Israeli artist shuts Venice Biennale exhibit until ‘ceasefire agreement happens’
Updated 16 April 2024
Arab News
DUBAI: Israeli artist Ruth Patir has shut down her national pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale, saying that she will only reopen it when a “ceasefire agreement happens” between Israel and Hamas.
Patir said in a statement on Instagram: “I feel that the time for art is lost and I need to believe it will return. We (Tamar, Mira and I) have become the news, not the art. And so, if I am given such a remarkable stage, I want to make it count.
“I have therefore decided that the pavilion will only open when the release of hostages and ceasefire agreement happens,” she added. “This has been our decision and we stand by it. I am an artist and educator, I firmly object to cultural boycott, but since I feel there are answers, and I can only do what I can with the space I have, I prefer to raise my voice with those I stand with in their scream, ceasefire now, bring the people back from captivity. We can’t take it anymore.”
In February, thousands of people, including artists, curators and museum directors, signed an online appeal calling for Israel to be excluded from this year’s art fair and accusing the country of “genocide” in Gaza.
“Any official representation of Israel on the international cultural stage is an endorsement of its policies and of the genocide in Gaza,” said the online statement by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) collective.
ANGA said the Venice Biennale had previously banned South Africa over its apartheid policy of white minority rule and excluded Russia after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Italian Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said the appeal was an “unacceptable, as well as shameful ... diktat of those who believe they are the custodians of truth, and with arrogance and hatred, think they can threaten freedom of thought and creative expression.”
Dubbed the “Olympics of the art world,” the Biennale is one of the main events in the international arts calendar. This year’s edition, “Foreigners Everywhere,” is due to host pavilions from 90 countries between April 20 and Nov. 24.
Recipes for Success: St. Regis Red Sea Executive Sous Chef Skotarenko Artem on educating guests and experimentation
Updated 8 sec ago
Shyama Krishna Kumar
JEDDAH: The newly-opened St. Regis Red Sea is home to several restaurants, including Middle Eastern restaurant Nesma, Japanese establishment Gishika 45, and Tilina — a “floating” restaurant that serves a degustation menu. The resort’s executive sous chef, Skotarenko Artem, from Russia, oversees a team of 75.
“Discipline is one of the most important things in the kitchen. I can say it’s one of the pillars. But relationships in the kitchen should be based on respect. If you shout at your employees, you can make people scared, but they will never respect you for it,” Artem tells Arab News. “Shouting is a thing of the past in the kitchen.”
St. Regis Red Sea Resort’s Tilina offers a degustation menu for its visitors. (Supplied)
Tilina, he says, is a “unique concept for Saudi Arabia.”
“The degustation menu takes two to three hours. Not everyone can sit for this time and wait for the dishes. So, we try to educate the guests,” he explains.
When you started out what was the most common mistake you made?
I guess trying to repeat the dishes of celebrity chefs that I found online, from other parts of the world. And I was really upset with the results because they were below my expectations. That was because of products and seasonality, because every country has different produce and you can’t expect to get the same results in another country.
What’s your top tip for amateurs?
Don’t be afraid to experiment. If you find a nice recipe and you want to follow it, most likely you won’t have all the ingredients available at home. So use your imagination and, like this, you can achieve a great result.
What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish?
Doesn’t matter where you’re cooking — it can be a restaurant or at home — love is the most important.
What’s the most common mistake that you find in other restaurants?
I’m actually not very picky when I go out. But, for me, the most common issue is seasoning. It’s very easy to spoil a dish if you have poor seasoning; it becomes flat and, actually, it is dead.
What’s your favorite cuisine?
When I go out, I’m always looking for something unusual and interesting that I’m not familiar with. It helps to keep your mind open.
What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home?
I don’t actually cook at home very often. But I’ll always have fresh bread in and a piece of good quality cheese. Along with them, I have all these different kinds of preserves and pickled vegetables. So, if I have to do something quick at home, I’d make a nice Cuban-style sandwich.
What customer behavior most annoys you?
Actually, there’s a long list. But what really annoys me is when guests leave the table without valid excuses when the dishes are ready to serve. Because then you need to remake the dish. It’s a disservice to all the other guests in the restaurant.
What’s your favorite dish to cook?
Where I’m from, it tends to get very cold. So, I love to make rich soups of all kinds. But they tend to take a lot of time and patience.
What’s the most difficult dish for you to get right?
Actually, I’m really flexible and adaptable. For me, everything is possible if you’re focused and committed to it.
RECIPE
Chef Skotarenko’s cured mackerel, salted laminaria, and dill kefir sauce
INGREDIENTS
For the brine: 1L water; 80g sea salt; 30g brown sugar; 1 garlic clove; 10g dill; 30g sunflower oil (or your preferred flavor of oil); 2g black pepper; 2g bay leaves
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place a whole mackerel (300-400g) in the brine and leave overnight.
2. Place 500g fresh laminaria in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Strain the water and repeat the process three times.
3. Wash the laminaria in cold water, sprinkle with 5g sea salt, and refrigerate overnight.
4. Slice 500g fresh cucumber. Mix with 50g olive oil, a pinch of salt, and 20g apple cider vinegar. Refrigerate overnight.
5. Mix 500g kefir (or laban if you prefer) with 30g lemon juice, 5g finely chopped garlic, 5g salt, and 2g white pepper.
6. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add 500g dill. Remove after 10 seconds and place in ice-cold water. Blend the dill with 500g olive oil until smooth, then strain through a fine sieve.
7. Plate all the ingredients separately and serve.
Haifaa Al-Mansour hopes to show ‘fire and bravery’ of Saudi women in Nike campaign film
Updated 56 min 41 sec ago
Shyama Krishna Kumar
DUBAI: For Nike’s first Saudi campaign “What If You Can?” the US athletic brand collaborated with acclaimed Saudi filmmaker Haifaa Al-Mansour.
Shot in Riyadh, the film aims to inspire young girls in the Kingdom to try sporting activities, and Al-Mansour brought a level of craft and authenticity deeply rooted in Saudi culture to the project, as she has done throughout her career. Her groundbreaking debut feature, 2012’s “Wadjda,” which premiered at the Venice Film Festival, was a love letter to the young girls of Saudi Arabia.
“I really feel a responsibility to try and represent the world I grew up in as authentically as possible to audiences at home and abroad. I want to start conversations at home about issues that are important to us, while at the same time providing a window to our world to people who have never had access to it before,” Al-Mansour tells Arab News.
“I think it is very important to make a film that shows international audiences what life is really like in Saudi Arabia, as there are very few opportunities for them to see it otherwise. Even with ‘Wadjda,’ I heard from a lot of foreign audiences that were surprised by how strong and sassy Saudi women actually are. There is this perception that we are weak and shy and afraid of the world, and that we are just victims, resigned to the limited, restrictive circumstances of our culture. It is so not true. Saudi women are so tough, feisty, funny, and way more savvy than most people realize. I hope this (Nike campaign) further captures the fire and bravery of women from my country. Telling their stories is the honor and privilege of my life.”
Her work on the new campaign reminded Al-Mansour just how dramatic the changes in the Kingdom have been over the past decade.
“It was incredibly difficult to make a film in 2011. People were still very hesitant to embrace any public form of artistic expression,” she says. “Film, especially, was seen as taboo, and the idea of opening theaters had become a red line that most of us thought would never be crossed. Of course, now everything is different.
“For my first film I couldn’t work with the men in public, so I had to direct from a van,” she continues. “Being allowed to mix with my crew and be fully immersed in this production was amazing. It was also very exciting to have so many enthusiastic young Saudis working on the set. They are the future of the industry, and to see them giving their all was very special for me. We have a long way to go in building local expertise, but the enthusiasm is there. It’s an exciting time to be a Saudi filmmaker.”
For Al-Mansour, the Nike ad campaign is a natural extension of her work as a filmmaker.
“It feels like a dream to shoot a commercial encouraging Saudi women to participate in sport, with an all-female cast, in Saudi Arabia. While I love working in the West, there is a much deeper sense of pride and emotion for me when taking on projects shot in KSA. I feel such a strong connection to this story and these issues, it is very emotional for me,” she says.
Al-Mansour credits her parents for her creative spirit. “My father was a poet and philosopher who thought far beyond the borders of the tiny town he was from. And my mother is a free spirit. They never listened to people who criticized their way of life, and never limited opportunities for their children. It is incredibly brave to stand up for what you believe in, and neither of them ever backed down,” she says.
As for her legacy, Al-Mansour hopes to “encourage women to always push boundaries and look for new opportunities. I want to make films that show people adjusting to change and struggling through it the way we all have to. It isn’t easy for anyone. If I hear that this project encouraged someone to go out and try a sport for the first time, not knowing if they would even be able to do it, that would be the most rewarding thing I can imagine.”
Saudi Arabia’s Wadi AlFann Publications launches art books after Venice showcase
Updated 16 May 2024
Hams Saleh
DUBAI: AlUla-based Wadi AlFann Publications has launched two books — Saudi artist Manal AlDowayan’s “Oasis of Stories” and US artist Mark Dion’s “The Desert Field Guide.”
“Oasis of Stories” showcases drawings collected from AlDowayan’s participatory workshops with communities throughout AlUla, engaging over 700 Saudi women, leading up to her participation as the Kingdom’s representative at this year’s Venice Biennale.
The artworks, which were also displayed at the biennale, portray various aspects of the women’s lives, reflecting the rich tapestry of their culture and identity.
Saudi artist Manal AlDowayan. (Supplied)
Dion’s book assists “visitors and locals in unlocking the vast natural history of (AlUla) as well as its growing status as a cultural site,” he told Arab News.
“The deserts of AlUla are places of astonishing beauty and uncanny life forms,” Dion added. “The guide playfully, and at times mischievously, places Wadi AlFann in a global context, while highlighting unique life forms visitors might encounter. I am really trying to encourage a sense of wonder by emphasizing that the more you know about the desert, the more marvelous it becomes.”
AlDowayan and Dion hosted a panel discussion at the biennale last month and delved into their new launches, exploring how participation is fundamental to their practice as well as delivering insights on the desert.
Wadi AlFann’s Venice showcase featured the first five artists commissioned for the upcoming ‘cultural destination’ — AlDowayan, Agnes Denes, Michael Heizer, Ahmed Mater and James Turrell. They are producing artworks for eponymous AlUla valley, covering an area of 65 square kilometers. The project is scheduled to open its doors to visitors in late 2026.
AlDowayan told Arab News: “The most beautiful thing I have realized (at the Venice Biennale) … is the humanity we share and the language that we are trying to bring, about care, about climate change, and about preserving our languages and not really looking to the Western canon of how we are defined.”
Christie’s to stage retrospective of Saudi artist Ahmed Mater in London
Updated 16 May 2024
Arab News
DUBAI: Christie’s auction house has announced the first mid-career retrospective of Saudi artist Ahmed Mater.
The show, titled “Ahmed Mater: Chronicles” will take place at Christie’s headquarters in London, from July 17 – Aug. 22.
Curated by Dr. Ridha Moumni, Chairman, Christie’s Middle East and Africa, the exhibition will trace Ahmed Mater’s career and will include works across various mediums, including photography, videos, paintings, sculptures and installations.
“It is especially poignant for me to exhibit in London almost 20 years after the first presentation of my work outside Saudi Arabia at the British Museum, in 2005. I am thrilled with the opportunity to reconnect with the city and its dynamic art community through this immersive and comprehensive exhibition of my practice,” the artist said in a released statement.
Moumni added: “His artistic responses to the swift transformations within Saudi Arabia’s complex social and cultural context invite us to discover fascinating narratives of an evolving land and reflect on its multifaceted identity.’”
Arab stars, designers steal the spotlight in Cannes
Updated 15 May 2024
Arab News
DUBAI: As the curtain rose on the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, Arab stars and designers once again stole the spotlight in the glamorous French Riviera setting.
The festival kicked off with the premiere of the film “The Second Act,” but not before Saudi influencer Yara Alnamlah hit the red carpet in a look by designer Rami Kadi. She sported jewels by Chaumet, including the Wheat necklace from Le Jardin de Chaumet High Jewellery collection.
Saudi influencer Yara Alnamlah posed on the red carpet. (Getty Images)
Shanina Shaik, the Australian-born model of Saudi, Pakistani, and Lithuanian descent, graced the opening night red carpet in a head-turning scarlet dress by Lebanese couturier Zuhair Murad. Her strapless gown, featuring a sweetheart neckline and a dramatic overskirt, was from the designer’s ready-to-wear Fall 2024 collection.
Shanina Shaik, the Australian-born model of Saudi, Pakistani, and Lithuanian descent, graced the opening night red carpet in a head-turning scarlet dress by Lebanese couturier Zuhair Murad. Her strapless gown, featuring a sweetheart neckline and a dramatic overskirt, was from the designer’s ready-to-wear Fall 2024 collection.
Shaik was not the only star on the red carpet championing an Arab designer.
US German model and TV host Heidi Klum stunned on the red carpet in a bold red gown by Lebanese designer Saiid Kobeisy. The dress gathered at the waist, revealing one leg, with silk fabric draping around her.
Meanwhile, US actress Jane Fonda donned a black jumpsuit adorned with crystal embroidery from Lebanese designer Elie Saab’s Fall 2019 collection. Completing her look, she opted for a leopard-print overcoat.
“The Second Act” is a French comedy starring Lea Seydoux, Vincent Lindon, Louis Garrel and Raphaël Quenard. They play squabbling actors filming a movie directed by artificial intelligence.
The festival’s first lengthy standing ovation, though, went to Streep, who was awarded an honorary Palme d’Or during Tuesday’s opening ceremony. After Juliette Binoche introduced her, Streep shook her head, fanned herself and danced while the crowd thunderously cheered.
“I’m just so grateful that you haven’t gotten sick of my face and you haven’t gotten off of the train,” said Streep, who soon thereafter declared Cannes officially open with Binoche.
