A Mix of Art and Jewelry on Display at Jeddah Boutique
Arab News, Saudi Arabia
JEDDAH, 22 June 2007 — Motion Boutique opened its first exhibition combining works of art with artistic jewelry on the first floor of Roshana Mall here on Wednesday night.
Exhibits at the three-day show include Nancy Saleh’s “Lustre Jewelry,†a striking collection of handmade designs presented by Stylus on behalf of the Arab-American designer.
Jewelry items on display are in traditional Arabic style and range from fresh pearls to semi-precious stones and have a modern appeal. They include necklaces and ornaments for the ear and hands.
“Nancy is from California where she developed artistic jewelry as a hobby and held an exhibition before, and is staging her first show in this part of the world,†Riyadh-based Miznah Alomair of Stylus, told Arab News.
Alongside the jewelry items are a set of 22 paintings, water colors and sketches by Basma Mattar Alharthy, who recently graduated in clinical pharmacology from King Abdul Aziz University.
The painting of a face greets visitors at the show with its caption “To wonder or to be wonderful.†The colorful face is bejeweled with earrings hanging from two sides.
“I am influenced by whatever surrounds me and that reflects in my artwork,†says Basma, who has pursued painting and sketching as a hobby from childhood. “Importantly, I am inspired by travel and my surroundings, and translate them through the medium of water colors. I want this to remain a hobby and have no plans to turn a professional,†she said.
She has displayed a wide range of her artwork, which includes self-portraits and reflections of different moods. Others are captioned “Facial Confession,†“Solitude,†“Evian,†“Familiar Blindness,†“Blinded by Familiarity,†“Motherhood Solution†and “Velvet Revolution.â€
“I find water color painting relaxing and interesting. I paint as often as I can, which means I produce quite a lot of paintings of various quality,†Basma said.
Dalal Fakeih, daughter of Jeddah Mayor Adel Fakeih who owns the boutique, said she was hosting the twin show with a view to encouraging Saudi artists. The boutique in normal times becomes a showroom for lifestyle items and accessories, especially for young women. They include dresses, mugs, quotable cards and gift items.
Dalal, who studied visual communication as major which included photography and illustrations, is assisted by her sisters Bayan who studies business management at the University of Westminster and is training in a retail showroom in London, and Amal who is pursuing studies to become a chef.
The boutique, decorated by interior designer Sara Batterjee, had its formal opening on April 11.
Dalal says she proposes to venture into retail businesses that include a range of kids’ stores and a department store.
The show will be open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. today.
