ART EVENT Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival Launches its 20th Edition

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, member of the Supreme Council and ruler of Sharjah, the Cultural Affairs Department at the Sharjah Department of Culture has organised the 20th Edition of the Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival. The festival will commence on 13th December 2017 and run until 23rd January 2018. The new edition's theme, 'Athar', will serve as a concept to unite artists.

The new concept for the 20th edition reveals the effect that the artists intend to achieve through their work and shows how to harness contemporary art to shorten the distance between the East and the West. The impact of the festival is, in a way, a form of knowledge through which we recognise the moment of the experience. This knowledge is a link between different times and cultures; therefore, the impact has a value, and the significance is greater when the impact entwines with creativity.

The Sharjh Islamic Arts Festival will contain 270 activities in the form of exhibitions, lectures, and workshops. More than 28 organisations assisted in the coordination of the festival projects. There will be 44 exhibitions, 31 of which will be at the Sharjah Art Museum, presenting works of artists from the United Arab Emirates, neighbouring Arab countries, and other countries from around the world. Of the parallel exhibitions, ten will be exhibited at the Al Majaz Waterfront, Al Majaz Amphitheatre, AWQAF Department, Al Qasba, Maraya Art Centre, and the Calligraphy Square (Calligraphy Centre, Calligraphers Studios, Calligraphy Museum). The festival will also arrange for a dialogue between the artists and the audience, during which the artists will discuss the experiences that encouraged them to create contemporary visual art.