Saudi Gazette Casual Art Talks have been added to the Jeddah art community agenda by its versatile host Soraya Darwish who is a graphic designer by day and art and design blogger by night. Darwish, owner of the blog “A Love Affair with Art and Design”, hosts her talks at The Shop, a vintage shop/art gallery in a relaxed artistic environment that is focused on studying the local art scene, the problems facing it, and possible solutions that are both practical and ambitious. “Initially it was just about taking all the virtual art talks the locals were having on social networks and into the real world but later it developed into something with a substantial measurable impact! And so the purpose evolved naturally from the simple art discussions we had,” said Darwish. The talks are open to anyone who wishes to participate, mainly people interested in art, and the artists themselves where they discuss the art scene in Saudi Arabia and how it can be developed to become a healthy productive environment. Darwish hopes to raise awareness and introduce art through her casual art talk project. “We believe that with such a passionate group of people at its heart, the project will be a catalyst for measurable good changes on two levels: on the community level and, on the individual level, by helping new talents development by providing them with critical feedback and exposure,” Darwish said. After hosting the second art talk last week, Darwish feels overwhelmed with the results. “The first talk was mainly on the definition of art. What is art? What is not? And so on ... as a result we barely touched on anything to do with the local art scene and so we decided to put a topic for each talk and were later surprised with the productivity of the second.” The second talk provided more culture relevance and productivity and she said, “we were able to conclude what the main problems facing the local art scene and possible solutions for each problem.” The main drive behind starting the Casual Art Talks project is that there is great potential in the Saudi art community. “I have big hope in the art community at large, and I know that together, we can do amazing things. There is some great talent amongst us, and they need every bit of support they can get,” said Darwish who assures that with support “our art and culture scene will prosper”. Darwish sheds light on the absence of art and cultural activities in Saudi Arabia. Says she: “I would personally love for Saudi Arabia's art and culture scene to reach a level where there is an interesting event every single week.” Events such as exhibitions, talks, workshops, and anything related to art and culture is truly what is missing in our community, said Darwish. Darwish hope through the casual talk project such events will be evident and become part of everybody's lives. “In essence, an important cornerstone in the local culture! We are in desperate need for a passionate group of people to make sure these needs are met, and we all need to work together too.” The problem, as discussed in the Talk, was competition which is the main focus of every artist. “Competing against each other, which is common, sadly due to the limited exposure available to artists, won't get us where we'd like to be,” said Darwish. Darwish said art appreciation is one of the main elements that Saudi community lacks and she believes that “we need to have art appreciation lectures, as one of these activities, so that people would realize what they've been missing out all these years.” There are many forms of art that are common in the Saudi art community but one of the most common in Darwish's opinion is photography, although it depends on what's trendy as the community always moves on to the next big thing. “Recently, I've been seeing an abundance in digital art and Arabic typography,” Darwish said. “Although you can still see traditional paintings, it is not the most common art form that youth are currently producing.” Darwish notes that there is a new interest merging between art and design in the art community. “Several local artists have a background in graphic design and have been mixing both which leaves you asking, ‘Is it art, or is it design?' But in the end it's whatever the person behind it wants it to be.” Darwish is happy at the diversity of young artists experimenting with new types of media that aren't common locally and believes that good knowledge of the international art scene, its most inspiring artists, and the latest in terms of technique and media is essential. “At this point, as it is, in addition to everything else we've discussed, this knowledge will help push the local artists in new directions and help them hone their skills to a level which I believe will one day result in Saudi Arabia having an international biennale art festival of its own!” __
