| |
International Art Exhibit
Sponsored by:
Dr. Ibrahim Shalaby Live Painting Demonstration Schedule:
Saturday July 31:
12:00 to 12:30 PM
2:00 to 2:30 PM
4:00 to 4:30 PM
6:00 to 6:30 PM
Sunday August 1:
12:00 to 12:30 PM
2:00 to 2:30 PM
4:00 to 4:30 PM
6:00 to 6:30 PM
Ibrahim Shalaby is a Canadian Jerusalemite Architect & Interior designer, who always says "I don't live in Jerusalem it lives in me". Born in Amman, his art elicits feelings of nostalgia, warmth and love for Arab cities; he is influenced by the traditional heritage and culture of Arabs. Ibrahim paints real places that he has visited before - Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Bahrain, Kuwait, U.A.E. He toured Palestine through Jerusalem, Ramallah, Nablus, Qalqilyah, Acre, Jaffa, Nazareth, Haifa, Tiberias and the Nativity of Bethlehem beside many Palestinian villages. Ibrahim has become an internationally known and respected Palestinian-Canadian artist and has retired from teaching, but now he is focused on supporting American and Canadian Arabs by promoting their culture.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Klaus Schmidt Artist Statement:
I was born in Hanau, Germany in 1972. My family moved to Chicago in 1974. I
studied Fine Arts at Northern Illinois University, but I have considered myself an artist
since around the age of 4.
In 1996, I accepted Islam, and my art stood on hold for a while. Finding a new form of
expression, without the use of humans or animals was challenging, but rewarding.
Although there are exceptions to this interpretation, I choose to follow it strictly in my
paintings because it brings me the most satisfaction and tranquility.
My recent paintings are made up of layers of paint and glue, giving them a translucent
depth, which I feel is unique. I also have a love of detail, which makes its way into my
work in the form of intricate patterns and squiggly lines. My paintings are usually not
large, but they take an extraordinarily long time to complete, due to the layers and
amount of detail.
I hope you enjoy…
----------------------------------------------------------------
Faouzi Khlifi:
 eL Seed perceives Arabic Calligraphy as a tangible expression of his search for identity.
Throughout his work, myriad paths intersect and mirror the multiple sources of inspiration
which nourish his art. Emanating from this confusion is an amalgam of harmony and
balance.
His art is a mixture of street art and Arabic Calligraphy. It is the product of a double
marginality, that of an oriental art seeking a voice in the occidental world, and that of street
art struggling to legitimize its presence on the contemporary art scene. This duality enables
the reconciling of two supposedly opposing worlds and two supposedly clashing cultures.
eL Seed no longer tags his name on walls. He has decided to adopt a proverbial tradition in
which the name disappears and only the message remains. Therefore, rather than
searching for what distinguishes him from others, eL Seed searches for what unites him and
others. His art is a link, an arm outstretched, a bridge towards those who are open to his
message.
eL Seed Mural Description:
The mural "History or His Story" seeks to highlight the oft over-looked contributions of
Muslims in the story of our civilization. Whether accidentally or purposefully neglected in
the mainstream historical narrative, the Golden Age of Islam and the Empire of Timbuktu
have not been given due credit for their advanced knowledge of the world and their
discoveries.
Decades before Christopher Columbus was even born, other peoples and Empires had
reached the continent of the Americas. Such people include the Vikings and the
Mandingues, whose Muslim Empire revolved around the ancient African city of Timbuktu.
Led by the Emperor Abou Bakr, the Mandingues reached the American continent in the
11th Century CE. Numerous detailed accounts of such voyages have even been recorded in
Christopher Columbus's own journals! Columbus himself acknowledged the undeniable
evidence that situated the Mandigue people in America well before 1492. Such revealing
facts have been hushed or swept aside by our cultural imaginary which has now become a
universal phenomenon due to the onset of globalization and a new era of cultural
colonization. The constructs of such a hegemonic historical narrative must be questioned
and recti ed in order to re-balance the agency of di erent peoples, cultures and religions;
not just in order to re-read history, but also to empower those disenfranchised in our
current age.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Hope Hunza Poster Exhibit:
 No one knew what waited for them on the 4th of January, especially not the residents of the Hunza Valley. Rattled awake by falling craters they weren’t just greeted by a massive landslide that buried the Northern villages of Attabad Payeen, Attabad Bala and Sarat.
The after math accumulating to: Shishkat Village, 113 families, 1,190 people Gulmit Village, 14 families, 98 people, 141 families of Attabad, Salmanabad and Sarat are residing in 4 camps setup by the local Government in school/colleges of Altit. Due to what can only be stated as a Natural Calamity; the main trade and transport
route to the Valley; The Karakoram High Way not only lay in shambles but also was completely blocked rendering the residents incapable of being able to procure the
basics of life. With the water levels rising each day; the over 20,000 residents of the valley are trapped in a human fish bowl.
The landslide managed to not only be a threat to the immediate area but also the neighboring populace. The Debris of the landslide piled up in the Hunza River constructing a natural Dam. The Dam though is doing its part but the constant rising levels of the upstream Dam are an immediate threat to Aveenabad, Shishkat and Gulmit. Keeping in mind the Dams natural construction its stability can’t be accounted for in which case it will collapse and cause a flash flood which will affect the residence that are downs stream.
Hope Hunza is our Contingency plan.
Hope. Hunza is a group of Designers in collaboration with D.U.C.K Karachi, who want to take an initiative to help their brethren in their hour of need. It is an effort that springs from the most basic of emotions that is compassion; Compassion to lend a hand till enough strength is accumulated to stand on your own and to rebuild a life. It is to build solidarity amongst the nation so that no man, woman or child feelsabandoned or alone in this crucial time.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Peter Gould:
 Peter Yaseen Gould is an Australian graphic designer and digital artist. He is the co-founder of Creativity & The Spiritual Path. Since embracing Islam in 2002 his travels and studies throughout the Middle East have inspired a unique cultural fusion that is reactive to a world of misunderstanding.
Peter’s work has reached many audiences through exhibitions, presentations, graphic design projects, websites and collaborations with other artists. He has worked for many international clients including Yusuf Islam, Reviving the Islamic Spirit, Sami Yusuf, Haji Noor Deen, Zaytuna Institute, ISNA and Deen Intensive Foundation.
Highlights include exhibitions in the United States, Malaysia, Australia, Dubai and Singapore as well as events across UK, Europe
and the Middle East. He has won several design awards such as
the ISNA 2009 branding competition and voted as 2009's Australian
Muslim Creative Artist of the Year.
He leads a design studio developing branding, identity, marketing material and websites for a broad range of clients worldwide.
www.azaan.com.au
|
|
