Salwa Zeidan Gallery  opened an exhibit by its founding artist Salwa Zeidan " IN LIGHT" on February 16.2009

WPMP Ambassador Salwa Zeidan is a consummate artist who is influencing the direction and role of the arts in the beautiful city of Abu Dhabi.

The following review comes from Gulfcoast.com news.

Tiité

Ravindranath/Gulf News

Fawzi Fawaz, the Lebanese ambassador to the UAE, views paintings with Salwa Zeidan after inaugurating the gallery which exhibits them in Abu Dhabi.
Artist brings light, peace and love to Abu Dhabi

By Eman Mohammed, Abu Dhabi Deputy Editor
Published: February 20, 2009, 23:02


Abu Dhabi: After four years of spiritual growth and experiences of personal enlightenment, Lebanese artist Salwa Zeidan comes back to her favourite city, Abu Dhabi, to deliver a message of peace, hope and love to the world with more than 20 art works.

Zeidan returns to present "In light" the title of her solo exhibition which was opened last Monday in her newly opened gallery in Al Khalidia.

She considers each artwork displayed in the exhibition as the fruit of her spiritual journey.

"I'm being passionate with every thing related to 'inner enlightened' - I'm reading a lot about it, practising purification and meditating," she told Gulf News.

Though her works were created during a highly serene and positive phase of her life, at the same time they reflect on the world wide situation in general.

"It is about time [we] rethink about our humanity and its deep peaceful and 'calmness' concepts; the world can't stand more hate and wars," she said
Salwa believes that every war, tension and conflict situation is an awaking shock to change.

"Nobody likes wars and violence but we are not aware of how far away we are [getting from] our truth," she explained in the interview.

Salwa calls on everybody to go through some spiritual experience to understand the truth of humanity and be in peace.

"This is a time for purification of ourselves" she said.

Last January Salwa opened a private art gallery in the capital 15 years after she opened the first art gallery in Abu Dhabi but could not continue with it.

However, she explains that "this time I came to stay and be part of the 'new coming' art and cultural projects in the capital."

Salwa sees no challenges here facing the global economic crises that affected all sectors of the economy, including fine arts.

"I choose not to see a crisis but I see a growing awareness toward arts as the number of private art galleries is growing; that will create passion for the art," she said.

The "In light" exhibition will be open to the public until March 12 in villa 256 in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street in Abu Dhabi.

Salwa Zeidan

Salwa Zeidan is a sensitive and spiritual artist. However, this sensitivity and flair of spirituality are translated into intellectual lyricism in her compositions. On the surface, her paintings might appear simplistic. But a deeper look at the conceptual structure of her figures reveal a divergent and convergent mirror of inner personal emotions and aspirations. Ms. Zeidan is a world-class artist at many levels. The future is bright for Ms. Zeidan, as long as the sun will keep on warming up her tender soul and bright mind.

Zeidan is a Lebanese artist with a cosmopolitan education and understanding of European illustrative arts. Thus, her artistic creativity emanates from an explosion and infusion of convergent and divergent blend of innovative artistic visions. The strokes are limpid, yet powerful in their fragile and delicate elegance.

Partially spiritual, globally intellectual and sensitively lyrical, Zeidan's artistic evocation is sublime. Her soul and struggles are part of her work. It was not easy for this Lebanese artist living and working in tumultuous Lebanon to make her mark on the international art landscape.

Ruth Sielberg,

Salwa zeidan will be showing this coming July in “ Dallas “ at Fairmount  Art Gallery visit www.fairmountgallery.com     or  www.salwazeidan.com       

Newsletter
December 30, 2006


Dear Friends,

One more day before we turn the page on 2006?Happy New Year!

It has been a very active year specially the last few weeks where I had the privilege of exhibiting my paintings in four different countries. As you all know my journey took me to Kuwait, France, Switzerland, and Egypt. During these travels I had the chance to meet some amazing people!

I started off at the Sultan Gallery in Kuwait where I was deeply moved by the amount of support I received from the Kuwaiti community. Their profound appreciation for art truly reflected the intellect and culture of the people and I look forward to many more exhibitions in Kuwait City.

  The opening of my exhibition at Sultan Gallery

My next stop was in Paris where I exhibited my work alongside 25 great International artists from 14 different countries. This event was truly remarkable and indeed something to remember. The set up was great and the catalogue was very well thought out and well executed.

The best part was that I got to meet very talented artists including the Pintura Fresca artists whom I have been wanting to see for so long, and who belong to the same online artist community I joined over three YEARS ago; www.pinturafresca.net.

Pintura Fresca Artists in Paris

The Contemporary Art 2006 event in Geneva was equally outstanding and was attended by many art lovers in Switzerland. The Lebanese community in Geneva invited 3 Lebanese artists; Sculptor Rudy Rahmé, Painter Fatmé Al Sayed and myself to exhibit our works at this Art show.

My paintings were greatly appreciated by the visitors so much that Grancy Gallery in Lausanne invited me for a solo show early summer of 2007, and will act as my formal agent in Switzerland.

The highlight of my trip to Geneva was meeting Peace Ambassador of Germany Mrs. Eliza Monet & Mr. Brent Scheneman, the great author and very active Peace Worker, who both made a surprise visit from Germany just to see me! It was absolutely heartwarming!

The Worldwide Peace Marker Project (WPMP) introduces fresh insight into the delicate role that art is to play in the realization of World Peace. The Artist and director of the project is Tiité Baquero whose entire career has revolved around a deep desire to find ways by which humanity may build the foundations for a collective culture of world peace, amidst the diversity of ideas and beliefs that distinguishes humankind. On the 7^th of July 2006, Lebanon became the 7^th country to join the WPMP and I was the artist chosen to represent my country as Peace Ambassador. I embraced this opportunity as peace has always been my way and felt that I could add value to this project.

The Peace Ambassadors Eliza Monet and Salwa Zeidan

The grand finale was at the 10^th International Cairo Biennale and this experience was a great culmination to all those that preceded it. This Biennale was very impressive and successful as the organizers were also artists and integrated their dynamic energy and artistic passion into the event.

My two paintings at Cairo Biennale

I must say that I was truly moved by the art scene in Cairo and will surely return to entrench myself further in this great city that is bursting with energy, friendship, and culture.

My friend Hilda Hiary won the first prize of the Biennale for her video installation - I was so happy for her she definitely deserved it!

Hilda Hiary with her lovely daughter the moment her prize was announced

I would like to thank all the people who helped make this journey so memorable and supported and encouraged me. I have been blessed to know so many great people who made this tour unforgettable ? I hope to see you again real soon and I wish that this New Year brings forth spiritual growth and enlightenment to all! May peace be with us!

                 THANK GOD FOR ALL HIS BLESSINGS

Love Always,

Salwa Zeidan

Sites to visit:

To discover more about the Worldwide Peace Marker Project visit: www.wpmp.net.
To enjoy and learn very interesting new age knowledge visit: www.dkb-mevlana.org.tr.
To view my work visit: www.salwazeidan.com