“We had 99 participants and each participant chose one name. We started and planned the competition very early and for the past one month young artists called and registered. We hope our hard efforts will bring excellent results. We chose the 99 names of Allah for the competition because then the artists will learn not only the best Arabic calligraphy and graffiti but also the names as well.”
She added they also wanted to convey the beauty of the Arabic language and graffiti through this competition.
“The Arabic calligraphy starts or came from the Qur’an. It’s our heritage and a way to show our talent. We should spread our talent and beauty of art throughout the world. Al Hosna 99 is another way of reminding young people of the beauty we have in our Islamic culture and how sailing into its beauty makes you appreciate its uniqueness more and more ”
One bystander who claimed to have visited the mall to watch the contestants five days in a row said, “I watched my way into a creative world that was thought to be beyond anyone’s reach, giving me hope that you just have to have an imagination and make it run wild.”
Children were encouraged to join the contest while shopping with parents and were the highlight of the contest. Red Sea Mall’s CEO, Mohammed Al Alawi, said the mall hosts such events out of its social responsibility toward the country’s youth and to help them to discover their hidden talents.
“We also have a social responsibility toward everyone’s taste in art which is why we try to elevate it by presenting different kinds of art all the while creating master pieces of the mall’s grounds”. Workshops on the basics of Arabic calligraphy were conducted by calligrapher Ibrahim Al Arafy who was supervised by Tarik Gazzaz and Nahar Marzoogi.
Source:
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20120705129050
