JEDDAH — As many as 20 artists from all over the world are in action with their extraordinary creativity in the Historic Area of Jeddah for a 20-day long sculpture symposium titled "Skill and Ambition". In their unique gathering, the sculptors are immersed in engraving the soul of Jeddah, the Bride of the Red Sea, depicting all its elegance and beauty in minute details. Ministry of Culture has organized this gathering, the first of its kind, as part of a series of international cultural gatherings with an objective of further cementing cultural exchanges among countries from all around the globe. The event shows the ministry's keenness on supporting fine arts, and its eagerness to find artistic platforms through which the Saudi artists can have the opportunity to interact closely with their counterparts from around the world. All these talented artists are actively involved in imprinting their works, visualized through their brilliant imaginations and enchanting ideas, on the hard marble surface in the alleys of the Historic Area of the city. They embraced the soul of Jeddah when they turn the diced marble blocks into pulsating art. Every day, they begin work with enthusiasm from eight o'clock in the morning until six in the evening. There are three Saudis partaking in the creative journey along with renowned sculptors from several parts of the world. They are Essam Jameel, Reda Al-Alawi and Kamal Al-Muallem, in addition to three artists from the Arab world — Ali Jabbar from Iraq, and Hisham Abdel Moaty and Hani Faisal from Egypt. International sculptors are also participating in the event by creating their works of art. They include Michael Levchenko (Ukraine), Kamen Tanayev (Bulgaria), Jose Carlos Capello Milan (Spain), Mario Lopez (Portugal), Joe Clay (Germany), Silvan Bat (Belgium), Butrint Morena (Kosovo), Lin Li Jin and Chilong Lin Van (Taiwan), and Takeshita Kobo (Japan). There are also some women artists such as Agnisa Petrov (Bulgaria), Anna Maria Negara (Romania), and Anna Rasinska (Poland).
