person’s face. The drawings are saddled between playfulness and steady squiggly shapes that represent a person’s features and characteristics. He accents them with a touch of color, such as a splash of red to represent a vibrant lipstick or a dot to show the eye color.

It is estimated that over the years, Gutmann has gazed into the faces of over 5,000 people to draw abstract interpretations of what he sees as he looks into their eyes. Since this project began, he has gained international recognition by providing the Face-O-Mat experiences globally in places such as France, Hong Kong, the US, Portugal, Switzerland, and now, Saudi Arabia.

The plants thriving at Ithra became an inspiration for installation, which was set up with the help of two Saudi artists to help him construct his “garden.”




Gutmann captures a moment by crafting a tangible artwork that holds his interpretation of the expression on a person’s face. (Supplied)

In a statement, Ithra wrote: “At the heart of Tobias Gutmann’s artistic practice lies the creation and investigation of encounters — between people, cultures and environments, but also between what we perceive on the outside and what we feel on the inside.”

Although Gutmann has done this numerous times, the Saudi experience had one unique addition. Cradled within the fortress made of boxes were a dozen tables set up with pieces of paper, paints, and his signature tool so that anyone passing through might attempt to make their own version.

“I made it quite intentional here because I didn’t want to be the European guy coming here and drawing the people … I felt like I want to take it a step further and actually let people draw each other,” he told Arab News.




Visitors to the Face-O-Mat atelier at Ithra are invited to draw each other. (Supplied)

“I wasn’t sure about the culture (in Saudi Arabia) … I wasn’t sure if everyone would actually sit down in front of me and I thought maybe they would sit down next to someone they know. That was the idea of actually creating this activity that could live without me being here.”

After each portrait is finished in the Face-O-Mat experience, he hands it to the person to keep but not before asking if he can snap a photo for his ever-growing digital archive.

One person who had his portrait created was Bader Al-Jenaid, who recently moved back to nearby Bahrain after completing an accounting internship in the UK. Considering a shift in his career to become a football coach and work with children, he stopped by the Ithra building for Beyond Learning to catch a few of the offerings — and to wait in the long line that snaked around the space to have his one-on-one time with Gutmann.




The Face-O-Mat atelier will remain at the Plaza in Ithra for the next two months. (Supplied)

“I’m a curious learner and I came into the Tobias Gutmann installation to get my picture drawn. I feel like the outcome I received made sense in a way … although it’s abstract, I can see myself in the portrait,” Al-Jenaid told Arab News.

While Gutmann was on hand at the center all week long, the father of two was eager to return to his wife and young children in Switzerland. He found his first time in the Kingdom to be filled with warmth and abundant in new Saudi faces he immortalized in ink.

The Face-O-Mat atelier will remain at the Plaza in Ithra for the next two months. People are invited to go there, dip into the ink, and draw what they see in each other to keep the non-verbal conversation going.

If you have had your portrait drawn by him, you are invited to join the thousands of others in his digital community. To scroll through the faces he has drawn, download the free Face-O-Mat app on your smartphone.

 

 


Health campaign promotes quality care in Saudi Arabia

Updated 04 November 2024
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Health campaign promotes quality care in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH: The Ministry of Health has launched a campaign to promote health by enhancing access to and the quality and efficiency of health services and raising awareness of health risks, the Saudi Press Agency reported Monday.

The campaign “A Vibrant, Healthy Nation” introduces a modern healthcare model, offering integrated, individual-centered services aligned with Vision 2030’s goal of fostering a healthy society.

The ministry is committed to “enhancing public health, improving quality of life, and raising the Kingdom’s global healthcare standing.”

The campaign highlights the health transformation initiative’s positive impacts and informs citizens about its main features, aiming to engage all segments of society, SPA reported.

It emphasizes a shift from treating illness to prevention, involving primary care doctors and early detection programs.


Saudi environment ministry launches program to develop green tech

Updated 04 November 2024
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Saudi environment ministry launches program to develop green tech

  • Scheme seeks new ways to repurpose wastewater, looks at impact of microplastics

RIYADH: The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture has opened applications for a new program to find ways to develop sustainable technologies in Saudi Arabia.

The Sustainable Innovation Fellowship Program aims to find ways to repurpose by-products from water treatment for the benefit of the environment; develop sustainable technologies for recycling membranes used in water treatment; and explore methods to reuse treated wastewater in desert and arid regions.

Supported by the Environment Fund and the Research, Development and Innovation Authority, the fellowship program will also assess the environmental impact of microplastics in water treatment plants, sewage, and wastewater.

In line with Saudi Vision 2030, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture is also introducing new e-services in accordance with international standards.


Industry meets creativity at Athar festival in Riyadh

Updated 04 November 2024
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Industry meets creativity at Athar festival in Riyadh

  • With workshops, discussions, and awards, the festival aims to drive growth in Saudi Arabia’s creative sectors

The second Athar Saudi Festival of Creativity will take place in Riyadh from Nov. 5 to 6.

Hosted by UAE-based Motivate Media Group and communications consultancy TRACCS, the festival will gather over 1,500 professionals and leaders from the creative marketing industry, featuring 100 regional and international speakers.

Ian Fairservice, managing partner and group editor in chief of Motivate Media Group, will chair the event, alongside Vice Chairman Mohammed Al-Ayed, CEO of TRACCS.

Pre-festival activities began on Nov. 3 with the Young Talent Academies, including the Student Creative Academy (in partnership with the Middle East Communications Network), the Student Marketers Academy, the NextGen Creative Academy, and the NextGen Marketers Academy.

These academies, featuring keynote sessions from industry experts, workshops, and a 24-hour hackathon, are open to full-time university students aged 18 to 25 and professionals under 30 in creative communications, marketing, or advertising.

The festival will continue on Tuesday and Wednesday with panel discussions, presentations, and fireside chats focused on redefining and growing the creative landscape in Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, and beyond, covering various sectors such as sports, entertainment, and tourism.

The event will conclude with the Athar Awards ceremony on the evening of Nov. 6.

Notable speakers include Sir Martin Sorrell, founder and executive chairman of S4 Capital PLC; Matt McKie, director of marketing for Manchester United; Waseem Kashan, executive director of marketing at ROSHN Group; Yahya Hamidaddin, vice president of corporate communications at ACWA Power; and Houda Tohme, CEO of Havas Media Middle East.

Sessions and keynotes will explore themes such as purpose-driven marketing, brand growth strategies, artificial intelligence, technology, cross-sector innovation, and unlocking creative potential.


Saudi Arabia and Iraq sign MoU on military cooperation

Updated 04 November 2024
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Saudi Arabia and Iraq sign MoU on military cooperation

  • Two defense ministers reviewed longstanding relations between their countries, focusing on ways to enhance defense ties

RIYADH: Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and his Iraqi counterpart Thabet Al-Abbasi signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday aimed at strengthening cooperation in the military field.

The agreement, signed during a high-level meeting in Riyadh, represents a significant step forward in defense collaboration between the Kingdom and Iraq, Saudi Press Agency reported.

During their discussions, the two ministers reviewed the longstanding relations between their countries, focusing on ways to enhance defense ties.

They emphasized the importance of continued cooperation to foster regional security and stability, particularly amid ongoing regional tensions.

Both ministers discussed recent developments and shared efforts aimed at de-escalating conflicts, prioritizing actions that support peace and security in the region.

The MoU establishes a framework for increased collaboration on military matters, allowing Saudi Arabia and Iraq to address shared security challenges more effectively and pursue mutual goals in defense, SPA added. 


Saudi Islamic affairs minister receives Chinese envoy

Updated 04 November 2024
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Saudi Islamic affairs minister receives Chinese envoy

Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance Dr. Abdullatif Al-Asheikh received Chinese Ambassador to the Kingdom Chang Hua in Riyadh on Monday.

During the meeting, they exchanged cordial talks and discussed issues of common interest, particularly those related to Islamic work and promoting moderation and peaceful coexistence, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar received Ambassador of Iran to the Kingdom Alireza Enayati in Riyadh on Monday. They discussed bilateral relations and other topics of common interest.