It's a women's world...in Arts!

marjan Solimani – Head of Iranian art, Bonhamsmarjan has been engaged in curating art exhibitions across the middle East to promote Iranian artists. at Bonhams, as an Iranian art specialist, she is involved in building the brand and creating awareness among art collectors and galleries about the same.

MarJan soliManias far back as marjan recollects, she was been in-clined towards the world of arts. she says, “it has to be in you; either you have an eye for it since child-hood or you don’t. it’s an instinct!” and thanks to her iranian roots, her passion towards iranian art grew all the more strong.

“iranian art like any other stems from the es-sence of the country – it’s culture, political situa-tion, nature and climate. it combines tradition and

modernism, thus making it unique.” but she believes that art sees beyond both nationalities and gender. “art is the common language of all nations; it’s a language of the heart which connects people of different nationalities. it is the best way of expres-sion one can choose.

“Just as there is no difference between a male and a female artist. art is a way of expressing one-self, and men and women are completely equal aT leasT in this matter!”Though art appreciation has come a long way, marjan feels that it’s never enough

no, we are noT Talking abouT women as The muse, we are Talking abouT women who speak arT, who are dedicaTed To spreading The word of arT. WomAn TodAy illuminaTes five such women, enriched wiTh an in-depTh knowledge, They are ouT There To serve arT aficionados wiTh The as, rs and Ts of arT!

it’s a Women’s WorlD...in Arts!by cassey oliVeira

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2011 February 25

What does Art mean to you?art is an inseparable part of my daily life, so it means everything to me.

What is the most beautiful piece of Art you have come across so far?each one of the art works i come across has its own beauty, it very hard to use the word “the most” for them.

If given a chance, what would you like to create?i would surely paint.

Which other Art do you admire?art of being a true human being!

Is Middle east a good hub for enhancing your passion in Arts?it indeed has a high potential and i am glad to be part of it.

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Mehreen rizvi born in pakistan, mehreen is passionate about the art hailing from her country. “it gives me great pleasure to see it being recognised internationally through ex-hibitions and of course the publicity it gets through ground-breaking auctions, especially modern paki-stani art.

“i think the best way to describe pakistani art is that it ‘surprises’ people as the quality, diversity and edginess of artworks does not seem associated with a country that has been stereotyped as radically re-ligious. coming from one of history’s greatest civili-sations – the indus Valley – pakistani artists embed their rich history in their works to produce some

very thought-provoking yet beautiful artworks,” says mehreen.

she has been involved in many auctions, and feels that they help in raising awareness for arts. “auc-tions come under media attention when million dollar deals are made, which in turn attracts the collectors’ attention.

people seem to be more receptive to artists now as many of the top collectors get to know the artists and their thought process directly.”

with auction houses like bonhams, the prospec-tive of art and artists seem bright mehreen feels. “The great modern and contemporary artists are being recognised even in the 21st century like never

before. i think important initiatives like the building of museums in the middle east region, of which Qatar is undoubtedly at the forefront, have helped in bringing credibility and visibility to the regions art.”

women too have traversed a long way. “in south asia and middle east, women have done very well in the visual arts scene. regional names like shirin neshat, mona hatoum and shazia sikander are now being recognised on an international scale.”

as mehreen continues to be driven by her pas-sion for art, she believes the best way to appreciate and promote art is “to make it available to our future generations by exposing them to art at a very young age.”

What does Art mean to you?beauty

What collections do you possess?mainly modern pakistani art, although i have one amazing work by a contemporary woman artist, adeela suleman.

Your favourite artistanish kapoor

If given a chance, what Art-work would you like to create?anish kapoor’s pigment works

What is the most beautiful piece of Art you have come across so far?The shahnameh (persian manuscript) folios sold at auction by the british rail pension fund

mehreen Rizvi – Head of South asian & modern and Contemporary art, BonhamsUnder mehreen’s guidance, Bonhams has become a leader in sub-continental art. She has discovered a num-ber of unrecognised Indian paintings which sold for six figure sums; and has initiated and organised the unique first single sale of Indian Artist Francis Newton Souza ‘Works on Paper’. She also arranged the first ever auction of middle Eastern art in the USa in may 2010.

to promote art. The fact that there are tonnes of artists surfacing around the world everyday only doubles the need to showcase their works and talent to all. “i don’t think any particular art form needs immediate revival, as it is already done, but it’s a new artist who needs that.” Deciphering art is a game of the eyes says marjan. “There is a message in each art work which is sent out to the community by an artist. it entirely depends on the viewer to connect with that message and to have his own perception.”

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taline aynilian“art is something that captivates nearly everyone,” says Taline. undoubtedly, she couldn’t evade its temptation. “i wanted the opportunity to be sur-rounded by art, to touch it, work with it, research it and ultimately to get to know everything i could about it. The only way to do that was to make it my job,” says the orientalist art specialist. according to Taline, there are two reasons that make oriental-ist art unique from other arts. “firstly, it does not have a fixed time span, subject matter or style. Instead it is defined by perspective; it is the way the west imagined the east, resulting in paintings, sculpture and decorative objects that depict exotic and alluring images such as deserts, harems, souqs and entertainment.”

“Secondly, Orientalist art is of historical signifi-cance to the middle east. The scenes rendered in these paintings still exist today or act as evidence and propaganda of their greatness in history. since artists from the region were not permitted to paint

until recently, the orientalist works of art are the only forms of documentation where one can see what the middle east looked like in the past.” The art lover also advocates that ‘Women and arts go hand in hand’. “women seem innately interested in aesthetics; testament to this is our devout following of fashion. so it seems natural that the art world is filled in majority with women,” she says. Even then, the top rungs in the art world seem crowded by men. Taline explains, “The art world, especially auc-tion houses, demands its specialists to constantly travel - be it for appraising collections, attending international art fairs, or conducting auctions. also, your evenings are always occupied with exhibition openings, entertaining clients, or auctions. The job takes over your entire life and it becomes increas-ingly difficult for women especially to build and raise a family and simultaneously keep abreast of the art world.” “but the important thing to realise is that the art world is a place where women can excel,” she says firmly.

the JaMM foundersfor sheikha lulu al-sabah and lydia limerick, the best thing they could have ever done to promote arab art was to found Jamm.

“our focus had always been on the middle east region and we shared similar views on the projects we wanted to be engaged in. for this reason, we established Jamm to contribute to the development of the contemporary art market in the middle east and beyond,” says sheikha lulu.

her love for arab art knows no bounds, but she finds it impossible to describe this Art. “Because there are over 20 arab countries and each have their own specific cultures, traditions, political realities. etc. art from this region encompasses over 10 dif-ferent styles in technique, and span from the modern art in the early 20th century to the contemporary art being produced today.”

meanwhile, lydia too shares an equal passion for the region’s art, but she doesn’t consider contempo-

Taline nicole aynilian – Head of orientalist art, BonhamsAs the Head of Sale and International Senior Specialist in Orientalist Paintings and Works of Art based in New York and Dubai, Taline has successfully developed the Orientalist market, advising clients on their acquisitions

and building the forthcoming orientalist sales.

How does one appreciate the true meaning of the works?The more you learn about the work or the period, the more it will shape your admiration.

What does Art mean to you? art is like a time-machine that takes me through the thoughts, perspectives, and ideologies at the time it was made.

What collections do you possess? orientalist art and armenian contemporary art.

Any beautiful piece of Art you have come across? works by alma-Tadema, gerome, bouguereau, or godward. The technique, the colours, the softness and femininity expressed by these masters have yet to be matched today!

Advice for auctionssee the works in person – it may be different from what you imagined. also, don’t be afraid to ask the art specialists questions. That’s what we’re here for!

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Sheikha Lulu al-Sabah – Partner and Founder of JammSheikha Lulu is primarily responsible for all charitable and talent functions of the business. She was a pan-ellist at the art Basel in 2006 and 2008. In 2006, she co-organised an exhibition of paintings by Kuwaiti women artists at the prestigious Institute du monde Arabe in Paris.

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2011 February 27

How does Art inspire you? emotionally and intellectually.

Your favourite piece of Art. The winged Victory of samothrace (at the lou-vre museum in paris).

If given a chance, what Art-work would you like to create? Auguste Rodin’s ‘The Kiss’ (made in 1889 in marble).

If not Art, what would you have chosen? being a journalist or a human rights lawyer.

As an art advisor, what’s the best advice you give to artists and clients?To clients, the best advice is to buy what you like, research what you buy and to continue to develop your eye and knowledge by visiting museums, art galleries and art events.

To artists, the best advice is to be true to one-self. There must be sincerity in the works of art that they produce.

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What is Art for you? art is a form of escapism, created by another person and their vision of how they see the world.

Your favourite artist I constantly find new favourite artists, there are so many young emerging artists breaking into the market.

If given a chance, what Artwork would you like to create? i work in art because i don’t have the talent to create it.

If not Art, what would you have chosen? i don’t know

As an art advisor, what’s the best advice you give to artists and clients? for artists don’t overexpose yourself to the mar-ket and for clients don’t be swayed by trends, buy what you love.

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Lydia Limerick – Partner and Founder of Jamm

Lydia is primarily focused on building private and corporate collections. during her tenure earlier

at Christie’s middle East, she was responsible for opening their first office in the region and also for

introducing Contemporary arab & Iranian work to the dubai auction.

auCtion housesbonhams is a privately owned british auction house and one of the world’s oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques, since 1793.

established in 2009, Jamm offers a comprehensive art management and consultancy service to private, corporate and public clients. projects range from large-scale exhibitions and events to small-scale activi-ties that focus on the development of the art market in the middle east and other key regional markets.

rary arab art to be any different from other arts. “art-ists are inspired by their surroundings, cultural and religious backgrounds. i know a number of western artists whose work is solely based on Arab influence and script. it has more to do with what inspires artists to create rather than the geographical location.”

armed with a combined expertise of over 20 years in the contemporary and international art market, both have strived hard to encourage a creative collab-oration between the west and the east by promoting arab and iranian artists in the west and western art-ists in the East. “I think art is the most efficient way to promote cross-cultural understanding. it increases compassion and tolerance among people with varied

belief systems,” says sheikha lulu. but lydia feels that now both worlds cannot turn a

blind eye to what the other has to offer. “we live in a globalised world where exhibitions and auctions of all international art are shown. so i don’t think they are unaware of each other.”

only over a year old, Jamm has already made generous attempts to satiate art lovers. They have hosted the first contemporary art auction in Kuwait; held a talk with professor homi bhabha, the head of humanities at harvard university, and hans ulrich

obrist, the curator at the serpentine gallery; or-ganised an exhibition in london which featured the works of 11 international artists; and also hosted a variety of art dinners and a book launch for iranian artist reza Derakshani.

meanwhile, lulu is positive about the region’s art gaining a bright future and she feels the same for women artists. “previously, female artists had a more difficult time entering art academies and a harder time forging careers as professional artists, as women were expected to remain in the private

domain rather than the public sphere. Today, there is less sexism and more opportunities for women. artists are accepted into schools based on their tal-ent rather than their gender. female artists from the middle east are represented by top galleries, and their works are purchased by collectors globally,” says lulu.

lydia agrees as well. “women now run some of the best galleries, head museum departments, are top artists and of course patrons to the arts. There are several opportunities for us, if we have the pas-sion and determination.” Discovering women as art-ists, curators, critics, art journalists within the field of art is not surprising anymore!


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It's a women's world...in Arts!