Saudi artist’s ‘Waiting Patron’ wins in sculpture contest

Arabian Wings teamed up with Abdul Lateef Jameel Initiatives (ALJI) to hold the Sculpture Awards 2013 to bring the talents of young Saudi sculptors into the spotlight. They organized a unique exhibition of 32 different types of sculptures by Saudi artists. The winner of the contest was Ali Al-Hasan’s sculpture “Waiting Patron.” He won SR 15,000. Runner-up Adel Abdul Latif Abdul Aziz Khiymi won SR 10,000 for his sculpture “Message of freedom.” Waled Kurdy’s sculpture “Monkey” won third place and SR 5,000. The jury members of the contest were Saudi artist Ahmed Husain, artist and founder of Arabian Wings Najla Felmban and sculpture artist Ajeeb Yousef. The works on display at the Arabian Wings Gallery are made of wood, steel, iron, plaster of Paris, marble, mud, stones and plastic “I have traveled to many countries but I have never seen similar work. Allah made everything beautiful, it says in the Qur’an and today at the gallery I saw proof of that. The artists gave different shapes to material we thought would be impossible to change,” said Maha Fitaihi, a Saudi businesswoman who inaugurated the unique collection. She praised the contest organizers for bringing out talent from within the artists. “Our mission is to support Saudi artists as sculpture art is not deemed as important in Saudi Arabia as many other forms of art,” said Mohammed Bahrawi, co-founder and organizer of the sculpture awards. “The contest was also set up to strengthen cultural bonds between artists and intellectuals, to exchange artistic expertise, and to consolidate the artists’ names on Arab and international levels.” The contest was open for everyone. Arabian Wings aims to support Saudi artists of all kind. “I am sure that after seeing the excellent work of the artists, the popularity of this artform will increase and next year we will have more participants,” Bahrawi added. Source: ArabNews