Mariam Nihal

Saudi Gazette

Beirut Art Fair 2014 experienced a great turnout of 8,000 visitors on its first day. The fair facilitates art perspective featuring work from ME.NA.SA (Middle East, North Africa, South Asia) region, connecting them with a worldwide audience.



“Beirut Art Fair has been, for the past five years, the main window into ME.NA.SA. creativity in both the national and international scenes,” Laure d’Hauteville, founder and director of the fair, told Saudi Gazette. “It stands as the primary source of information on the artists, trends, galleries, publications and institutions that contribute to the rapid advancement of art in this region. Beirut Art Fair holds a key role in this globe-spanning art ecosystem and market.” She believes the fair is a trigger of that transformation and has remained an integral player in its evolution. “In these five years, more Lebanese artists have been added to major international collections such as that of Charles Saatchi. New York, London and Dubai have witnessed a surging wave of public auction sales provoking directors of large auction houses to come as observers to explore the possibility of opening a new branch in Beirut.



Discover Beirut Art Fair’s 5th edition. It will surprise, disturb, and make its visitors dream in Beirut, the cultural and intellectual capital of the Arab World, the crossroad between East and West.



The fair hosted 47 galleries from 14 countries including the GCC region.



Five galleries from the Middle East participated this year. These included Al-Mohtaraf Gallery and WARD Gallery representing Saudi Arabia, Samer Kozah Gallery representing Syria, JAMM from Dubai and Salwa Zeidan Gallery based in Abu Dhabi.



Salwa Zeidan Gallery chose to focus on local artists exhibiting paintings by Paul Guiragossian, limited edition prints by Adonis, calligraphy by Ahmad Moualla, Akar Abdallah and Ali Haydar, as well as the works by Sabhan Adam, Habib Fadel, Rabee Kiwan and Pierre Chedid, together with sculptures by Salwa Zeidan and works on paper by the young Marc Guiragossian.



“We are delighted to be able to join the fair this year. The quality of the fair has been improving with every passing year, and now we are able to witness a vibrant fair full of interesting art and many local and international collectors together with vast array of visitors,” Vanja Rontini, Executive manager of Salwa Zeidan Gallery, told Saudi Gazette. She said, there is tremendous support in the UAE for the emerging artists. “The universities and other focal points for their development are getting stronger every year, and the country really supports local artistic endeavors and promotes the art to its best possibilities. The ambitious plans for big new cultural district are being implemented and there are lots of initiatives going around.”



Sharjah has been at the forefront of artistic endeavour in the UAE for so long, especially with its famous Art Biennale. Dubai is the core of the art market in the UAE right now, and Abu Dhabi is on the fast curve of development as well. Local artists use this to their best advantage, being in the forefront of these developments.



JAMM is participating at the Beirut Art Fair for the first time. Based in Dubai, it will be showcasing works by eight artists:



• Italian artist Cristiana de Marchi, whose works feature an embroidered map of Beirut and embroidered photographs of graffiti found on the walls of Beirut

• The late Iranian artist Farideh Lashai’s paintings of flowers and an installation featuring rabbits in wonderland

• A pivotal work by Lebanese artist Mohammed Al-Rawas

• A watercolor by the late Lebanese artist Paul Guiragossian

• A photograph by Moroccan artist Lalla Essaydi

• multiple photographs by Yemeni artist Ibi Ibrahim

• Two bird paintings by Iranian artist Yashar Samimi Mofakham

• Two photographs of Marilyn Monroe by the late American photographer, Bert Stern



Lulu Al-Sabah, Founder of JAMM Art Gallery, said the journey was simple.



“We know the organizers of the fair, we know some of the owners of the Beirut-based galleries that are participating and we love Beirut as a city so we decided to participate as well.”



She said the developing art sector in the UAE is what the GCC is very proud of.



“The sheer number of galleries that have opened in Dubai in the last 10 years is impressive and a wonderful opportunity to expose the works of Arab, Iranian and international artists to the youth and those living in the region.”