Culture in Crisis: Artists Respond: Ahmad Angawi

Art, Architecture, Design and Heritage. Internationally renowned artist, Ahmad Angawi presents on his recent projects and discusses the symbioses between traditional arts and contemporary design in Saudi Arabia.

Angawi will discuss how being of Meccan roots and inspired by the rich diversity of the culture of Hejaz has affected his work, revolving around the human condition while also paying homage to culture, heritage and the environment.

During Angawi’s travels across the Middle East, He has focused on local traditional artisans and craftsmen, and studied their time-honored roles and their relationship to today’s mass-market productions. He strongly believes that industrial designers are the craftsmen of today and has developed multiple programs as well as creative and artistic practices to revive the traditional crafts across art and design, regenerating a living tradition.

Ahmad Angawi, a multidisciplinary creative from Makkah born in 1981, holds a bachelors of Industrial Design from Pratt Institute in New York and Masters degree in Traditional Arts from The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts. Angawi is currently the Associate Director of Al Makmad Foundation, a cultural institution that aims to conserve and revive the Hijazi heritage.

Angawi is also the Program Director of the Jameel House of Traditional Arts, the historical district of Jeddah. The school is an initiative by the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts in London, and Art Jameel.

This event is part of the V&A’s Culture in Crisis Series