Jeddah 2017

Jeddah 2017 (21,39)


The question came from several journalists, 'why didn't we see you in Jeddah this year?' I was not sure myself, but in between a confused secret service here in our regions checking a payment to a Saudi artist in Riyadh and some private obligations in The Netherlands, I would not have been able to travel to Jeddah in the early months of this year anyway. However, some people did send me reports and some images and of those I post here photographer Richard Duebel's pictures of Ameen Qaisaran and his work. Ameen I bumped into last year at Tasami Gallery and enjoyed a rather traditional work of designed calligraphy expressing the four legal visions of Islam, which I acquired for the museum's collection, even though - a mistaken perhaps too -  religious official in Jeddah removed one fourth of the work a few days after the opening. This year Ameen joined Tasami with his photographic work, much of which is made at night capturing the light still left, the light reflected by the moon or often light produced artificially. In the images above, which Duebel shared with me out of genuine admiration for Qaisaran's work, I see again admiration, now from the artist for the architectural perfection of a brick made dome somewhere in Mohammed's own city of Medina.


Amsterdam,

July 23, 2017.