Kuwait Times: Mission Possible- Promoting Middle Eastern Art

Sheikha Lulu Al Sabah. Picture courtesy Sueraya Shaheen

There is a huge market for contemporary art in Kuwait, says Sheikha Lulu Al-Sabah, founder of JAMM, an independent strategic art advisory that is hosting its third annual auction in Kuwait on November 29, 2012.

“My main objective is to see in my lifetime Arab and Iranian contemporary art becoming part of the mainstream,” Sheikha Lulu said.

The auction of over 60 works, the majority of which are estimated at under $10,000 each, provides an opportunity for young collectors in the GCC region and beyond to start or to add to their collections of contemporary art.

“I want an auction where everybody can buy a work of art. I do not want it to be an elitist thing. There are many young professionals who want one or two pieces in their house and these are the people that I am targeting,” Sheikha Lulu said. She elaborated that every year more and more people are showing interest and appreciation for art, which, in her words, is a positive sign.

According to her, about 50 percent of the sales at JAMM’s auctions will be by buyers in Kuwait and the rest by international buyers.

The goal for this year’s auction is to manage sales worth a total of $1 million. “I hope more people will be interested and the VIP program will become larger every year because it is not just about the auction,” Sheikha Lulu said explaining that she had created a VIP program around the sale for collectors from abroad, that also includes art galleries in Kuwait.

“I include lunches and dinners at collectors’ homes. I try to involve local artists, in fact, the whole communities in order to kick start the contemporary art scene which is really beginning to do fantastic. You feel that things are happening now unlike ten years ago,” she said.

By Velina Nacheva

Read full article: Kuwait Times MISSION POSSIBLE: Promote art – Middle Eastern, international artists represented at contemporary art auction