Misk Announces Annual Creative Forum 2024

Saudi Arabia’s Misk Art Institute, an affiliate of the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation (Misk), announced its annual Creative Forum 2024, which will take place at Mohammed bin Salman Nonprofit City (Misk City) on November 1 and 2.

Now in its fifth edition, the forum will feature panel discussions, interactive activities, and performances. Since its launch in 2020, the Creative Forum has become a key event during Misk Art Week, the Misk Art Institute's flagship initiative, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Saturday.

CEO of the Misk Art Institute Reem Al Sultan said: "Hosting the Creative Forum at Misk City marks our first step toward moving into the Misk Art Institute building in Mohammed bin Salman Nonprofit City in 2025. We will also unveil expanded programs and activities aimed at fostering the growth of the cultural and arts sector in the Kingdom and supporting artists."

This year's forum, themed "Media and Technology," will gather thought leaders and experts from around the world at Misk City's Experience Center, a space dedicated to nurturing creativity and engaging youth. Discussions will focus on how media and technology can create new opportunities for artists and society, exploring the role of media in promoting interactive participation and the ways technology has revolutionized exploration and interaction.

In alignment with this theme, the Misk Art Institute will present the exhibition “The Silent Age of Singularity”, running from November 3, 2024, to February 27, 2025. The exhibition will examine the post-internet era, marked by technology's pervasive influence on society.

Curated by the Director of the Curatorial Department and Chief Curator at the Misk Art Institute Basma Al-Shathry, with assistance from Assistant Curator Aram Al-Ajaji, the exhibition will be held at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Arts Hall. It aims to highlight how the Internet has impacted daily life, showcasing transformations brought about by satellites, television, and the Internet in global connectivity, cultural exchange, and information dissemination.

Al-Shathry noted: "The Internet has evolved from simply a communication tool to an essential part of our daily lives. Our exhibition examines the changes that have transformed the ways we communicate, create, and understand the world."

Participating artists in the exhibition include Ibrahim Abumsmar (Saudi Arabia), Mahdi Al Jeraibi (Saudi Arabia), Turki Al-Qahtani (Saudi Arabia), Omar Al-Zahrani (Saudi Arabia), Mohammed Sharrouro (Morocco), Ayman Yasser Didban (Palestine/Saudi Arabia), Iman Al-Jabreen (Saudi Arabia), Mounir Fatmi (Morocco), Samia Halabi (Palestine), David Hockney (United Kingdom), Sofiane El Idrissi (Morocco), Ziad Kaaki (Saudi Arabia), Khaled Makhshoush (Saudi Arabia), Ahmed Matar (Saudi Arabia), Bennett Miller (United States), Nam June Paik (South Korea), John Salvest (United States), Faisal Samra (Saudi Arabia), and Anya Soliman (Egypt/Poland).

The UN Human Rights Office on Friday expressed alarm over “the continuing grave impact” of Israeli military operations on civilians and civilian targets in Lebanon, including the destruction of places of worship and risks posed to invaluable archaeological sites.

The office said that since Israel’s air force ordered the northeastern Lebanese city of Baalbek evacuated, airstrike that followed have “come perilously close” to the ancient Roman-era temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Destruction of cultural heritage “depletes the historical and cultural identity of the communities it represents,” it said.

The sites destroyed or severely damaged so far include mosques in the southern villages of Yaroun, Maroun el-Ras, Blida, and Kfar Tibnit, OHCHR said, adding that a Melkite Greek Catholic church in the port city of Tyre was also damaged in early October.

Civilian objects, buildings dedicated to religion and other sites of cultural significance are protected from attack under international humanitarian law unless they become military objectives, the office said.

It stressed that should the sites lose their protection, any attacks upon them must still comply with the principles of proportionality and precaution, and that all parties to the conflict should take special care to avoid damage to buildings dedicated to religion or other sites of cultural or historical significance.

Misk Announces Annual Creative Forum 2024