Christie’s to open new franchise in Saudi Arabia 

Managing director Nour Kelani, left, and Anthea Peers, Christie’s president, EMEA. (Supplied)
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Updated 17 September 2024
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Christie’s to open new franchise in Saudi Arabia 

  • The storied auction house’s regional president says time is ‘undoubtedly right’ for expansion  

DUBAI: The renowned auction house Christie’s is expanding its presence in the Middle East by opening a franchise in Riyadh, led by managing director Nour Kelani. This will be Christie’s second outpost in the region, following the 2005 opening of Christie’s Dubai, which has had a significant impact on the promotion of Arab art and creativity, both contemporary and modern.  

In an exclusive interview with Arab News, Anthea Peers, Christie’s president, EMEA, explains why now is the time to expand the auction house’s activities in the Kingdom, which is experiencing a historic cultural boom.  

“Christie’s has a longstanding presence in the Middle East, with deep-rooted relationships with Saudi Arabian collectors based both in the Kingdom and around the world,” Peers says. “In recent years, we have witnessed a considerable period of growth within the arts and culture sector — I have the privilege of visiting the Kingdom regularly and each time I am blown away by the passion, the ambition and the creative talent that I encounter — and the time is undoubtedly right for this expansion,” Peers says.  




Ahmed Mater's 'Magnetism.' (Supplied)

An opening date has not yet been confirmed. “Having recently established our entity, we look forward to completing all necessary formalities and further extending our business in the Kingdom as soon as possible,” Peers said.

In Saudi Arabia, Christie’s will focus on providing works of art by modern and contemporary Middle Eastern artists, as well as high-end jewelry and watches or other timepieces. They are also keen to engage with the Saudi youth and aspiring art collectors.  

“Bearing in mind the high percentage of millennials in the Kingdom, it’s likely we will also continue to see an increase in engagement among this demographic for Arab artists, modern and contemporary art, as well as engagement with the secondary luxury sector,” says Peers.   




Abdulnasser Gharem's 'Message-Messenger' is the most expensive piece by a Saudi artist to have been sold by Christie's to date, fetching $842,500 in 2011. (Supplied)

In recent years, several acclaimed Saudi artists have made a splash at Christie’s with notable artworks sold at high prices. “The market has been reinforced by strong biennials, gallery representations, and alongside key institutional shows both locally and internationally,” says Peers.  

Saudi conceptual artist Abdulnasser Gharem’s golden-domed wood-and-copper installation piece “Message/Messenger” was sold at Christie’s for $842,500 in 2011 — the highest price fetched so far by a Saudi artist at the auction house. Manal AlDowayan, who represented the Kingdom at the Venice Biennale earlier this year, has a long-standing relationship with Christie’s, which most recently sold her work “Dove” — previously exhibited at the Venice biennale — for just over $15,000, more than three times its low estimate, having, Peers says, “attracted strong bidding from our established Middle East clients.”  




Manal AlDowayan's 'Dove' sold for $15,120 earlier this year at Christie's. (Supplied)

Mid-career artist Ahmed Mater, whose multidisciplinary works were highlighted in a solo exhibition at Christie’s London this summer, has also sold pieces at well above estimated prices; his “Magnetism” triptych fetched £189,000 (around SAR935,000) at Christie’s London. Other emerging Saudi artists, such as Dana Awartani and Alia Ahmad, have also been highlighted at Christie’s. 

“We have had passionate Saudi Arabian clients for many years with a wide range of interests ranging from Old Master paintings and modern and contemporary Middle Eastern art to fine watches and jewelry, among other categories,” Peers says. “We have seen increased interest in a number of Arab artists over the last three years including Saudi artists Ahmed Mater, Manal AlDowayan and Dana Awartani. There are active Saudi clients who are evolving and refining their own collections to include a mix of established and emerging Saudi artists.”   

Christie’s opening in the Kingdom comes at a time when the domestic arts scene is flourishing, with new cultural initiatives, institutions, and festivals supporting Saudi artists as well as welcoming international names. 




Dana Awartani's 'Icosahedron within a Dodecahedron' was sold for £35,000 at Christie's Dubai in 2023. (Supplied)

 “We will be honored to support the burgeoning arts scene in Saudi Arabia as part of the ongoing national diversification efforts,” says Peers.  

“We look forward to partnering with institutions and arts and culture organizations, hosting dedicated exhibitions, as well as supporting regional cultural events within the Kingdom — for example, we collaborated with Diriyah Contemporary Arts Biennale earlier this year. 

“We are also committed to bringing regular international sale highlights from important auctions around the world into the Kingdom for the public and clients to view,” she continues. “Christie’s will continue to raise awareness of art and artists from Saudi Arabia’s rich cultural heritage to our wider international audience.”  


Saudi artist Obaid AlSafi shortlisted for 2024 Sigg Art Prize

Updated 37 sec ago
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Saudi artist Obaid AlSafi shortlisted for 2024 Sigg Art Prize

DUBAI: Saudi artist Obaid AlSafi has been shortlisted for the Sigg Art Prize organized by Saudi Arabia-based curator Pierre Sigg, with the winner set to be announced on Oct. 10 during a ceremony at Asprey Studio in London. 
The award aims to redefine the boundaries of artistic creation through the integration of Artificial Intelligence and this year’s theme is “Future Desert.”
 AlSafi studied computer science but discovered his passion was art. After realizing he could blend the two disciplines together, AlSafi’s work evolved into a hybrid of art, photography and graphic design.
“As an artist who merges digital knowledge with contemporary art, I felt this prize was a perfect fit for my practice,” he told Arab News. 
 The creative said his proposal for this prize “challenges the contrast between perception and reality by questioning the concept of emptiness.
“Often perceived as a barren void, the desert, my birthplace, conceals a spiritual richness that far exceeds its arid appearance,” he explained via email. 
“By merging code and creativity, we aim to reveal the latent richness of this ancient landscape, inviting viewers to contemplate a profound question: Is emptiness merely a mirage, masking the boundless depths of existence waiting to be discovered?”
 Relying on AI to create art presents many challenges, AlSafi noted. 
“It redefines our understanding of creativity, authorship, and the human experience. It paves the way for a new realm of artistic exploration, where traditional boundaries are fluid, and the concept of art is constantly evolving,” he said. 
 More than 300 applicants from 70 countries applied for the prize with only seven shortlisted. The winner will be awarded $10,968.
 The seven finalists for the Sigg Art Prize 2024 are Alsafi, Dana-Fiona Armour, Léa Collet, Agnieszka Kurant in collaboration with John Menick, Harrison Pearce, Aaron Scheer, and Sasha Stiles.


Mad for momos: Pakistan’s first dumplings-only café carves a niche

Updated 09 October 2024
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Mad for momos: Pakistan’s first dumplings-only café carves a niche

  • Maria Mushtaq opened first branch of Mariyah’s Den in Karachi in 2021, she now has two more outlets in Pakistan
  • Food critic Ahmer Naqvi says dumplings popular as they “fit into modern life in terms of convenience and fusion”

KARACHI: If by chance you are a lover of dumplings and based in Karachi or Islamabad, then consider this a good time to pay a visit to Mariyah’s Den, Pakistan’s first dumplings-only café.
While Chinese dishes like fried rice, chow mein noodles and chicken manchurian have long been beloved to the Pakistani flavor palate, a taste for dumplings, a globe-spanning culinary trope, has been on the rise in the South Asian city in recent years. This growing taste is what founder and chef Maria Mushtaq was counting on when she started Mariyah’s Den as a delivery service for ready-to-cook frozen dumplings which she made and sold from home in 2020, as people opened up to trying new recipes and dishes during coronavirus lockdowns.
“Then my husband, who is also a partner in this venture, said ‘The way you steam it [dumpling] and the way you make it and serve it in the sauce, it’s very unique, so, you should open a café’,” Mushtaq told Arab News in an interview earlier this month.
The first branch of Mariyah’s Den opened in Karachi in November 2021. Three years later, the cafe has another outlet in Karachi and one in Islamabad as well.
The restaurant serves nine types of dumplings including beef, chicken, lamb, prawn, a combination of prawn and chicken, vegetarian, mushroom and a sweet variety filled with chocolate.
“A lot of people did come up and say, ‘Oh, you’re very brave that you opened a restaurant just on the basis of one dish’,” Mushtaq said. “But I realized that in Karachi, we do have specific places where we go to eat specific foods like nihari and bun kebab so why not dumplings?”
The cafe was a “hit since day one,” the chef added.
“Dumplings as a dish in itself were not that popular a long time ago, but now people do consider that it’s a snack and they like it,” Mushtaq said, explaining that she had tweaked what she thought were the “bland flavors” of Chinese dumplings to Pakistani tastes.
The dumplings at Mariyah’s Den are also served in the sauce, rather than with the sauce of the side.
“Dumplings have been there for a very long time, it’s like a 2000-year-old Chinese dish and dumplings are present in every culture but everyone has adapted it to their own taste and liking,” Mushtaq said. “The Nepalese have their own version, we have mamtus in the mountains [of Pakistan].
Customers also said dumplings were the “perfect comfort food,” filled with both carbohydrates and protein ingredients. Others liked the ease of eating them.
“I think we live in an era of snack foods. Most people like me prefer [dumplings], because it’s instantly available to grab and go,” Mohammad Shams, who was visiting Mariyah’s Den earlier this month, told Arab News.
Ahmer Naqvi, a Pakistani culture and food critic, agreed that dumplings were a comfort food and “very common” across cultures.
“It’s actually one of the oldest and most familiar things going around, like a samosa,” he said, “It is a different dough texture but using the same logic. As a result of globalization, you are seeing a combination of a more Chinese style of the dumplings. It’s more popular now because of the ways it fits into modern life whether in terms of convenience or in terms of fusion.”
Dumplings were also very easy to cook and store, Naqvi added.
For the future, Mushtaq plans to expand her menu but wants to stay true to the cafe’s roots in Chinese flavors.
“We are slowly adding noodles also. So, we have chilly noodles. We have just added a soup bowl, which is noodles with chicken curry,” she said. “I think the genre is just going to be dumplings and we’d just keep on experimenting with that kind of food which is fast, not junk, and it’s very healthy.”


Chinese cinemas to showcase Saudi films for the first time

Updated 08 October 2024
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Chinese cinemas to showcase Saudi films for the first time

  • Special screenings from Oct. 21-26 in Beijing, Shanghai and Suzhou follow similar events in Morocco and Australia

RIYADH: A series of Saudi Film Nights will take place in China, the world’s largest cinema market, for the first time this month to showcase movies from the Kingdom. It follows similar events in Morocco and Australia.

The special screenings, organized by the Saudi Film Commission, will run from Oct. 21-26 in Beijing, Shanghai and Suzhou, before the films go on general release in Chinese theaters. The diverse selection of films includes features and shorts, and the screenings will be accompanied by discussions with filmmakers, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

This initiative reflects the commission’s efforts to develop and grow the Saudi film industry, highlight local talent, and promote cultural exchanges and collaborations.


Palestinian Jordanian designer overcomes hurdles to gain Fashion Trust Arabia nomination

Updated 08 October 2024
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Palestinian Jordanian designer overcomes hurdles to gain Fashion Trust Arabia nomination

  • Sylwia Nazzal in running for Franca Sozzani Debut Talent Award, to be announced on Oct. 24

DUBAI: Qatar’s Fashion Trust Arabia Awards have become something of a powering force in the regional fashion scene, with winning designers often looking back on the grant as the catalyst that shifted their careers up a gear. That is something that this year’s finalists are hoping for, including Palestinian Jordanian designer Sylwia Nazzal, whose story so far is one of overcoming hurdles.

The 23-year-old Parsons Paris graduate is a finalist for the Franca Sozzani Debut Talent Award, alongside Iraqi Mahmood Al-Safi and Lebanese Mira Maktabi.

Look 1. (Supplied)

She may be a fashion scene fledgling, but Nazzal has the sort of confident resilience that would impress even the most steely industry mogul, having faced what she says was heavy pushback over her politically inspired final project, “What Should Have Been Home.”

The collection is a statement on Palestinian strength, according to the designer, who was inspired by archival images of the harsh treatment of children and adults by Israeli armed forces.

Look 2. (Supplied)

“When I was coming up with the name, it came to me because I was sitting with a group of people and they were talking to me about how they want to do their thesis about their home … I’m like, ‘mine is what should have been,’” she said.

Nazzal said she had faced a lack of interest from potential job prospects as well as European fashion awards due to the collection.

Sylwia Nazzal. (Supplied)

“When you open my portfolio, the first thing is my thesis collection, which is called ‘What Should Be Home’ about Palestinian resistance against oppression and then you see the imagery of children being arrested by soldiers. I think immediately people closed the portfolio and sent it back,” she said.

But then she chanced upon Fashion Trust Arabia and its yearly award, the next edition of which will be held in Marrakesh, Morocco in October.

Look 3. (Supplied)

The FTA 2024 Advisory Board selected 18 finalists from applications submitted by emerging talent from across the MENA region, who are competing for six awards: The Ready-to-Wear Award, the Eveningwear Award, the Jewelry Award, the Accessories Award, the Fashion Tech Award and the Franca Sozzani Debut Talent Award.

The board included the likes of British celebrity-loved designer Erdem Moralıoglu, jewelry designer Gaia Repossi and US designer Kelly Wearstler.

The winners will receive a financial grant of $100,000 to $200,000, depending on the size of their business, with $50,000 for the Franca Sozzani Debut Talent Award. Various mentoring and retail opportunities are also available, dependent on the award category.

Sylwia Nazzal's design process. (Supplied)

Nazzal is under consideration for a collection that plays heavily on form and fabric, with textiles chosen for the largely monochromatic collection reflecting the concepts of endurance and resilience, with heavy use of nylon across the pieces.

Meanwhile, silhouettes echo the traditional khimar dress, to recall Islamic attire and traditions. The shapes and materials offer a sense of “otherworldliness,” according to the designer, because: “I’m Palestinian, I’ve only been to Palestine once … I have friends who’ve never been to Palestine but are super-connected to Palestine … some might say it doesn’t exist or it partially exists or it’s no longer Palestine, and yet we all still claim it and so it kind of creates this other world, other universe of where Palestine exists, as it does in the physical, but also in a spiritual sense.”

Sylwia Nazzal's design process. (Supplied)

When it comes to choosing one piece that sums up her collection, Nazzal deliberated before opting for a dress made from 10,000 Palestinian coins.

“I worked with Palestinian refugee women here in Jordan to hand stitch it and it was a lot of effort. That is actually what embodies the collection … (because) there’s this weight, this reflectiveness, this sense of armor, as a spiritual armor … protecting the entity of Palestine.”


Justin Bieber spotted wearing keffiyeh in Los Angeles

Updated 08 October 2024
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Justin Bieber spotted wearing keffiyeh in Los Angeles

DUBAI: Canadian pop sensation Justin Bieber was photographed leaving the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles this weekend, wearing what appeared to be a keffiyeh.

The 30-year-old was photographed with the keffiyeh wrapped around his head while driving his car, sparking a debate online about whether he was inadvertently commenting on the ongoing war in Gaza.

The 30-year-old was photographed with the keffiyeh wrapped around his head while driving his car. (X, previously Twitter)

The pop star has been mostly silent on social media regarding the ongoing conflict, after briefly sharing and deleting a post in support of Israel following the attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

Across the world, the chequered head scarf has become an emblem of solidarity with the Palestinian cause, as Israel continues to bombard Gaza, and now Lebanon.