How cool is this Saudi couple?!

I love this photo from MBN Photography taken at the opening of Munch Bakery.

Hi everyone. In case you were wondering where I’ve been, I’m in Beirut! Taking some time off to spend with family here. Beirut is as vibrant and alive as ever. Here are some photos from Beirut by Philippe Laurent. More here.

I’ve recently attended The Bastakia Art Fair in Dubai where I saw some great work. One of my favorite pieces is this photograph by Meera Huraiz entitled Metamorphosis. The exhibition includes drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, photography, video and printmaking, by young Emirati women. These young girls have alot to say. Looking forward to seeing more work come from the UAE.

I came across this beautiful image of sand dunes today that I thought would be nice edition to the blog. Saleh Rubat is a photographer and graphic designer based out of Saudi. See more of his work here.

Haifa Wehbe is a huge pop icon in the middle east.. I love these.. look at the set.. how cool is that fridge.. awesome bubblegum colors.

I love these photos by Krikorian I came across on flickr. Especially the one of the elderly woman..
See more here.

More than 650 publishing houses including book distributors, importers, exporters and retail booksellers from around the world participated in the fair. About 317 Saudi publishing houses featured their books and materials.

This fair is not to be missed. Getting to see locals in their day-to-day environment was quite a treat.

The fair is organized by the Ministry of Culture and Information, seeks to promote an exchange of information and ideas among authors, publishers and book lovers. The event, which is likely to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors including students, teachers, researchers, writers and members of the general public, will also include a wide range of cultural activities.

Prince Sultan bin Salman, head of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), inaugurated on Monday a photo exhibition of Mexican historical sites at the National Museum in Riyadh. UNESCO has designated 29 sites in Mexico as being of global historical significance, the largest number of any country in the Western Hemisphere.

Sites include the ancient city of Teotihuacán, home to one of the most massive pyramids in the world. Mexico is also home to several natural and colonial historical sites, such as the historic centers of Mexico City, Oaxaca (wa-ha-ka) and Puebla, the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Michoacan and El Vizcaino Whale Sanctuary in Baja California.

Born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Live in Jeddah and Paris
Graduated from Manarat High School in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Studied Arabic Literature in King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah:
Left to pursue a photographic career in Paris, France.
Studied Photography at Speos School in Paris, France

« I like to define myself as a Muslim artist, sprung from my native Saudi culture and history. In my art I am seeking to show signs of the Divine in nature and in Man. For me, light is one of the many manifestations of God. Which He casts in our path through life to remind us of His constant presence in ourselves and in every place. Every photograph is a pattern of light and shade. For me, my photography is a way to praise God’s glory in the universe. »
Reem Al Faisal

Photos from her series Muslims in America.

I love, love, love this photography. Born in Lebanon in 1969 of Lebanese-Egyptian origin, Baladi has lived in Beirut, Paris, London and Cairo, where she currently works and resides.

Baladi is an artist working essentially with reproducible images in various media and formats. Her installations, videos and collages, which often stage culturally hybrid scenes, are dense with mythology and visual theory. She addresses memory, both collective and personal, in a codified and multi-cultural language articulated in a world of shifting boundaries. Symbolic appropriations contribute to the construction of her numerous visual landscapes.

From her series Surface of Time.