Category Archives: Art & Architecture

Hassan Massoudy

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Hey guys,

I hope you are all well.

I think my illness is gone, but I think I may have made my PC ill.  It’s not working well at the moment and I think I might need a hammer to fix it.

So if I start to post things late, you now know the reason.

For this week I wanted to focus on Hassan Massoudy.

Hassan Massoudy was born in 1944, Irak, and at the age of seventeen, he started to work with calligraphers in Baghdad for eight years. In June 1969, he attended Fine Arts School in Paris.

Hassan’s creations came out from the meeting of the past with the present, the Eastern art with the Western art, from tradition with modernity. He has been perpetuating the tradition of calligraphy craft at the same time as breaking it; he simplifies lines, tending to purer lines, adding colours opening on to a wider unlimited world. 

Hassan’s calligraphies carry out a rhythm, a musical structure which echoes back to the very remotest of times. The emotion is very strong when looking at the movement of his lines, their weight, their lightness, their transparency, the balance between black and white, the fullness and the vacuum, the concreteness and the abstractness.

Hassan makes his own inks and pigments from a chemistry of his own and from a personal selection of papers.

Edge of Arabia

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Many of you may be pleased to here that I’m feeling a lot better since last week.  However, a lot of you probably don’t really care.

Anyways, as I was searching for fun art stuff for you guys to check out, when I came across this exhibition that is currently running in London –

Edge of Arabia exhibition

This exhibition is set to shed new light on the largely unknown contemporary art culture of Saudi Arabia. A new generation of artists will be in London to take part in the first ever comprehensive exhibition of contemporary saudi art staged in the UK.

Edge of Arabia, will feature the work of 17 Saudi contemporary artists, male and female, whose work explores the complex and diverse identities of 21st century life in the Middle East.

The issues addressed are as much personal or domestic as they are global. The artists have chosen not to focus on negative perceptions of the Middle East or artistic and intellectual clichés associated with the region and instead present a contemporary world view that is as unpredictable as it is beautiful.

The exhibition will run till the 13 December 2008 at the SOAS Brunei gallery, university of London.

Richard Henry

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Okay, So I’ve spent the past week mostly ill.

Even though I can take time off work, it doesn’t make it anymore fun.  I mean I spent the best part of week screaming in pain.

Anyways, I am still ill so I’m going to make this short and sweet.

The artist I have chosen you to view is Richard Henry.

Richard Henry is an artist and teacher with a particular interest in the contemplative aspects of pattern. He teaches courses linking geometry and art at The British Museum, Birkbeck and The Slade.

I would write more but a got a huge headache, so visit his website to learn more about him.

BTW…. Richard if you ever read this, then I’m sorry for the rubbish blog.  I’ll make up for you somehow.  Erm…do you like milkshakes?!

Emirates Photography Competition

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I have been hired to tell you about the arts world, so it is nice to cover different topics now and again.

The past few weeks I have only focused on different types of artist. However, this week will be different.

I stumbled across this website – http://www.ephotoc.net/

An annual competition organised by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage aims to develop the photographic movement in the United Arab Emirates, by attracting the largest possible number of photographers; encouraging amateurs and supporting professionals; establishing specialised workshops, meetings and seminars; holding personal and group exhibitions, inside the UAE and abroad; buying and selling photographs of the competition’s participants.

In its quest to become one of the professional competitions in the region, the Emirates Photography Competition is expecting to receive distinguished photography from various schools of compound work, panorama, positive and negative slides, negatives, modern digital image processors, and photographs of different sizes – all that fall under the common standards of the art of photography.

The competition has a main theme every year, where photographers are urged to take into account research and untapped aspects, in addition to four sections that change from year to year.

The fourth session of the Competition celebrates the French artist “Henri Cartier-Bresson”, (1908-2004) who is one of the symbols of photography in the last century, with an exhibition of his most important works. The focus of the main theme is on his innovative style of capturing life on the street, and reflecting the pulse of the photographic works in “Building Formation”.

Believing in the comprehensiveness of art, the intersection of the interests of humans in all places and at all times, and the belief that photos are able to create communication links and interactions between peoples, the Competition opens its doors for the participation of all photographers in the world – after starting as a trial in its first and second sessions, confined to UAE photographers only in the 1st and 2nd sessions, and to Gulf participants at the 3rd.

Sections of the competition

First: the main theme
Street Photography 


To take innovative photographs that translate the pulse of the street, and reflect diversity in cities, villages and the different environmental effects, of different patterns of people’s lives and professions – to the unlimited movement of everything.

As we celebrate this year the French photographer Bresson, it is advised that photographers are inspired by him, to benefit from his experiences and visions. 


Second: general themes


1- Landscape & nature

The idea of nature does not end with what we see. Eyes may see what is invisible as well. Nature, in all its diversity, grants the artist permanent opportunities to interpret it differently. The creativity of the photographer and his camera, as expected by the viewer, is to surprise himself. 



2- Portrait & people

Human beings are generally the memory of their history, and what they made since the beginning of creation. Their lives move between the visible and the invisible in studio photos of faces and groups, live reality, that can be captured by the heart before the eyes or the lens.

3 – Journalism photography

Since its beginning, one of the most important aspects of journalism photography is its change to undoubted conscience, a conscience feared by some, as it has assumed the responsibility of transmitting the hidden. Hence the role of journalist photos is not decorative, but to tell the truth.

4 – Sports & action

Every movement is magical in itself, more so if it was present within a comprehensive system in every sport. The camera lens can only see what the photographer challenges in every second, during a sports game or movement. 


Awards

Main Theme ( Street Photography )

- Diamond Eye Award: Granted to the best work in on the main theme: 40,000 UAE dirham. 

- Golden Eye Award: 15,000 UAE dirham


- Silver Eye Award: 12,000 UAE dirham


- Bronze Eye Award: 10,000 UAE dirham




General themes awards
Three awards each for each theme 




-Golden Eye Award: 15,000 UAE dirham


-Silver Eye Award: 12,000 UAE dirham


-Bronze Eye Award: 10,000 UAE dirham




Judging committee award 


Six prizes, each worth 10,000 UAE dirham, given in the name of the arbitrators, to the best work from the viewpoint of each arbitrator for all themes.
 
UAE photo prize

Given to UAE photographers on the total works in all themes 



-Diamond Eye Award: 

resented by the National Library with the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage. It consists of: printing and publication an illustrated book and holding an exhibition. 



-Golden Eye Award: 15,000 UAE dirham


-Silver Eye Award: 12,000 UAE dirham


-Bronze Eye Award: 10,000 UAE dirham


 


Certificates of appreciation for outstanding work in all themes
 


The Competition awards certificates of appreciation to the winners, and certificates of participation to everyone. The winners will be invited to attend the opening of the exhibition and the distribution of awards.

Moalla Calligraphy

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Hmmm….I don’t know if it’s the weather but I always feeling tired.

I wish I could be a bear and just sleep through the winter period.

Anyways, I saw this site and I thought it was cool – Moalla Calligraphy

The calligraphy on this site was made by Hamid Ajami and tells us that Moalla calligraphy is based on the calligrapher’s own subjective and imaginative interpretation of various calligraphic styles, which influence the new style indirectly as visual models.

That paragraph confused me, but at least he has some work on his website.

Julien Breton

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Yup – that’s right people….today’s post will be on time!

I’m not exactly sure if I should be happy, as I’m not exactly sure if people read this section on the site.

I wonder if it’s because of my lack of understanding of the use of English grammar?!

Anyways, the artist I have chosen for this week is Julien Breton.

Inspired by Arabic calligraphy, rap lyrics and poetry, Julien Breton, under the moniker Kaalam, is creating calligraphic work that is radiant, elegant and completely breathtaking. He has even started exploring the ephemeral light graffiti to create truly stunning images.

I was going to write more about him, but I think it’s better if you just check out his website.

Samir Malik

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Ermm…..before anyone tell me off, yes I know that I am late with this weeks post.

I was travelling and I lost track of time.

Anyways, better late than late – that’s what I always say!

Last week I showed you about Mazzy Malik, so I decide to stick with the same family group and talk to you about Samir Malik.  Yup – they are related!!!

Some of you may already heard of Samir Malik, as he was one of the three judges for Ijtema Photo Contest.  The other judges were Peter Sanders and yours truly, Teakster.

Samir Malik creates and presents spaces to communicate and share the power and beauty of Islam.

Drawing roots from classical Islamic Art and Calligraphy as well as Western and Asian forms, his art presents Islamic concepts in a fusion between different artistic traditions utilising classical mediums: ink and paints on paper and canvas, applied with qalam and brushes.

Each piece is for him a meditation on the Spirit and the teachings of Islam, teachings that guide us to live our lives sourced from peace, mercy and kindness in our relationships with fellow human beings and our environment, as well as submission to a Higher Force, the Source of all things, that works through compassion and mercy.

Mazzy Malik

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Salaams, peace and welcome everyone,

Yup – its the local art guru telling you who to check out.  To be honest, I’m not really an art guru but let’s not ponder on that too long!!!

Okay for this week I have chosen Mazzy Malik.

Mazzy Malik is a graffiti artist and her writing is in Arabic with a graffiti style. She has been greatly influenced by the hip-hop scene and street culture in the UK; her pictures are a kind of comical typography that outlines together with bright colours.

Mazzy’s work is a creative expression of herself through a fusion of the graffiti art that inspires her and the arabic language of her faith.

To view more of her work, check out her website.