Paris exhibition offers rare insight into Saudi culture
RIYADH: The Saudi Culture Exhibition, organized by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission in Paris, has attracted visitors from around Europe with offerings ranging from fashion to philosophy.
The two-week exhibition, which will conclude on Nov. 10, showcases Saudi culture through a wide variety of displays, including a stand for rare manuscripts and archaeological replicas.
A display featuring French photographer Thierry Mauger includes examples of his work in the south of the Kingdom.
The exhibition includes an introduction to the “Translate” initiative, a philosophy conference, and a writers and readers festival, as well as a display of local costumes to promote cultural exchange, one of the strategic objectives of the Ministry of Culture under the umbrella of Saudi Vision 2030.
The first week’s events emphasized the quality of the cultural program prepared by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission in collaboration with various commissions, including heritage, libraries, music, culinary arts, architecture and design, fashion and film, and the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Global Center for Arabic Calligraphy.
Local fashion was also highlighted, while two poetry evenings celebrated French poets, and seven short films were shown from the Daw’s competition, a platform that champions emerging filmmakers.
Films included “Old School” by Alaa Faddan, “Street 105” by Abdulrahman Al-Jandal, “Pool” by Reema Al-Majid, “Video Tape Exchanged” by Maha Sa’ati, “Salique” by Afnan Bayan, and “A Monster from the Sky” by Maryam Khayyat.
The second week of the event featured eight symposiums, three poetry evenings, and five short screenings, as well as the screening of the documentary “Tarouq,” a panel session on the King Salman Charter for Architecture and Urbanism, three performances demonstrations of handicrafts, and capacity-building and techniques in the heritage of handicrafts.
The documentary “Saudi Trouq,” produced by the Music Commission and the Theater and Performing Arts Commission, highlighted joint field trips to preserve musical and performing arts in the Kingdom.
French publishing house Assouline will host a book launch for “Makkah: The Holy City of Islam,” by Meraj Nawab Mirza, a historian and geographer at Umm Al-Qura University. The book includes photos by French photographer Laziz Hamani.
A second book, “Al-Madinah: The City of the Prophet,” by Taneedeb Al-Faydi, has also been featured.
A miniature museum devoted to Arabic poetry, in partnership with the Poetry Academy, is also featured at the exhibition.
The Ministry of Culture is aiming to showcase the unique nature and deep-rooted creativity of Saudi Arabia, spanning centuries of history. It aims to achieve this through panel discussions on Saudi literature, translation, cultural and musical exchanges, preservation of culinary arts heritage through specialized books, and the introduction of World Heritage Sites in the Kingdom.
