Extensive international academic and artistic participation in the Fujairah International Conference for Calligraphy and Ornamentation and the Emtidad Exhibition.
The second edition of the Fujairah International Conference on Calligraphy and Ornamentation and the «Extents» Art Exhibition witnessed an unprecedented academic and artistic participation from an elite group of universities, institutes, and specialised institutions in Islamic and traditional arts from all over the world, reflecting Fujairah's position as a global cultural platform for artistic and intellectual dialogue.
For the first time, the conference, exhibition and art week welcomed academic delegations from prestigious international institutions, most notably the King's Foundation - School of Traditional Arts in the UK, Ca' Foscari University of Venice in Italy, the University of Vienna in Austria, the University of Seville in Spain, and 9 Eylül University in Turkey, alongside the Japanese Society of Arabic Calligraphy, and a number of art institutions from Pakistan.
Distinguished Arab institutions also participated in this cultural event, including the Royal Institute for Traditional Arts in Saudi Arabia, the Bait Al-Jameel for Heritage Arts in Egypt, the College of Arts and Islamic Architecture in Jordan, the Arab Research and Studies Institute affiliated with ALESCO, the Lebanese American University, the Higher Institute of Fine Arts in Tunisia, and the Kuwait Centre for Islamic Arts.
Prominent academics and representatives from these bodies participated in the conference sessions and workshops, including Professor Farid Abdul Rahim Al-Ali, Chairman of the Kuwait Centre for Islamic Arts, Professor Don Daniel Bilbao Peña, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Seville, Professor Maria Inmaculada Peña Cáceres from the same university, Dr. Hanaa Mohammed Abdulnour Hegazy, Head of the Islamic Arts Department at the World Islamic Sciences and Education University in Jordan, Professor Markus Ritter, Vice-Head of the Department of Islamic Art History at the University of Vienna, Dr. Sherif Shaheen from the Institute of Arab Research and Studies, and Professors Rana Abou Rejeili and Maya Farah from the Lebanese American University.
From Pakistan, Dr. Nauman Beg, Professor of Arts and Humanities at Habib University, participated. From Japan, Mr. Koichi Yamaoka, Secretary-General of the Japanese Society of Arabic Calligraphy, participated. From Egypt, Dr. Mamdouh Sekar, Director of the Bayt Al-Jameel Programme for Traditional Arts, participated. From Turkey, Professor Filiz Adiguzel, Head of the Department of Traditional Turkish Arts at Dokuz Eylul University, and Dr. Hilal Erkocoglu from Fatih Sultan Mehmet University, participated.
The event also saw the participation of Professor Abdurrahim Kouline, Head of the Academy of Traditional Arts in Casablanca, Professor Sami Ben Amer from the Higher Institute of Fine Arts in Tunis, Professor Antonella Garsitti from Ca' Foscari University in Venice, and Dr. Budoor Al Turki from the Research Department of the Royal Institute for Traditional Arts in Saudi Arabia.
This extensive participation reflects the academic and cultural dimension adopted by the Fujairah International Conference for Calligraphy and Ornamentation and the «Imتداد» exhibition, as it brings together global expertise in traditional and Islamic arts, and fosters dialogue between East and West on the sustainability of arts as a bridge for knowledge and exchange of experiences. .