Officials of Deutsche Bank's Middle East Foundation and the Intellectual Education Institute for Girls in East Riyadh during the reception. DEUTSCHE Bank, through its Middle East Foundation, recently held a reception in partnership with the Intellectual Education Institute for Girls in East Riyadh for its art exhibition titled “Hidden Voices: Art Through the Eyes of Challenged Youth" in Riyadh. The event was held in the Lobby of Al Faisaliah Tower and was attended by more than 70 guests including the Institute's faculty, students and their families as well as Deutsche Bank's clients, regional and local management and staff based in Saudi Arabia. The art presented in the exhibition was created by students of the Institute and is influenced by the artists Picasso, van Gogh, Kandinsky and Klimt. All of the 29 pieces on display are part of a silent auction, the proceeds of which will go towards purchasing communication devices for the Institute, to help the students develop, learn and become more self-sufficient. In addition, Deutsche Bank's Middle East Foundation funded the purchase of a Tobii C12 device for the Institute which was handed over during the event. This life-changing device enables individuals who are unable to speak or have difficulties speaking, such as those suffering from cerebral palsy, to communicate digitally by touch or eye control. The exhibition along with bidding opened Nov.10 until Nov. 23 in the lobby of Al Faisaliah Tower in Riyadh. At the end of the bidding period, representatives from Deutsche Bank and the Institute will review the biddings to determine the highest bid for each painting and winners will be announced accordingly. Dina Fatani, an art teacher at the Institute, said: “We are grateful for the generous support of Deutsche Bank's Middle East Foundation in providing these girls with the opportunity to display their artistic abilities in their own style. In addition, having the Tobii C12 device will improve the lives of these girls by enhancing their communication abilities and allowing them to be further acknowledged by the community." Commenting on the event, Philippe Vollot, Chairman of Deutsche Bank's Middle East Foundation, said: “It gives us great pleasure to be part of this wonderful cooperation. With the growing importance of Saudi Arabia for our business in the MENA region, it was one of the Foundation's core desires to give back to the Saudi Arabian community." Jamal Alkishi, Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Securities Saudi Arabia, added: “The enthusiasm of the school's representatives as well as their ambition to make the voices of their students' heard has been a great inspiration to all of us." — SG
