Kuwaiti artists partake in China-Arab painting workshop
Hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism and organized by the China Arts and Entertainment Group, nine eminent artists from six Arab countries including Algeria, Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman and Tunisia were invited to attend the 11th “Insight of China - Painting Workshop for Well-Known Arab Artists” in China from 25th July to 10th August 2019. Two artists from Kuwait, Ahmed Muqeem and Asad Bunashi also participated in this workshop.
During the 18-day trip in China, the Arab artists visited Hong Kong, Macao and Shenzhen, three well-known cities in China’s Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and participated in a series of activities, featuring tours to museums and galleries, exchange of ideas and experience with representatives from Chinese art institutions, and solo and joint artistic creations with local artists.
Enlightened by their enriching experience in China, the Kuwaiti artists Ahmed Muqeem and Asad Bunashi turned their creative inspiration into reality through their artworks during their stay in China. Asad Bunashi’s oil painting “Chinese Dragon” is a vivid illustration of his insights and understandings of Chinese culture from his perspective as a Kuwaiti. Admed Muqeem inscribed “In China I live like a lotus leaf sleeping on water...bold, yet simple” in Chinese characters on his work “Lotus Lake”, as he couldn’t resist the beauty of the lake in Shenzhen, and decided to show people how he perceived through his painting. Besides, the inclusiveness of Shenzhen, especially its fusion of ancient and modern culture, has impressed Ahmed deeply.
On 9th August 2019, a joint exhibition was inaugurated at Shenzhen Fine Art Institute, bringing together 40 artworks created by all participating artists during the workshop. In spite of different painting styles and themes, the participating Arab artists expressed their perception and appreciation of China and the Chinese culture. According to the Chinese organizers, all artworks will be in the collection of the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism as a manifestation of the first successful cultural exchange between the Greater Bay Area and the Arab countries.
The “Insight of China” painting workshop is a high-level cultural exchange program within the frameworks of China-Arab States Cooperation Forum and the Belt the Road Initiative, with a view to strengthening cultural exchange and cooperation between China and the Arab countries. Since its launch in 2009, over 150 artists from 22 Arab countries, including nine Kuwaiti artists, have participated in the painting workshop, which has become an important multilateral exchange platform between China and Arab countries in the fields of culture and art.