The highly successful recently concluded SDW 2015 expanded on last year's Design Conference and brought together over 20 internally-acclaimed speakers and moderators over three-days which included M. Abdulkarim Crites, art historian; artists, Lulwah Al Humood, Dana Awartani, Basmah Felemban, Talal Al Zeid, Marwah Al Mugait; fashion designers and experts, Khulood Al Thani, Reem Al Kanhal, Marriam Mossali; Tarek Atrissi, acclaimed designer and typographer. The series of talks and panels were conceived as an informal and open forum to allow visitors and attendees to enhance their experience and their understanding of the different facets of design, its mediums, and some of the major issues within the design world. “We're very proud of all the exhibitors, speakers and galleries who've allowed us to create a home and hub for design in Saudi Arabia,” said Noura and Basma Bouzo, Co-founders of Saudi Design Week. “ We are proud to have been able to provide a dynamic platform for design in Saudi Arabia by bringing together some of the best exhibitors both locally and internationally. We are grateful to all of the exhibitors, speakers, moderators, and galleries that have contributed and made SDW 2015 such a success. We look forward to sharing our plans for a design incubator later on this year as well as our plans for SDW 2016 in the upcoming months.”
The collaborative relationship between SDW 2015 and local galleries highlighted activities by major galleries in Riyadh including Art Riyadh hosted by Naila Art Gallery; AlaanMini hosted by Alaan Art Space and Chaos and Order, an exhibition by artist Talal El Zeid and Hussein Al Mohasen hosted by Lam Art Gallery.
“Saudi Design Week successfully brought together the regional design community in an effort to showcase and encourage homegrown talent from the Gulf,” said Marriam Mossalli, founder of Saudi's premiere luxury marketing firm, Niche Arabia, which also sponsored the event. "The enthusiasm from both the participants and the visitors was absolutely contagious! We definitely plan on being involved next year," she said.
This year's edition was sponsored by Juffali, Automotive Co (JACO) the authorized dealer & distributor of Mercedes-Benz. — SG
