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Arab Artists Organize Touring Exhibition in 3 Continents

The exhibition guide.
The exhibition guide.
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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.

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Japanese Artist Finds Solace, Global Fans with Intricate Leaf-cutting

Japanese leaf-cutting artist, who goes by the name Lito, holds his freshly cut work featuring a frog with an umbrella, during an interview in Tokyo Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
Japanese leaf-cutting artist, who goes by the name Lito, holds his freshly cut work featuring a frog with an umbrella, during an interview in Tokyo Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
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Japanese Artist Finds Solace, Global Fans with Intricate Leaf-cutting

Japanese leaf-cutting artist, who goes by the name Lito, holds his freshly cut work featuring a frog with an umbrella, during an interview in Tokyo Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
Japanese leaf-cutting artist, who goes by the name Lito, holds his freshly cut work featuring a frog with an umbrella, during an interview in Tokyo Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

A frog holding a taro-leaf umbrella. A parade of frolicking animals. An Ukiyo-e style Mount Fuji. Giant waves. A Japanese artist who goes by the name Lito carves these delicate designs on fallen leaves, giving life back to them.
The world of Lito’s delicate art, which he began in 2020 and posts on social media almost daily, has won fans from around the world. The leaf art has also given him solace after earlier struggles with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and a purpose in life — the joy of making people happy with his art, The Associated Press reported.
He enjoys working at night. From a pile of leaves treated with a wrinkle-free chemical, he picks one and places it on a cutting board.
First, he outlines the design on the leaf with a pen in his right hand. Then he takes a design knife in his left hand and starts cutting the leaf carefully. Slowly, the leaf begins to take the shape of a frog carrying an umbrella — a simple design he demonstrated in a recent interview with AP.

More complex, highly intensive work on a single leaf can take more than eight hours to complete.
His leaf-cutting works include titles such as “Scrolls of Frolicking Animals,” “Leaf Aquarium,” and “Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji: The Great Wave off Kanagawa.” Each piece includes his own twists, and often uses animals.
“I would rather finish it in one go when I am focused,” Lito, 38, said. He didn't want to disclose his real name for personal reasons.
Since his childhood, Lito says he has had high levels of concentration and patience. But he had trouble fitting into what was considered the norm at school or at work, despite all his efforts. He struggled to interpret others' feelings and to avoid confrontations.
After years of difficulty, he went to a hospital at age 30 and was told he has ADHD, a diagnosis that he felt explained why he has always done things differently.
He saw no point in forcing himself to do things the same way as other people, and began to adjust his life.
In early 2020, Lito came across the art of leaf cutting. He saw it as the perfect use of his patience and concentration.
Word of his skills has spread across social media, and he has published books on his leaf-cutting work. He holds a near monthly solo exhibition in various places in Japan.
“If I can make people happy by doing what I am doing, I want to do more. That’s my driving force for what's next,” Lito says.