DUBAI: Safeya Binzagr, one of Saudi Arabia’s foremost female artists, died on Sept. 12 at the age of 84. Art institutions, artists, cultural experts and enthusiasts and former students were quick to pay tribute.  

Among them was the influential Swiss curator and art critic Hans Ulrich Olbrist, who posted a picture of a handwritten note from Binzagr from 2022. “If you have the will, you will,” it read; a quote that encapsulates Binzagr’s own story as a persevering artist, who has been affectionately called “the mother of Saudi art.”  

Binzagr was born in 1940 in the Harat Al-Sham neighborhood of Jeddah, a place she developed a long-lasting bond with. From a young age, at a time when it was rare for Saudi and Arab women to travel, Binzagr had the opportunity to see the world outside of the Kingdom. When she was seven, her family relocated to Egypt, where she was educated until high school.  

Although she was away from her beloved Jeddah, the streets of Cairo reminded her of home. “The scent of the old alleys lingered with her, their images dwelled in her memory, and a strong sense of nostalgia pulled her back to a special place enriched by the warmth of its people, their valuable customs and traditions,” reads a statement published by Darat Safeya Binzagr, the late artist’s cultural center. 

England played an important role in her formative years too. After completing her education in Egypt, Binzagr moved there to attend finishing school, and in 1976, she graduated with a degree in drawing and graphics from London’s prestigious St Martin’s School of Art.  

1968 was a defining year for the artist, then in her late twenties. She showed her paintings publicly for the first time in the Kingdom (along with her Saudi contemporary, the late Egypt-trained artist Mounirah Mosly) at Dar at-Tarbiyah al-Haditha School in Jeddah, making them reportedly the first women to exhibit their art in Saudi Arabia.  

During the 1970s and 1980s, the ever-active Binzagr held shows in Jeddah (where she eventually returned), Dharan, Madinah, London, Paris and Geneva. She continues to be honored in public events decades later. For instance, at the Diriyah Biennale in Riyadh earlier this year, a selection of her colorful drawings of women in traditional Saudi attires charmed audiences.  

Binzagr’s oeuvre was mostly devoted to telling a variety of narratives surrounding Saudi culture, everyday scenery and architectural heritage. Whether depicting a wedding ceremony or pilgrims at the Holy Kaaba, children playing games or hardworking fishermen, she was a dedicated chronicler of her surroundings, but also a preserver of native traditions, which some were forgetting as the country rapidly modernized. 

Perhaps Binzagr’s greatest work is “Al Zabun,” her stunning 1969 portrait of a woman dressed in a bright yellow gown, seated against an ornamental background. It has been described as “The Arab Mona Lisa” or “The Mona Lisa of Hijaz.” The title, according to a statement from Darat Safeya Binzagr, refers to the type of dress the woman is wearing.  

“The bodice underneath, which served as a vest or bra, was fastened by six buttons of silver, gold or diamonds — depending of her wealth — all connected by a chain,” the statement explains. “Her hair is worn in the Mihrama wa Mudawwarah style, in which the hair was braided with a cotton scarf coiled around the head, then covered with a cap.”  

But arguably Binzagr’s greatest achievement in her storied career was the establishment of her namesake cultural center in Jeddah in 2000, where countless students have had the opportunity to study art, thanks to Binzagr’s generosity and commitment to education.  

One of the center’s former pupils, artist Daniah Alsaleh, told Arab News: “I had the privilege of studying at Safeya Binzagr’s atelier from the early 2000s until around 2008, under the guidance of painter Dorothy Boyer. Safeya created a unique space where students could immerse themselves in the principles of drawing and painting, something that was quite rare at the time. She would often visit our lessons, sharing her personal experiences and stories about her work. Her passion extended beyond art — she was a dedicated collector of traditional Saudi costumes, tea cups, and various artifacts, and had a remarkable eye for beauty. Safeya also opened her extensive art library to the public, fostering a sense of community and education.  

“I am incredibly grateful for the impact she had on my artistic journey,” Alsaleh continued. “Safeya was a true pioneer, dedicated to both art and education, and her contributions will continue to inspire many.” 

DUBAI: South Korean director Jason Kim’s latest project, “Officer Black Belt,” is marketed as an action-comedy. And for the first 40 minutes or so, you can see why: it sets out as a so-so take on the “odd couple/buddy cop” trope. But then comes a shift.

The story: likeable-but-aimless Lee Jung-do (Kim Woo-bin) spends most of his time hanging with his gamer friends and working as a delivery driver for his dad’s restaurant. One night, he happens across a probation officer who’s being badly beaten by one of the violent ex-cons whose ankle bracelets he monitors. Jung-do, it turns out, is a master martial artist. He rushes to help the probation officer, likely saving his life.

Probation department manager Kim Sun-min (Kim Sung-kyun) offers Jung-do a temporary job while the officer he saved recovers. He accepts, and the two quickly become friends — despite a considerable age gap and what at first seems like a major difference in lifestyle choices. There are some vaguely humorous scenes as the two get to know one another and as Jung-do gets to grips with his new role — and with several parolees.

The general goofiness of these early scenes takes a turn when a notorious child abuser is released from prison and becomes the responsibility of the already over-worked probation department. The fight scenes are no longer comic-book-style entertainment, but grimly lethal, and the storyline gets especially dark when a young girl is abducted with the intent of forcing her to ‘star’ in a video for a dark web pornographer.

It's impossible to overstate just how jarring this narrative and stylistic shift is; but it’s a bit like watching an episode of “Friends” and having Phoebe turn up at the coffee shop bloodied and traumatized having been brutally assaulted. It’s not just a shock, but a shock that feels entirely out of place contextually.

Whether that’s intentional, as an attempt to subvert audience expectations, or simply sloppy storytelling is hard to say — and the result is ultimately the same: confusion. Which is only compounded when the director delivers a ludicrously saccharine, plot-hole-riddled ending.

Woo-bin, who shows himself to be a charismatic and capable lead, deserves better.