JEDDAH: An e-magazine held a special evening on Saturday to enable young Saudis from all over the Kingdom to showcase their ideas, poems and artwork.
Ward Magazine, which was also launching its first printed edition, is an e-magazine that aims to support and encourage artists in Saudi Arabia whatever their ages, nationalities and the topics they want to be discussed in their work.
Due to the limitation of available opportunities and spaces for Saudi-based artists, and their centralization in particular cities, Ward was founded to publish their work, and it includes all forms of creativity.
On June 2, Ward organized a special cultural night giving space to young Saudi dreamers from both genders to disclose their thoughts in a creative, literary way.
The spoken-word event gathered a large number of intellectual, ambitious youth from all over the Kingdom and offered them the chance to showcase their ideas and work.
The theme of the evening was "Beyond the frame." It was presented through three categories, each aiming to deliver a different message through an artwork or a poem by eight participants.
Ward offers painters, writers, photographers and anyone in between the chance to submit their work freely, with no limitations on their age or the topics of their work.
The founder of the Ward project, 18-year-old Khalid Alqahtani, told Arab News: "We wanted art enthusiasts to grow with us by volunteering their skills in editing, translation and graphic design. I created a team of nine people, including myself.”
All of them are secondary school and university students from different disciplines and parts of the Kingdom.
“The main goal of Ward is to give art and literature lovers the opportunity to know the reasons behind the creation of a particular work of art,” Al-Gjahtani said. “I believe that art encompasses all forms of creativity.”
The evening was against the famous quote of "Explanation kills art" because when we hear a poem or a work vision we face endless possibilities for interpretation.
During the event the first printed issue of the magazine was launched for the first time as it is considered the seventh edition of the e-magazine.
Ward Magazine aims to remove the stereotypical ideas about the Saudi nation as a mere geographical border, and to prove that it has a wholly different perspective.
The magazine contains articles, poems and other collective artworks of ever-growing young talents.
Al-Ghahtani said: "We are trying to break down the obstacles that artists face in reaching their audiences, by creating solutions to make their art see the light, such as showcasing their works through exhibitions and electronic editions.”
The event took place at 3alsat7 in Alrawdah district.
