• Art Jameel, in partnership with Crossway Foundation, launches competition to find 18-25 year-old creatives. Winners to be invited to Japan in November

Art Jameel and Crossway Foundation have announced their partnership for the Jameel Journey to Japan 2015. The two organisations plan to launch a competition to find talented young artists, designers, photographers and filmmakers to win the creative journey of a lifetime to Japan.

This year’s competition is open to 18-25 year old nationals and residents of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and the United Kingdom. Eight winners will have the opportunity to travel to Japan in November 2015 where they will experience one of the most inspiring cultures in the world.

Kuwaiti visual artist, Dr. Monira Al Qadiri, has been appointed Artistic Lead on this project. She says: “It has always been my dream to share my knowledge and experience of Japanese art and culture with younger practitioners from the region. Being in Japan can stimulate the mind of any artist in a myriad of ways, and this journey can become a gateway to endless sources of inspiration for years to come.”

To mark the online launch of the competition, Art Jameel and Crossway Foundation have commissioned an exclusive online trailer celebrating contemporary and traditional Japanese culture. The trailer can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/129001902

The application form on Crossway Foundation website will open on 2 June 2015: www.crossway-foundation.org. Applicants must submit a creative project that relates to the theme: ‘Encounters with another World’ (the project can either be pre-existing artwork or devised especially for the competition).

Imogen Ware, Managing Director of the Crossway Foundation says: “Discovering new and unfamiliar ‘worlds’ can greatly enrich the creative process. Whether these new worlds exist in a different country, within your local community, in the maze of the Internet, or even simply inside your own mind, their physical shape is of little importance. What is important, however, is to allow yourself to look outside the everyday and find new territories in which to plant and nurture your imagination.”

Fady Jameel, President of Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives (ALJCI) International, says: “This initiative marks Art Jameel’s commitment to making a meaningful investment in the next generation of creative talent in the Gulf. It is also timely because it marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Saudi Arabia, as well as the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Distributor Agreement between Abdul Latif Jameel and Toyota.”

Competition website: http://www.crossway-foundation.org/

Film trailer: https://vimeo.com/129001902

Art Jameel website: www.artjameel.aljci.org

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