Artbahrain:  What does Muscat Art Festival do?

Bertrand Epaud: Nowadays, we tend to talk a lot about investment in art, alternative investment, and speculation in art business. We wanted to go away from that aspect of art and go back to the fundamentals. H.E. Sultan Hamdoon Al Harthy, Minister of the Muscat Municipality had the vision to create an art festival to give tools and support the new generation of Omani artists (and at a later stage to the artists from the region) by raising subjects which will help them in their work. It is also a way to provide tools to the public at large. This is the reason why we decided to choose Muscat Art Festival “the Creative Process in Art” as theme for the launch of the project.

Ab:  What is your role within MAF?

BE:  I am the art consultant in this festival, which means that I have suggested the themes to be covered during the next three years to the Muscat Municipality. I have contacted the different participants to the first edition. I came up with the full program of events which includes seminars, exhibitions and workshops.

Of course we are a team working on this festival. Malik Al Hinai, director of Bait Al Baranda museum is the organizer of the festival, artist Hassan Meere supervises the Ibex project and artist Radhika Hamlai is assisting me in the Muscat Art Festival.

Ab: What is MAF’s current form and where do you envision it in 3 years?

BE: We are planning to organize more workshops and conference within the art departments of colleges, universities in Muscat and around. We are making sure that there is a real interconnection and involvement of the local artists with the international artists and specialists coming to the Festival. We will announce the theme for 2014 at the end of the first edition so that the artists and the art student can work on the theme throughout the year.

And for 2014, the theme will be the “the art of colour and light in art“. Every year the program will cover the theme and within the theme there will be a focus in Islamic Art, architecture and fine art.

Ab:  What are the most important considerations in your role when developing MAF’s programmes?

BE: I want to make sure that we bring quality events and well established artists and specialists covering the themes which have been selected and that we involve in this festival the various artistic organizations within the city.

Ab:  How important is audience engagement for the success of MFA?

BE: Our prime targets are the art students, the artists and of course the public at large. Therefore we will go to them and give them opportunities to meet with some top specialists. This year the 77 year old photographer Claude Le-Anh exhibited 30 years of contemporary dance photography and met with the students of the only photography department in Oman. They had the chance to ask her some advice in order to succeed in their work. According to one teacher, “it was the best event in the last 3 years for them. We really want to encourage such meetings.”  Simon Grant from Tate Etc will meet with the art students at Sultan Qaboos Univeristy and Bahraini artist and printer maker Jamal Abdul Rahim will exhibit the art of handmade book printing and will give a lecture on this subject, since he is one of the bests in the Gulf region.

Ab:  How do you place the importance of attracting local audiences compared with attracting pan Arab or international audiences?

BE: Since it is the first edition, we should evolve gradually but surely. We already had people flying especially from Kuwait and Bahrain to attend some of the talks and exhibitions. We hope that this festival will help to plant seeds within the region and have similar initiative addressed to the young generation of artists who need support and guidance to succeed internationally someday.

Ab:  What strategy are you using to engage the MENASA Regions?

BE: We had this year some speakers such as Dr Charbel Dagher from Balamand University in Lebanon, Dr Ahmed Moustafa and works of Lassaad Metoui from Tunisia, Iraqi born Hassan Massoudy from Paris and Jamal Abdul Rahim from Bahrain.

We also have 25 local artists involved in the Ibex project, Mr Jamal Al Moussawi, director of the National Museum in Oman will also be part a panel of discussion on the creative process in Oman, UK, Iran and India.

We will of course make sure that more artists and specialist from the Menasa Region will be involved in the coming editions. Oman is naturally located at the crossroads of Africa, Europe, Asia and Middle East. Therefore the involvement of the specialists and artists in the Muscat Art Festival should reflect this strategic location.

Ab:  How would you like to see the future unfold for the arts sector in Muscat?

BE: There are some “special talented” young artists in Oman and we need to identify them and give them full support and guidance and we hope this initiative will help them.

Ab:  Lastly, You have been involved in several art events in the Middle East and Europe, how do the Middle Eastern countries compare in promoting the local and international art industries?

BE: We have given too much focus on the investment and speculative side of art. Middle East is a great place for creation. Galleries should give more support to the young generation of Arab artists and not only what sells more or at a higher price. My personal contribution in this project is to give support in many different ways; the young generation of artists from the region and to be able to showcase their work not only regionally, but also internationally. Apart from being the art consultant for Muscat Art Festival, I am also the curator for Etihad Airways and I hope that with these two amazing institutions, we will be able to fulfill our mission ab