RIYADH — The paintings of Saudi plastic artist Fahad Kholaif, featuring acrylics on canvas and the Arabic calligraphy, made him popular within the Kingdom and abroad. He expressed his delight over the appreciation and honor he receives for his talent even from the leaders of the country. One of his paintings is hanging on the wall of the traditional majlis or reception room of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman. The façade of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah is decorated with another Kholaif's acrylic canvas painting. Kholaif said that it is a great honor to see his paintings hanging on the wall of the Crown Prince's majlis and another one in the office of Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman. "My paintings are showcased at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as in most Saudi academies and several embassies in various countries across the world. There are three paintings at major Russian museums and this was made possible by an order issued by the Russian minister of culture," he said. Kholaif's acrylic on canvas is an outstanding artwork blending colors and motifs of the region. Fahad's artwork usually has calligraphy inscriptions from local carvings on it as he feels it is essential to his being. His unique style portrays cities and life as he sees it. Referring to the reason for choosing his painting to display at Jeddah airport, Kholaif said that the choice was not a coincidence, but rather it was done following the submission of sketches and preliminary designs, which were approved and implemented on the ground. "The beauty of the composition and the dazzling color, and what it bears Arab and local identity were the reasons for the choice." He also stressed the need to differentiate between the concept of Arabic calligraphy and vowelization with Arabic script in artistic works, as the use of readable Arabic calligraphy in plastic work turns it into a text and loses its character and formative beauty. "Many artists, including me, use and employ the Arabic letter formally and aesthetically because the Arabic letter has a striking beauty in itself and its composition, and because of its musical rhythm and Arab identity," he said. Kholaif stressed that the Saudi artist was certainly able to convey his country's civilization. "This is the biggest pleasure the artist gets in highlighting the identity of his country in a contemporary plastic work with a global language that everyone understands and relishes, regardless of their languages, culture and trends." The renowned artist sees planning, hope and ambition as the key to success. "I aspire to be in the forefront of the artistic and cultural scene in all forums that raise and elevate the name of our beloved Kingdom, with great support from Vision 2030, which aroused and generated enthusiasm and unearthed the potentials of creativity, for everyone belonging to the cultural scene with the generous support from the Saudi authorities," he added.
