| Where I sleep by Zahra Marwan - Photo: Cat Bauer |
East Meets West Through Art
(Venice, Italy) Venice has always been a crossroads of people
and cultures. For centuries, it was the center of trade where East
met West, and a powerful maritime empire. With a strategic
position at the head of the Adriatic Sea, her merchant vessels
would sail to exotic lands in the Byzantine empire and Muslim
world, and return home brimming with spices, gems, fabrics, art
and ideas from the Orient. These products flowed throughout all
of Europe, allowing her citizens to prosper. In her heyday,
Venice was the wealthiest city in all of Europe.
and cultures. For centuries, it was the center of trade where East
met West, and a powerful maritime empire. With a strategic
position at the head of the Adriatic Sea, her merchant vessels
would sail to exotic lands in the Byzantine empire and Muslim
world, and return home brimming with spices, gems, fabrics, art
and ideas from the Orient. These products flowed throughout all
of Europe, allowing her citizens to prosper. In her heyday,
Venice was the wealthiest city in all of Europe.
Kuwait, too, is strategically located at the head of the Persian
Gulf, and whose people are linked to the sea. Kuwait struck it
rich when oil reserves were discovered in 1938. These days, it
is a country in search of a dynamic balance between tradition
and innovation, and is making efforts to convert a largely
oil-based economy to one that includes innovative activities
which focus on information and technology. It is an immensely
wealthy country, with the fourth highest per capita income in
the world. While remaining an emirate, it is the first Gulf country
to have a parliamentary government. Since 2005, women have
had the right to vote, and outnumber men in the work force.
Gulf, and whose people are linked to the sea. Kuwait struck it
rich when oil reserves were discovered in 1938. These days, it
is a country in search of a dynamic balance between tradition
and innovation, and is making efforts to convert a largely
oil-based economy to one that includes innovative activities
which focus on information and technology. It is an immensely
wealthy country, with the fourth highest per capita income in
the world. While remaining an emirate, it is the first Gulf country
to have a parliamentary government. Since 2005, women have
had the right to vote, and outnumber men in the work force.
| Inauguration at Scoletta dei Battioro in Venice - Photo: Cat Bauer |
The Heart of Culture
In My Dream I was in Kuwait is the evocative title chosen for the
exhibition that spotlights the Heart of Culture program in Venice,
and launches the Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Culture Centre in
Kuwait onto the international stage. As one of the world’s largest
museum complexes, the Centre consists of a Space Museum, a
Fine Arts Centre, a Natural History Museum, a Science and
Technology Museum, an Arabic Islamic Science Museum and a
theatre. Established on March 14, 2018, the museum is owned
by Kuwait’s royal palace, the Amiri Diwan, and is named after the
first Emir and founder of modern Kuwait.
exhibition that spotlights the Heart of Culture program in Venice,
and launches the Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Culture Centre in
Kuwait onto the international stage. As one of the world’s largest
museum complexes, the Centre consists of a Space Museum, a
Fine Arts Centre, a Natural History Museum, a Science and
Technology Museum, an Arabic Islamic Science Museum and a
theatre. Established on March 14, 2018, the museum is owned
by Kuwait’s royal palace, the Amiri Diwan, and is named after the
first Emir and founder of modern Kuwait.
| Elibelinde by Amani Althuwaini - Photo: Cat Bauer |
The Exhibition in Venice - A Cultural Exchange
The exhibition at the Scoletta dei Battioro in Venice at San Stae is
presented in two stages with six different artists, all of whom
participated in the Artist in Residence program at the Centre,
which promotes the work of young and emerging Kuwaiti artists
and facilitates cultural exchanges through international
collaborations.
presented in two stages with six different artists, all of whom
participated in the Artist in Residence program at the Centre,
which promotes the work of young and emerging Kuwaiti artists
and facilitates cultural exchanges through international
collaborations.
From June to August, the works of Zahra Marwan, Amani
Al-Thuwaini and Mahmoud Shaker are on show; from September
to November it’s Khaled Al-Najdi, Ahmed Muqeem and Naseer
Behbehani. Through the Heart of Culture program they
collaborate with Venetian artists and artisans like Tessitura
Bevilacqua that uses traditional 18th-century looms to weave its
fabrics; glass artist Leonardo Cimolin; New Zealand painter
Veronica Green; the Simone Cenedese Murano glass factory, and
the Doppio Fondo printmaking studio.
Al-Thuwaini and Mahmoud Shaker are on show; from September
to November it’s Khaled Al-Najdi, Ahmed Muqeem and Naseer
Behbehani. Through the Heart of Culture program they
collaborate with Venetian artists and artisans like Tessitura
Bevilacqua that uses traditional 18th-century looms to weave its
fabrics; glass artist Leonardo Cimolin; New Zealand painter
Veronica Green; the Simone Cenedese Murano glass factory, and
the Doppio Fondo printmaking studio.
On losing a loved one by Zahra Marwan "Every day, I go to the sea and say hello to my dad." |
In My Dream I was in Kuwait
The spirit of the whimsical watercolour and ink illustrations of
Zahra Marwan was the inspiration for the title of the exhibition.
Zahra, who was born in Kuwait, but lives and works in New
Mexico, is one of the two female artists whose work is currently
on display. Her unique experience of facing social injustice and
of leaving Kuwait is reflected in her work; her images of her
father are especially poignant.
Zahra Marwan was the inspiration for the title of the exhibition.
Zahra, who was born in Kuwait, but lives and works in New
Mexico, is one of the two female artists whose work is currently
on display. Her unique experience of facing social injustice and
of leaving Kuwait is reflected in her work; her images of her
father are especially poignant.
Amani Althuwaini is half Kuwaiti and half Ukrainian and uses
mixed media and two-dimensional forms -- video, installation
and painting -- to explore themes of luxury, discrimination and
other socio-political topics through her work. Elibelinde, created
with wool and embroidered fabric, is an image of the goddess
commonly used in Kilim rugs, and combines a fairy tale quality
with traditional marriage rituals.
mixed media and two-dimensional forms -- video, installation
and painting -- to explore themes of luxury, discrimination and
other socio-political topics through her work. Elibelinde, created
with wool and embroidered fabric, is an image of the goddess
commonly used in Kilim rugs, and combines a fairy tale quality
with traditional marriage rituals.
Mahmoud Shaker lives and works in Kuwait, and is a writer and
visual artist. Before the oil economy, Kuwaiti men dove for pearls
as their women confronted the sea, singing and waiting for
their safe return. Poems are written on photographs, expressing
their feelings of loneliness, love and longing.
In my Dream I was in Kuwait was curated by Francesca Giubilei
and Luca Berta, founders of the Venice Art Factory, and runs
from June 14 to November 1. Go to the Venice Art Factory for
more information.
visual artist. Before the oil economy, Kuwaiti men dove for pearls
as their women confronted the sea, singing and waiting for
their safe return. Poems are written on photographs, expressing
their feelings of loneliness, love and longing.
| The Wait by Mahmoud Shaker |
and Luca Berta, founders of the Venice Art Factory, and runs
from June 14 to November 1. Go to the Venice Art Factory for
more information.
Ciao from Venezia,
Cat Bauer
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog
