Chairman of BMG Foundation Basil Al Ghalayini, left, Presenter of the Event Mariam Polding, centre, and Italian Consul General Simone Petroni, right, welcome the guests at the opening of the “QUOD VIDES, TOTVM” exhibition. Roberta Fedele Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH – The 10-day “QUOD VIDES, TOTVM (All That Is Seen)” exhibition featuring 25 three-dimensional photographs and one video work by Italian photographer Teresa Emanuele was inaugurated on Tuesday at the Italian Cultural Center in the presence of many members of the local and international community. Organized by the BMG Foundation and the Italian Consulate General, the event is part of the second edition of the “Diplomacy of Art Exhibition,” an annual BMG Foundation's initiative based on the idea of using the universal language of art to establish cultural and diplomatic bridges among countries and encourage a colorful exchange between international and Saudi artists. “I'm proud to represent my country in this lovely venue and to give my personal contribution in spreading the message that BMG Foundation is trying to nourish through its Diplomacy of Art initiative. “I do believe that art is a common language allowing different cultures to communicate. I feel blessed as an artist to be given the means of doing so,” said Emanuele whose photographs are monochromatic images of nature printed on acrylic glass. “I found myself lost in contemplation of nature when I started my career as a photographer. Photographers can only reproduce something that already exists and gradually nature became my muse,” she said. Excited and motivated by the fact of being for the first time in the Middle East, Emanuele tried to investigate and know more about the country she was going to exhibit in. “I was very curious about the local culture and religion. To my surprise I found out that the Qur'an expresses in a truly poetic way a vision of nature that is close to other religions and to the philosophical thought of Seneca, the Roman philosopher who deeply influenced me and who sees God in “All That is Seen” and in all that is not seen (‘Naturales Quaestiones,' an encyclopedia of the natural world written by Seneca around 65 AD). “A verse of the Qur'an in particular, associated to prostrating shadows, exemplifies the essence of my recent works based on the shades' study: ‘And unto Allâh falls in prostration whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and so do their shadows in the mornings and in the afternoons (13:15).'” “I like to think that we would all agree in seeing nature as an evidence of the existence of something divine. I hope you will experience my same dream while looking at the photographs ideally reaching the beautiful places where I have been,” concluded Emanuele. The exhibition was supposed to take place last year, as it was initially conceived, explained Consul General of Italy Simone Petroni, as a perfect way to celebrate the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (1932 – 2012). It was however delayed because of organizational reasons. Petroni said that culture and art are extraordinary tools of Italian foreign policy, thanks to Italy's unique heritage and potential. “The creativity of our artists and businessmen, and in general the spirit of initiative of Italian people can represent themselves the key to overcome the current politico-economic juncture”. He therefore reassured the audience about the capacity of his country to consolidate its role of crucial player in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern arena. Curator of the exhibition Dalya Islam was the first in 2011 to notice Emanuele's extraordinary depictions of the natural world during a solo show with which she represented Italy at an international photography festival in Moscow. “Emanuele is a very intellectual artist and even though her images of trees, mountains and water may appear at first glance to be simple reproductions of natural landscapes, they are driven by a very powerful philosophical thought inspired by Seneca's unitary vision of the universe and the importance attached by the philosopher to living the present moment as a key to self-awareness. According to this vision we are all interconnected and contentment may be achieved through a simple life in accordance with nature,” said Dalya. In his welcome speech, Chairman of BMG Foundation Basil Ghalayni presented the activities of the foundation. He said: “BMG Foundation was established 17 years ago to cultivate east and west friendship and commonality via artistic, musical and sport events. After the ‘GCC Polo Cup' and ‘Classical Music Concerts' initiatives, we established 10 years ago our third pillar ‘Art Alive,' recently renamed as ‘Diplomacy of Art'. “The net proceeds from the sale of these pieces will go to the “Safe Driving Campaign” through which we would like to highlight the issue of road mortality, which in the Kingdom is the highest at the world level.” Read Teresa Emanuele's interview on the Saudi Gazette website.
