Fresh new Arabic pop artist Corinne Martin recently revealed an exclusive painting series at DNA, a high-end lifestyle boutique in Riyadh. Born in France and raised in Lebanon, Corinne was then educated in the United States with a degree in Graphic Communications and Art History. Her work includes sculptures featured in U.S. shows such as “Proper Hygene”, “Candy From Strangers”, and “Crime Scenes”. In 2007 Corinne returned to her roots in the Middle East where she began to explore themes of Arabic popular culture through mixed media and painting.

Her paintings are characterized by bold colors using icons of Arabic popular culture that have a nostalgic twist and carry the message of “life is art.” “There is an industrial revolution happening in the middle east at the moment similar to the fifties and sixties in America. I draw my inspiration from the things that are shaping this generation of young Arabs through television, music, food, and fashion. I find everyday objects intriguing when I see them in Arabic and it’s interesting that even when they are the same objects present in the west, they have a completely different meaning to us in the Middle East. In my paintings, I aim to express this youthful energy by using the bold colors of our everyday culture in my paintings.”

Corinne Martin paintings and photography can be viewed or purchased at Cities in Centria Shopping Mall, at DNA Boutique, and are found at www.corinnemartin.com

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.

Ellia turned one years old this week!! Wow what a ride! I’m sorry for the cliche but they do grow up so fast. It’s overwhelming to see this tiny little soul transform into a little person. This past year she’s been the source of all my joy, my creativity, my passion, and my love. My new little buddy.

Here it is all finished and oh so retro.

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.

I love walking trough the Kingdom Tower Lobby to get to The Four Seasons Restaurant. It’s so very grand but still authentic. Businessmen exchanging ideas in between tall palm tress. The scents of flowers are breathtaking .

I’m so happy to see organic products making little appearances in Saudi.. My friends at Zoom Creative are working on rebranding the Saudi Organic Farming Association. It’s the beginning of an awareness to health and diet here in the kingdom. I was picking up Ellia’s organic snacks from Biobest and I noticed this little section of organic fruits and veggies. Bravo!

All Things Mideast is a blog by Delawit Mesfin specialized in International Media & Society and Marketing.

Here’s an excerpt
” So bright and fun! Martin is not Saudi, but her work is reflective of a graphic art & design movement in the Gulf and across the Arab world.”

Some people like to see art in three-dimension. Here’s my latest Saudi Arabian Airlines painting in the studio.

The rest of my work here. Join me on Facebook.

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.