Jeddah Art Week February 1-6, 2014

2014 Jeddah Art Week promotion - photo by: Susie of Arabia

 Jeddah Art Week begins in just a few days, and the above photo is one that I took that is being used for all the promotions and announcements of the Art Week events.  The splash of yellow paint was manipulated into the photo by an artist.  I first published this photo without the coloring manipulation on this blog in June 2013.  I was thrilled to be contacted by an outfit in London asking for permission to use some of my photos for promoting Jeddah Art Week.

Untitled - by Sylvestre Monnier

The opening ceremony for Jeddah Art Week will be held at the new open air sculpture museum at the Middle Corniche Park near Al-Anani Mosque.  This park is the new home of many of the priceless sculptures that Jeddah is famous for. 

Balance in the Air - by Victor Vasarely

Yesterday morning my husband drove me down to the new sculpture park and I took over 400 photos of the area, some of which you see here.

The Eye - by Cesar Baldaccini

Thanks to the dedication and efforts of the Jeddah Restoration Project and the Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives organization, many of Jeddah's amazing public works of art have been refurbished and repaired and have now been relocated to this lovely park setting along the Corniche.

Three Piece Reclining Figure No. 1 - by Henry Moore

Enormous bronze pieces by world renowned artist like Henry Moore, Joan Miro, and Cesar Baldaccini now grace the seaside sculpture park.

Personage II - by Joan Miro

If you are in Jeddah, I hope you will try to attend the opening ceremony on Saturday, February 1st near Al- Anani Mosque. 

Al-Anani Mosque along Jeddah's Corniche

Below is the calendar of events for Jeddah Art Week.  The public is welcome at any of the events.  Hope to see you there!  Click here for a map guide to the events. 

Jeddah Art Restoration Project Video

I've published many photos of Jeddah's amazing sculptures and lamented about their deteriorating condition due to the harsh elements here in Jeddah.  Previously I reported that the Jeddah Restoration Project was underway and now it is nearing its completion.  It has been an extensive undertaking which was done in phases.  The project has been mainly funded by charitable donations under the leadership of the Abdul Lateef Jameel Community Initiatives organization. The above video provides an update on the progress of the Restoration Project and shows some of Jeddah's unique sculptures.

I also wrote THIS ARTICLE about Jeddah's sculptures for Selamta Magazine, Ethiopian Airlines in flight magazine in the September-October 2012 issue.

Arab News article:  Restoration of Jeddah's public art to transform city into open-air museum