Omar al-Shahabi has just finished up with his exhibition, Transition. Figurative paintings of the emotional background noise acquired through-out life culminating in the present moment of existence hope to identify what makes us who we are. Al-Shahabi, an Iraqi artist with an arts degree from Baghdad University, has opened the world's eyes to what this part of the world can produce. With a rich understanding of the human situation, al-Shahabi has focused our eyes on what we perhaps really struggle to put our finger on.


Omar al-Shahabi has previously been displayed at Qatar's Society of Fine Arts in 2014, Transition is his second solo display. More recently, this current display has been held at Qatar's Anima Gallery. The people at Anima have been specialising in exhibition, consultation and projection since 2012. Their goal is to provide a foundation stone for emerging artists from their part of the world. The art scene is notoriously difficult to get into and when artists prove their worth by making it onto the ladder it takes good media and stable foundations to keep climbing.


Al-Shahabi has created his works to help us peer back through the window of time as we see how many factors build our current frame of being. All of the positive and negative experience that has become our teacher throughout life makes our story and defines how we choose to behave. There is in fact a decent section on this topic in a book called Doctor Universe, written by myself. Never-the-less with such a deep appreciation for the human condition portrayed in a striking and visual art display, it will no doubt continue to help decision makers to appreciate the individual more.


This current exhibition is about to close, making way for more brilliant arts from the Gulf. Don't fret though, it's almost certain that Omar al-Shahabi will resurface sometime again soon.

​Via The Gulf Times

When Psychotherapist and art-fanatic Eli Leon met Rosie Lee Tompkins in 1985, a love affair with textiles began. Rosie was well-known for creating beautiful and ornately designed quilts. The homely and cosy allure of quilts combine with the vibrancy and optimism of African-American thought to make vivid and beautiful blankets. Eli Leon managed to amass nearly three thousand individual pieces, fashioned by artistic hands from all over the States. A significant fraction of these are credited to Rosie Lee Tompkins, the instigator of this love for textile design. When Leon died in 2018, he wrote in his will that his huge and splendid collection was to be re-homed with the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.


Along side works by Rosie Lee Tompkins, visitors can also catch a glimpse of pieces by Arbie Williams, Laverne Brackens, Gladys Henry, Sherry Byrd, and Angie Tobias as well as hundreds of others. Like many names, Rosie Lee Tompkins is no longer with us so having a collection of works by these unique and high-quality artists truly preserves something of their soul for the years to come. Expect to see the beginnings of the exhibit in February 2020 with expansion until 2022. A larger showcasing of the work by Rosie Lee Tompkins is expected to also be displayed.


Leaving a gift of this large collection to the people really makes an important point about who owns culture and the stories that it tells. Truly remarkable works of art deserve to be admired and treasured by the people who inspired them and their descendants. Works like these also contribute vastly to the element of cultural exchange where artists become inspired and take concepts and ideas from there into other areas of expression. Perhaps most important of all, the exhibiting of these brilliant and evocative artworks helps to readdress the balance between Caucasian and African cultures.   

​Via Hyperallergic
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Browse more African American quilts

​Many people discover their artistic flare while doing something they enjoy. Be it music, painting, writing, or computing, people with an ability to imagine and create emerge as artists in their field. How do video games relate to art though? It actually works on several levels. The people who design the worlds are clearly artists. Even in the old days where nothing was realistic, the scenery was designed to look visually appealing. In the process of making a game that is thoroughly enjoyable to play the people who create it have to make everything aesthetically appealing. It's an art.


The playability too is something that has to be felt and explored. The way that the player interacts with the game has to feel appropriate and natural. Then there are the players themselves, and the people who open up the program and modify it to meet their needs. The skill behind hacking a game to improve the experience for everyone is an art. Some games allow you to do this.


Video game arts are currently being represented at Open World exhibition this year at the Akron Art Museum in Ohio. From October 19th to February 2nd visitors can explore the virtual world of gaming art. Linking reputable mainstream art names with the virtual worlds that millions of people play games in is hoped to give further kudos to those who self-identify as video game artists. Some big name adventures such as Zelda, Mario, The Sims, and Final Fantasy are explored in a new way. The work hopes to communicate the social relevance of video games and how the rules of a game-world can teach us lessons about the real one, and even push bias towards certain attitudes.


Expect to be treated to works by the following artists: Ueli Alder (Hemberg, Switzerland), Cory Arcangel (New York), Alan Butler (Dublin), JooYoung Choi (Houston), Joseph DeLappe (Dundee, Scotland), Krista Hoefle (South Bend, IN), Invader (Paris), Butt Johnson (New York), Angelo Ray Martínez (South Bend, IN), Michael Menchaca (San Antonio), Feng Mengbo (Beijing), Joan Pamboukes (New York), Oliver Payne (Los Angeles), Tim Portlock (St. Louis), Tabor Robak (New York), Rachel Rossin (New York), Jacolby Satterwhite (New York), Skawennati (Montreal), Suzanne Treister (London), Nathan Vincent (Los Angeles), Bill Viola (Long Beach, CA) and USC Game Innovation Lab (Los Angeles), Angela Washko (Pittsburgh) and Mathew Zefeldt (Minneapolis).

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20 local Liverpool artists were exhibited last weekend in a pop-up gallery held within a derelict house. Most British cities have rows of streets with old council houses now in total disrepair. We've seen them sold off for a pound, we've seen them pulled down and left as rubble, but have we seen them become cultural hubs? Now we have.


The Dead Pigeon Gallery are a travelling art company who establish exhibits in various locations. They teamed up with Kirkdale's Homebaked Community Land Trust to bring local residents this brilliant display of local Liverpool talent. The HCL Trust owns the property in L4 and weremore than happy to lend its use for the project. The Oakfield Road residence was furnished with creative works that demonstrate the “creative might” of the local residents.


Co-founding artist of Dead Pigeon, Jayne Lawless, joined forces with designer Catherine Dalton after finding a shared love of culture with the Homebaked Bakery. The cooperative business aims to include and employ people from the local area. Choosing to highlight the art made by this team of forward thinking individuals has undoubtedly provided impetus for more future creativity.


The Dead Pigeon Gallery have established themselves as an organisation which makes use of unusual spaces for displaying art. After this injection of culture in an area known locally for its run-down and neglected status, it goes to show that we don't necessarily need to rely on the local council to fill in the gaps. We're all capable of making positive changes in our areas and encouraging others to do the same.  

​Via Liverpool Echo

The yəhaw exhibition in Seattle highlights the original cultural stories that knitted the early native Americans together. Curated by Satpreet Kahlo, Asia Tail of the Cherokee, and Tracy Rector who shares heritage with the Choctaw and Seminole peoples, the array of exhibits brings indigenous culture together and makes it part of everyone's story.


A local legend from historical times speaks of the local tribes-people united under a common cause, to lift the sky. What symbolism this entails is perhaps up to speculation, however before scientific knowledge of the cosmos, any number of possible scenarios as to the origin of our sky and sunshine could have arisen. The spirit of the story still rings true today, where it's clear that in order to achieve the seemingly impossible, we have to put our differences to one side and all work together.


Held at Seattle's King Street Station, naturally a wealth of people from all walks of life will be enriched by the presence of this holding of art and its higher message. When we catch a train or stand and wait for someone to get off of theirs, everything stops for us but that one thing. We stop thinking about everything other than what we have to do in this moment. There are many times in life when this has to be done, for the benefit of everyone involved. Perhaps we can learn about co-operation from this ancient tale.


As the station was undergoing redevelopment, to match the requirements of the 21st century, the exhibit curators spoke extensively and directly with the regeneration team. The final output has made perfect use of the given space and the direction of flow that people naturally take. Over this last summer, works from a huge variety of indigenous people have been showcased for all to see. With over 200 individual contributors of which more than half were women, a real representative array of creativity has been amassed.


Perhaps the most inspiring element of the show isn't the individual pieces, but the way in which they have been displayed. Instead of grouping similar genetic origins with historical timelines, the theme, colouring, and energy of each piece has been valued as the defining subject. This expressive quality has been what allowed the curators to group similar works together in order to form an artistic journey rather than a historical one.


Via Non Profit Quarterly