‘Art exhibition’ by US women opens

In cooperation with the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait, and in the presence of U.S. Ambassador Alina L. Romanowski, Reconnaissance Research organized an art exhibition of American women artists at the Den Gallery’s new location in The Avenues — Prestige. The exhibition will run through July 18, 2021.

A limited audience attended the opening in compliance with the Kuwait Health Ministry’s procedures. The exhibition was the first of its kind and inaugurated by Ambassador Romanowski.

The exhibition, now open to the public, includes paintings and multimedia works loaned by the Ambassador as part of wider efforts to promote art and cultural exchange.

“The multimedia works included in the exhibition are curated through the State Department’s ‘Art in Embassies’ program, which allows each ambassador to select a series of works by American artists to be displayed at the Ambassador’s official residence,” Ambassador Romanowski said. “But before the pieces I choose are displayed at the residence, I wanted to give the public a chance to view these beautiful art works by American women artists at the Den Gallery. This is the first time we have exhibited the works for the public before installing them in the official residence. I am very excited to have included a painting by an American-Kuwait artist Zaara Marwan.”

The Ambassador added: “The US Embassy is ready to support artists in Kuwait and continue to encourage cooperation with their U.S. counterparts. Most recently, U.S. and Kuwaiti artists produced a beautiful glass sculpture of the famous Kuwaiti desert plant (Al-Arfaj), to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the liberation. It’s currently on display at the Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Center. We are also supporting a mentorship program between recognized Kuwaiti artists and young emerging local artists who we hope will study in the United States and return to launch their professional arts careers.”

Hussain Dixen, General Manager of Den Gallery, said: “We have to thank Reconnaissance Research for supporting Den Gallery, and our thanks extend to its Founder & CEO, Abdulaziz Al-Anjeri, who opened many channels of communication for us inside and outside Kuwait and the U.S. Ambassador today is at the top of our list of international supporters. And we do not forget her support for us through the exhibition that took place last year, and her keenness to root the principles of cultural exchange, which is what we, as Kuwaiti artists, also aspired to.”

He added: “What the U.S. ambassador is doing to support the spread of American art is what we hope will be done through state institutions as well. Those of us concerned with Kuwaiti art don’t have many opportunities to introduce the world to Kuwait, and we are pleased to continue cooperation with the U.S. Embassy and other diplomatic missions to build more artistic bridges of communication between Kuwait and brotherly and friendly countries.” The American artists participating in the exhibition are: Monica C. Paisley (born 1969) brings together women, marriage, family, and race in her work.

Sarah Benveno (born 1955) Her watercolors simplify nature into an undulating blend of beauty.

Amy Kaufman (born 1956) Her paintings and drawings are widely exhibited. Her works are included in various collections.

Zahra Marwan (born in 1989) has sought to restore her language, community, and sense of family through her works.

Laura Napoli (born in 1979) takes her inspiration from dance and interiors.

Emily Payne (born 1966) is a Fellow of the San Francisco Foundation and the Vermont Studio Center at Johnson.

Ramona Sakistua (born in 1948) fuses postmodern artistic abstract images into dimensional textiles and works on paper.

Alicia Scardeta (born in 1989) is inspired by her childhood and her family’s Mexican heritage, her woven furnishings feature bold colours, playful themes and innovative practices honed over a decade.

Karen Schulz (born 1954) Karen Schulz references line, shape, color and texture in her advanced fibrous formulations.

J.D. Wellborn (b. 1943) Her work incorporates elements from different painting methods to design paper plates of texture, pattern, and color. She is a veteran artist who has been drawing for more than fifty years.

The Art in Embassies program (AIE):

It is a U.S. Department of State program, that creates cross-cultural dialogue through the visual arts and dynamic artist exchanges.

AIE has installed over 70 permanent art collections in more than 200 of the Department’s diplomatic facilities in 189 countries.