JEDDAH — You must have noticed the bare walls of the King Abdul Aziz International Airport (KAIA). Well, now you are in for a surprise as the walls now speak of color and creativity with the launch of “Connected” Monday. KAIA is the world's third largest and busiest airport, and “Connected's” vision was to showcase Saudi art to travelers. Thirty remarkable pieces of art adorn the departure lounge of the airport, allowing passengers and airport personnel to get a glimpse of the Saudi talent. The artists whose works can been seen at “Connected” are Taha Al-Sabban, Nahar Marzouq, and Reem Aldeeny. “Connected” is part of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA)'s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program in cooperation with Art Jameel, an initiative of Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives (ALJCI), and the Saudi Art Association. Project manager of Art Jameel Dalya Mousa told Saudi Gazette: “The goal of this exhibition is to feed people's brains, to change their perception about art, and to teach foreigners about our cultures through art. We chose the airport because we are trying to make aware people about Saudi art, and we are trying to tell foreigners and travelers who do not have any background about the Saudi art that we have very good artists.” “Connected” did connect with the passengers and received an overwhelming response. “Many visitors came and asked about the paintings, some of them were foreigners who asked about the reason of the exhibition and the artists'names. Some travelers also provided feedback about the paintings,” said Dalya. Hesa Alsalhi, a 17-year-old Saudi female, who saw the paintings said: “I was passing by and it quickly grabbed my attention, so I decided it to stay and watch each painting. I liked two of the paintings for their color; and I also liked the idea of having the exhibition at the airport as it has a high number of travelers.” Abdulfalek Algamdi, one of the visitors and a regular visitor at art exhibitions, said: “I am sure this exhibition would be useful for the artists since a large number of people will see their work and also the location of the exhibition is nice. Our society does not care much about art... or lets clear it a small group of people usually visit these exhibitions, so having the exhibition at the airport will help in shifting people interest and they may visit such exhibitions. Moreover, the visual taste of visitor will enhance and they will accept this kind of art.” Some people's action proved to be an obstacle at the exhibition. “While preparing for the exhibition, some people did not realize that they cannot touch paintings. I think that's because some travelers do not have art awareness,” Dalya said. Marketing manager of 77media Maha Taher, who handles the social media of Art Jameel, said: “Most of the time people when they think of Saudi Arabia, they do not think of art. By this exhibition we are highlighting the artistic talent that we have and most of them are young talent and this shows that a new generation is interested in art.” The exhibition is opened 24 hours a day; it will wrap up after a month. The exhibition will then be launched at the Riyadh airport followed by other airports in the Kingdom.
