The Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival launches on
Sunday 1 July
12.30 – 16.30
at Sefton Park Palm House
Free
Family Day with performances by El Tanbura, playing their traditional ‘Pharaonic’ funk, and American/Yemeni rapper Hagage AJ Masaed, one of the first musicians to combine Arabic music and language with rap.
The festival finale weekend includes spectacular performances by leading international artist Marcel Khalife in concert with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and renowned Yemeni musicians Abdulatif Yagoub and Ahmed Taher on stage with DuOud who combine their North African heritage with the latest in Western technology.
There’s a packed programme of events over the 2 weeks and includes
VISUAL ARTS
Ashraf Hanna Ceramics
2 – 21 July
Bluecoat Display Centre, College Lane and
Bluecoat Display Centre Two, Hanover Street
Open Monday – Saturday 10.00AM – 5.30PM
Free
An opportunity to see a collection of contemporary ceramics by Egyptian born Ashraf Hanna. Inspired by ancient forms and techniques, Ashraf hand-builds his earthenware vessels which are burnished and then smoke-fired using the Raku technique.
All the work in the exhibition is for sale.
Coal, Frankincense and Myrrh:Yemen and British Yemenis
Tuesday 10 July
Open Eye Gallery
6.30PM
Free – Booking required
Call 0151 709 9460 for tickets
Nationally renowned photographer Tim Smith talks about exploring stories of Yemeni migration and the shared histories of Britain and Yemen.
His photographs, taken along the ancient incense and spice routes of Yemen, show its trading role at the crossroads of Arabia, Africa, Europe and the Far East. Tim will describe his journeys to remote towns and villages to find those who began the process of migration to Britain. Refreshments will be provided.
New Networks: Contemporary Art in the Arab World
Friday 13 July
Tate Liverpool
10.30AM – 5.00PM
Free – Booking required
Call 0151 702 7400 for tickets
This one day seminar looks at the new networks that have emerged between artists, curators and institutions in the Arab world over the last five years. Do the lines of communication between neighbours in the Middle East still run via London, Paris and New York? What is the impact of a publication such as Bidoun and a platform such as the Sharjah Biennial on the production of young artists? Organised by Liverpool Biennial as part of series of seminars in the context of the International 08
Full Festival Diary
www.arabicartsfestival.co.uk
