Modern art is a key cultural resource: Al Noman

Sharjah, Dec 30, 2010 (WAM)- Mohamed A. Al Noman, Director General of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Authority (SCTDA), highlighted the importance of Islamic and heritage arts to the emirate of Sharjah and art's role in reflecting the emirate's identity based on various promotional vitals, among which various exhibitions reflecting Sharjah's honourable past.
Al Noman opened yesterday the 29th Photo Gallery - organized by the Emirate's Fine Arts Society at its headquarters in the Arts Area in Sharjah - in which 15 Emirati artists producing more than 45 pieces of art reflecting the United Arab Emirates' civilization, participated.
In his speech following the opening ceremony, Al Noman said: "The gallery's modern art can be considered as a key cultural resource, a fact supported by H.H. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qassimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah's patronage and support for arts in general, and photography in particular. This support was revealed with the opening of the executive offices of the Union of Arab Photographers in Sharjah, which is responsible for the reformation and training of cadres, for encouraging academic studies and research, and for developing photography and media techniques, organizing specialized workshops, courses and lectures, as well as for offering the exchange of expertise and visits by famous international photographers.
Al Noman added that this exhibition forms part of the framework of the Emirate's Fine Arts Society, which is aimed at encouraging and highlighting creativity in the visual, digital, old and modern arts.
The 29th Photography Gallery offers a great opportunity to gather talented artists together to exchange their expertise among the Arts Society's members, and an innovative addition this year was the inclusion of the number 29 in the various artworks in inventive ways. – Emirates News Agency, WAM