a href="/myfiles/Images/2015/06/08/ki01_big.jpg" title="Salwa Ali's portrait called "A Million Emotions" is a depiction of an elderly Pakistani woman seeing the Kaaba for the first time. — Courtesy photo" Salwa Ali's portrait called "A Million Emotions" is a depiction of an elderly Pakistani woman seeing the Kaaba for the first time. — Courtesy photo
Layan Damanhouri Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — Forty university students, freelancers and media professionals showcased a wide variety of artwork incorporating all creative fields at an exhibition hosted by social enterprise Tashkeil at the University of Business and Technology. In their work, local artists delivered an Arabic touch to all types of media such as graphic design, painting, photography and architecture at the Behance Portfolio Reviews last week. Calligraphy artist Shaker Kashgari presented scenic photographs imprinted with Arabic letters. He said: “This is a new style; I focus on fortifying existing beauty.” Similarly, Mawadah Muhtasib combined calligraphy and graffiti to create a new style of writing. Ameen Qaisaran, corporate art consultant at Gallery One, used an elegant mix of antique designs, Arabic ornaments, and calligraphy to create his final product. Graphic design student Salwa Ali presented a portrait called “A Million Emotions”, a depiction of an elderly Pakistani woman seeing the Kaaba for the first time. Describing another illustrative shot of politics in Pakistan, she said: “The idea behind the newspaper in the picture is the politics going on back home and how I choose to ignore it.” Discussing her reference to Pakistani culture in her art, she said: “Born and raised in Saudi Arabia, the way I live is very Arab. Eventually I will go back to Pakistan, the place I'm not used to”. Young graphic designer Yusuf Gitnah uses religious concepts in his modern digital art. Using Qur'anic verses in symbolic pictures, he sends powerful messages to the viewer. Behance Portfolio Reviews is a worldwide event hosted in different cities to promote local creative professionals.
