Himat Ali…An Artist Who Speaks Through Colors

The illuminated Eiffel Tower and La Defense business district (background) are seen during the traditional Bastille Day in Paris, July 14, 2014.  REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes (FRANCE - Tags: CITYSCAPE ANNIVERSARY SOCIETY) - RTR3YNRC
The illuminated Eiffel Tower and La Defense business district (background) are seen during the traditional Bastille Day in Paris, July 14, 2014. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes (FRANCE - Tags: CITYSCAPE ANNIVERSARY SOCIETY) - RTR3YNRC
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Himat Ali…An Artist Who Speaks Through Colors

The illuminated Eiffel Tower and La Defense business district (background) are seen during the traditional Bastille Day in Paris, July 14, 2014.  REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes (FRANCE - Tags: CITYSCAPE ANNIVERSARY SOCIETY) - RTR3YNRC
The illuminated Eiffel Tower and La Defense business district (background) are seen during the traditional Bastille Day in Paris, July 14, 2014. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes (FRANCE - Tags: CITYSCAPE ANNIVERSARY SOCIETY) - RTR3YNRC

The Kurdish referendum has made headlines in northern Iraq, however, the Iraqi-Kurdish Artist Himat Mohammed Ali has different interests. He is speaking to the world through colors instead of words. Even his name has been shortened to four letters. With these few letters, he built a wide celebrity and wandered many cities with his paintings; from Manama to Tokyo, to Paris where he settled. He was lucky to stay at a home dedicated to artists. It was built of iron bars, which were used by Gustave Eiffel, who engineered the famous Parisian tower, in constructing a suite at the universal exhibition held in the French capital in 1900.

“La Roche”, which means the beehive, is the name of this building surrounded by perennial trees and located in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. It currently houses 60 painting ateliers occupied by painters and sculptors of different nationalities. In the backyard opened on a narrow alleyway, brightly-colored paintings lure pedestrians and visitors. It is the nature with all its details, beauties, and suns, give up to Himat’s pencil willingly, as if the painter is taking us to the northern Iraqi plains embroidered with anemones and chamomiles. Did he mean it or his eyes were just washed with the greenery of nature in every place he visited? Something of the cherry tree buds on the Japanese islands must have fallen into his pockets. Therefore, before hanging the paintings on the gallery’s walls, he took them and placed them on the dense trees of La Roche’s garden at the home of artists, where they harmonized with the surrounding.

The exhibition features rectangular and round paintings that look like carpets in fancy houses. When approaching them, visitors discover amazing details and try to catch the secret behind the light emerging from them. The drawings were shining; they emit warmth and have the magic of a bright sun or a full moon. There are butterflies flying in the exhibition’s space. The exhibition also featured some folded paintings that resemble an old manuscript known as “Sheherazade Letters”. How beautiful was to see young visitors, art students, and other elderly people. A lady and her companion, with smiles on their faces, were looking for the artist, but they met a shy man with a sharp mustache, who greeted them by shaking his head. Ali seemed muted by the events taking place in his homeland, so he used the pencil instead of his voice to draw beauty, in order to beat ugliness.

Himat was born in Kirkuk in 1960 and had organized 25 exhibitions, in Japan and Arab and European capitals. French writer and critic Bernard Noel, together with the Iraqi poet and critic Farouk Yousef, published a book entitled "The Amulets of Solitude" on the Iraqi artist.

The latter has great relations with poets. He contributed to joint exhibitions and volumes with the Syrian Adonis, French André Velter, Japanese Kutaro Ganzoumi, Bahraini Qassem Haddad, Iraqi Saadi Youssef and Moroccan Mohamed Bennis.



Riyadh’s Diplomacy Takes Center Stage at Saudi Media Forum

Participants are seen at a panel discussion at the Saudi Media Forum. (Saudi Media Forum)
Participants are seen at a panel discussion at the Saudi Media Forum. (Saudi Media Forum)
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Riyadh’s Diplomacy Takes Center Stage at Saudi Media Forum

Participants are seen at a panel discussion at the Saudi Media Forum. (Saudi Media Forum)
Participants are seen at a panel discussion at the Saudi Media Forum. (Saudi Media Forum)

The second day of the Saudi Media Forum in its fourth edition, held in Riyadh, featured discussions and workshops with the participation of local and international media professionals, academics, experts, and specialists. The sessions explored the role of media in shaping perceptions, cultural identities and narrating Saudi Arabia’s transformation toward its future.

One of the key discussions focused on Saudi diplomacy and its role in fostering strategic partnerships that promote peaceful solutions. Participants emphasized that media plays a crucial role in conveying the true image of Saudi Arabia’s global efforts.

Political analysts noted that trust in Saudi Arabia and the credibility of its political positions played a key role in preventing the possibility of a third world war. They highlighted the high-level meeting in Diriyah on Tuesday, where senior American and Russian delegations, under the patronage of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, started to mend the diplomatic rift between Washington and Moscow.

Jameel Al-Theyabi, editor-in-chief of Saudi Arabia’s Okaz newspaper, pointed out that Saudi soft power was evident in the historic meeting between the US and Russian delegations in the heart of the Saudi capital.

Western media, which once portrayed Saudi Arabia negatively, has now shifted its focus, highlighting the Kingdom’s remarkable potential and capabilities, he remarked.

Saudi Arabia is pursuing an interactive, dynamic and attractive foreign policy that seeks to address global crises and challenges, he went on to say. He linked this approach to Vision 2030, spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed, which aims to bring transformational change to the region.

Political writer and analyst Jasser Al-Jasser stated that Saudi Arabia’s political foundations are built on clarity and credibility. He asserted that the changes led by the Crown Prince have transformed the Kingdom’s approach across all sectors, boosting global trust, recognition and admiration for Saudi Arabia and its leadership.

Al-Jasser highlighted the far-reaching impact of Saudi Arabia’s political and economic transformation, noting that its effects are clearly reflected in global indicators. He described this transformation as a long-term journey, emphasizing that one of the keys to Saudi Arabia’s success is its team of ministers and officials, who have played a significant role in shaping both policies and leadership under Vision 2030.

He also acknowledged the Kingdom’s regional and international responsibilities, underlining the humanitarian dimension of its efforts. He praised the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center for advancing humanitarian work through its extensive technical and logistical capabilities.