Arab Artists Organize Touring Exhibition in 3 Continents

The exhibition guide.
The exhibition guide.
TT

Arab Artists Organize Touring Exhibition in 3 Continents

The exhibition guide.
The exhibition guide.

In a first-of-its-kind event, the Jordanian capital is hosting a touring exhibition organized by three Arab artists: Salman Al Malik (Qatar), Mohammed Jaloos (Jordan), and Qasim al-Saadi (Iraq – The Netherlands).

The opening is scheduled for February 9. The exhibition is set to land in three other locations: the Cairo Amman Bank (CAB), Qatar’s Al-Markhiya Gallery, and The Netherlands’ Frank Welkenhuysen Gallery, in addition to two other countries in north and south Africa, according to the exhibition’s guide.

The three artists live and work thousands of kilometers apart, but this “didn’t prevent them from holding long talks, especially during a symposium organized by CAB Gallery two years ago, before the outbreak of the virus,” says the guide.

The three artists are looking forward to reconnecting and defying the isolation caused by the pandemic because they “believe art has an unlimited power, and beauty has courage as much as hope to face the hardships and challenges of the present,” writes CAB’s announcement of the exhibition. “Those artists stood to face loneliness with bravery and contributed to alleviate the impact of isolation and confinement on others,” said Al-Markhiya Gallery in its announcement of the exhibition.

“Art is an international language, a language with no boundaries. It’s filled with imagination and fineness. It’s the language of progress, society, cooperation, and friendship between cultures and people. It’s indeed the language of dream, astonishment, connection, and beauty…a language that is farther than any distance,” writes the announcement of Frank Welkenhuysen Gallery.



Bulgarian Father, Son Row Across Arctic Ocean for Endangered Species

FILE PHOTO: An iceberg floats near Two Hummock Island, Antarctica, February 2, 2020. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An iceberg floats near Two Hummock Island, Antarctica, February 2, 2020. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino/File Photo
TT

Bulgarian Father, Son Row Across Arctic Ocean for Endangered Species

FILE PHOTO: An iceberg floats near Two Hummock Island, Antarctica, February 2, 2020. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An iceberg floats near Two Hummock Island, Antarctica, February 2, 2020. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino/File Photo

Stefan Ivanov, a 52-year-old banker from Bulgaria, and his son Maxim, 21, celebrated their birthdays in August rowing across the Arctic Ocean to appeal for protection of endangered ocean species.
After 33 days, the boat crossed the Arctic Ocean on Sept. 8, hoping to claim the record of being the first rowing boat to have accomplished the feat.
"We wanted to be the first rowing expedition across the entire Arctic Ocean and we started from Haugesund (Norway), which is south of the southern border of the ocean," Stefan told Reuters. "I think we will be able to claim the record."
The footage from the sailing trip showed waves and heavy winds, with the little boat swinging in the ocean. Stefan spent 33 days on the boat, while Maxim, a Stanford University student, joined later after finishing his internship in New York.
"It's been a huge fight with (the) Arctic Ocean. It was not very collaborative, it was sending side winds, headwinds currents pushing us one way or the other," Stefan said.
"Almost feels like being in a washing machine for weeks."
Stefan and Maxim began building their own boat in 2019 to cross the ocean. They named it Neverest. "It is a play of words 'Never rest until you reach Everest'," Stefan said.
In 2020 Maxim at the age of 16 became the youngest rower to have crossed the Atlantic Ocean with his father.
"This is a hobby of ours, but we didn't want to just let it be an end to it itself. We wanted to have some positive repercussions on the world if we can," Stefan said, adding that they did it to promote a petition to designate new protected areas in the Southern Ocean to conserve marine biodiversity.

"Journeys like this are reminder that even the small victories are victories and when the time gets tough every single step is a step forward no matter how small," Maxim said.
"But sometimes those steps are very limited."