Abdulrahman Gazzaz & Turki Gazzaz

I mean I think, that when you talk about Art Jameel‘s impact on the artistic community, the cultural community, and also architects, film-makers and other players in the creative fields, I think that Art Jameel really positions itself as one of the leading institutions where critical thoughts, very well put together exhibitions and very leading programs really have, over the years, proven that, Art Jameel is a leading institution in the field and the region.

It’s had a massive effect behind the scenes here in Saudi, but now that Hayy: Creative Hub is opening, I feel that there is a thirst for these spaces.  Hay: Creative Hub is a conversation that everyone here in Jeddah has been having, maybe, for 10-15 years now.  I mean, it’s always ‘we need creative spaces’; ‘we need a space that really brings people together’.

For us, that’s one of the main reasons we became architects; because we wanted to question this fragmentation of institutions that we have, and it’s extremely interesting that Hayy would bring everything together into one cohesive unit.  And that’s what we’re hopeful for in the future – that the existence of all these different creatives, or students, or lecturers in one single space occupying the space will definitely generate projects, conversations, a more intellectual train of thought amongst the people that are in that space, and hope to create a ripple effect for more and more spaces like that around the region.

It’s really refreshing to see an institution with such a high level of organization and a high degree of  professionalism, especially in the region.  So, its refreshing and we’re really excited to see how it’s going to develop further once Hayy is open.

Congratulations to the Jameel Family for having 75 years of amazing achievements.  Thank you for always giving back to the community, and thank you for really engaging, not only superficially, but really working hard to understand the community’s needs and responding to that.  That is key for any successful philanthropic work and I think it’s something that you should be proud of as a corporation as well.

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