Schools of brightly coloured fish burst from coral; fog hangs heavy over a black shore with stones glistening in the foreground; historic buildings delicately crumble, punctuated by palm trees.
These are only a few examples of the works submitted to Saudi Arabia's inaugural Kingdom Photography Award, devoted to immortalising the country's storied environments.
Now, having recently announced the first round of winners in its inaugural Kingdom Photography Professional Grant, Saudi Arabia's Visual Arts Commission is looking ahead to next month's Kingdom Photography Discovery Competition.
Together, they form the two main branches of the award, which offers a total cash prize of $106,000, as well as other prizes worth $53,000. The project aims to document some of Saudi Arabia’s never-before-seen landscapes and create a regional and global cultural exchange.
Dina Amin, chief executive of the commission, tells The National that it is also hoping to bring a variety of visual arts talent to the fore, while embracing different cultural practices.
“We have an amazing opportunity to really document and explore the country through a visual language, through photography, in ways that have not been done before," she says.
Last month's Kingdom Photography Professional Grant winners included Swedish photographer Alex Dawson for the Underwater category, Australian photographer Nyree Jane Cox for Urban Environment and Argentinian photographer Andrea Diana Alkalay for Nature Along the Coast.
Recipients of the grant were selected from a wide range of established photographers from around the world and were commissioned to create an archive of Al Wajh — a city in north-western Saudi Arabia, situated on the coast of the Red Sea in the Tabuk Province.
“The landscape of Saudi Arabia has not been hugely documented through the lens of fine art and through the lens of photography,” says Amin. “This is a wonderful moment to really refocus that lens and look at the landscape of Saudi Arabia.”
The second element of the awards is the Kingdom Photography Discovery Competition, which offers emerging and mid-career photographers from Saudi Arabia a chance to engage with experienced professionals through a number of collaborative workshops and masterclasses.
“We have a beautiful, creative community that for many years has not been known. And we want that to change,” says Amin.
“We want there to be understanding and awareness and celebration of those people that sit within the visual arts community of practitioners. So when we were thinking about this award, we were really looking to find a way to create moments for poignant exchange and poignant creative engagement.”
The 21 nominees, who were shortlisted based on an online application process, have already applied the skills and theory they learnt through masterclasses during a three-day shoot in Al Wajh. All the photographs by the shortlisted nominees will be printed and showcased in an exhibition organised by the Visual Arts Commission in Art Jameel’s new cultural centre Hayy Jameel in Jeddah, in December. From this work, three winners will be chosen from the same three categories as the Kingdom Photography Professional Grant.
The winners will be selected by a judging panel consisting of award-winning American environmental photographer Daniel Beltra; Zein Khalifa, founder of Tintera photography gallery in Cairo; dynamic Saudi photographer Moath Alofi and Abdullah Al-Turki, founding member of the Saudi Art Council, along with the three Kingdom Photography Professional Grant winners.
“As the Visual Arts Commission, one of the things that we care about very deeply is the idea of really bringing to the forefront the talent that resides within the country and really looking for ways to amplify and celebrate that on a stage that is local, regional and international,” adds Amin.
The winners' exhibition in Hayy Jameel will include both the Kingdom Photography Discovery Competition winners and runners up, and the Kingdom Photography Grant recipients.
This is the first step in encouraging both local and international photographers to discover, explore and record the landscape of the kingdom through the art of photography. Over time the awards will become a vehicle through which a rich cultural and artistic exchange can arise in Saudi Arabia, which also aims to forge global partnerships and transfer creative expertise and knowledge.
“I want the cultural landscape to be captured, to be celebrated, to be archived, to be documented, for it to be a point of pride for us all,” says Amin.
“I want this award to be a tool in that conversation, in a moment of change on a global scale, not just on a Saudi scale. I want us to be able to really highlight the depth of our history, of our culture, and of our landscapes.”
Scroll through images of the Sony World Photography Award winner Rinko Kawauchi's work below
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Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
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- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
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- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Gifts exchanged
- King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
- Queen Camilla - Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
- Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
- Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
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- Professional ethics.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
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The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
