Jordanian artists exhibit work at 7th Beirut Art Fair

AMMAN — Several Jordanian artists presented their work at the seventh Beirut Art Fair last week, exhibiting contemporary art, handicrafts, sculpture and Arabic calligraphy, organisers said on Saturday.

They joined artists from across the region at the Beirut International Exhibition and Leisure Centre to explore heritage, history, and art through various projects.

Jordanian artists showcased their work in the classical art exhibition, and in the “Revealing” exhibition, a platform to showcase promising young talent in the region. 

From Jordan, artists Omar Najjar, Marwa Najjar, Ahmad Nawash, Karima Bin Otman and sculptor Katia Tal took part to “show Arab identity” in their art by combining it with modern elements, said Suha Lallas, Wadi Finan Gallery director.

Omar Najjar’s work mainly focused on presenting cinematic scenes drawn by impressionistic paintings that aimed to introduce new meanings of art, according to the organisers.

Tal’s work brought raw materials to life, by producing pieces of pottery decorated with Arabic calligraphy, organisers said.

Meanwhile, artist Marwa Najjar presented silver and gold leaves, with Islamic art and Arabic calligraphy used to depict both female fragility and strength in tough situations.

Bin Otman used colourful fish and sea creatures to portray the idea of universalising human life among other creatures. 

In the “Revealing” exhibition, Jordanian artist Fatima Mortada exhibited her work, emphasising the identity of women through paintings featuring female figures as the main characters. 

“From my point of view, the body is not just a concrete fact. But it is a whole system that is imbued with endless elements. History is the main factor that shapes these elements,” Mortada said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.  

She added: “The body is a political fact more than a biological one. Furthermore, it is, borrowing [US political theorist] Hannah Arendt, a public sphere that reflects the loud speech and, persistently, the silent one… the body underlies my comprehension of the world.”

The artist presented images that portray the human body as a “sublime value of existence”, and that depict the relationship between human beings and natural elements.

Lallas said the main idea of presenting the art pieces and sculptures of Jordanian artists is to “promote local artists in the region and to show the neighbouring countries and the Western world that Jordan has artists who present high-quality art”.

“We tried to include the works of artists who use arabesque material, who adapt Arabic theories and calligraphy,” Lallas told The Jordan Times.