The first public life drawing meeting in Riyadh is held at Huthaifa Hejazi as part of the sixth edition of Misk Art Week, which began on Wednesday. Hejazi, a 33-year-old interior designer and artist, was chosen by Misk Art Institute to guide a group of promising Saudi and international artists concentrating on life painting.
The lessons, or “gatherings,” as Misk Art Institute calls them, are the consequence of an unofficial Riyadh community that practiced life drawing together before discovering Masaha Residency in Prince Faisal bin Fahd Arts Hall, where they have been meeting once a week since August of this year.
Mansour Alotaibi, an engineer at the Ministry of Energy who has been painting since he was a little child, said that this was a new experience for them and that life sketching helped them improve their talents.
One of the most well-attended activities during Misk Art Week, which closes on December 10, is the gatherings for life sketching and painting. Like all events throughout the festival, they are free and accessible to everyone.
The Misk Art Institute’s signature event had its most vibrant and comprehensive edition this year, as evidenced by a wide range of art displays and various presentations and workshops that reflected the organization’s goal to support the local and regional creative community. According to Mashael Al-Yahya, artistic director of Misk Art Institute, the art week also signifies the event’s complete comeback following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Art and Design Market consisted of various white cube open-air venues of various heights and offered accessible stalls to 81 creatives from throughout the Kingdom based on an open-call procedure. The exhibition featured pieces from pottery, painting, accessories, and jewelry. The event allowed visitors to buy, commission, and source unique artwork.
Abeer Al-Zayed, an artist from Al-Baha, came to Riyadh to show her paintings featuring delicate and colorful portraits of anonymous women at the Art and Design Market, marking her fifth time participating in a Misk event. She said, “We are seeing the expansion of the art scene in Saudi Arabia, and this makes me very happy.”
The two-day Creative Forum, which featured renowned speakers on art and culture from the Middle East and elsewhere, was another highlight. The Barjeel Art Foundation was founded by Emirati Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi. Dr. Nada Shabout is a regent professor of art history and the coordinator of the Contemporary Arab and Muslim Cultural Studies Initiative at the University of North Texas.
Elham Aldawsari’s photographs titled “Shabbat” (2020) capture her research into the history of Saudi women hospitality workers, as well as wedding photos by renowned Saudi photographer Tasneem Alsultan, paintings by Emirati artist Khalid Al-Banna, and paintings of weddings by Tasmeen Alsultan. Khalid Al-vibrant Banna’s mix of paint on his colorful abstract canvases is similar to a lively social gathering.
At the entrance, Aldawsari’s enormous images welcome guests like a Shabbat, a woman who serves refreshments on occasions for women only. The artist, who grew up in the Kingdom in the 1990s when the internet was not widely available, presents the memories and experiences of these women who have witnessed the numerous changes that have shaped their nation through their personal and professional lives while continuously serving others.