This month, as part of the annual Create & Inspire competition, organised by The Crossway Foundation, in partnership with Art Jameel and Qatar Museums, 12 winners from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom travelled to Brazil for a creative adventure.
The Art Blog is following them on their trip with a series of interviews with the winners. They were all selected for their original and imaginative responses to this year’s competition theme: “The World is not Black & White”.
Next up is Mawadah Mohammed Muhtasib, a 19 year old Saudi who is currently studying motion graphic design at Dar al Hekma University in Jeddah and won the competition for a short film, which she called Create & Inspire.
Q: How would you describe your style as an artist?
A: I find that my style is continuously under progress, as I am still developing the artist inside of me. With graffiti art, I have spent the past couple of years creating my own font, which is a mix of Arabic calligraphy and graffiti in reverse. As for filmmaking, I am still striving to accomplish my own unique style.
Q: What is your main source of inspiration?
A: I am influnced a lot by my environment and culture. It is true that I have been inspired by many artists but my main source of inspiration is myself. I find that I have strong determination to improve my skills in many ways, in the hope that one day I too will be able inspire others.
Q: What do you hope to gain from the Create & Inspire programme?
A: This programme is not just enhancing my knowledge through this trip to Brazil but it is also providing me with a life-changing experience that allows us to explore and further discover our capabilities as artists. And this is what I hope to gain from this journey.
Q: What has been the highlight of the trip so far?
A: Everyday is like a whole new world full of amazing journeys. The different sights and sounds of Brazil are genuinely breathtaking and I have never seen anything like it before in my life. Engaging with differeant activities that open my mind as an artist is defintiely the best part so far.
* Follow Mawadah on Instagram and Twitter @ododgallery
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
Results:
Men's wheelchair 800m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 1.44.79; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 1.45.88; 3. Isaac Towers (GBR) 1.46.46.
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The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
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Time; race; prize; distance
4pm: Maiden; (D) Dh150,000; 1,200m
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4.35pm: Maiden (T); Dh150,000; 1,600m
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6.20pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
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6.55pm: Handicap (D); Dh160,000; 1,600m
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7.30pm: Handicap (D); Dh150,000; 2,200m
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8.05pm: Handicap (T); Dh190,000; 1,800m
Winner: Good Trip, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
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Liverpool’s Uefa Champions League bid: “They’re great. With the attacking force they have, for me, they’re certainly one of the favourites. You look at the teams left in it - they’re capable of scoring against anybody at any given time. Defensively they’ve been good, so I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t go on and win it.”
Mohamed Salah’s debut campaign at Anfield: “Unbelievable. He’s been phenomenal. You can name the front three, but for him on a personal level, he’s been unreal. He’s been great to watch and hopefully he can continue now until the end of the season - which I’m sure he will, because he’s been in fine form. He’s been incredible this season.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s instant impact at former club LA Galaxy: “Brilliant. It’s been a great start for him and for the club. They were crying out for another big name there. They were lacking that, for the prestige of LA Galaxy. And now they have one of the finest stars. I hope they can go win something this year.”
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Medicus AI
Started: 2016
Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh
Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai
Sector: Health Tech
Staff: 119
Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)
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Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
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Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
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Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
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Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
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Saturday: Super Special Spectator Stage – Yas Marina Circuit – start 3.30pm.
Sunday: Yas Marina Circuit Stage 1 (276.01km)
Monday: Nissan Stage 2 (287.92km)
Tuesday: Al Ain Water Stage 3 (281.38km)
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