"A lone woman lays back on a golden couch staring deeply into the void before her, with what appears to be a book in hand etched in oil across the canvas.

It is ambiguous whether she is exasperated, in thought or dazed. This feeling of being transported into another world, where your surroundings become a mere blur is relevant to the realm that literature can carry you to. The written word has the power to hit you on every level, spiritually, emotionally and intellectually. It allows you to leave yourself behind and for a moment drift you into an unfamiliar world. She lays on a yellow couch, almost golden, illuminating her immediate. The vibrancy of the couch extends and blends into her. This golden hue symbolises the golden age of female emancipation, which saw the written word project them into liberation from the social and political shackles imposed upon them.

This piece is both powerful and empowering and an ode to the might of language and literature."

 -       Abdulrahman Al Zayani

" I have decided to put forward three pieces of work that I feel work together holistically to conceptually evoke my understandings of the value of knowledge and literacy.

Oussama Baalbaki's Untitled piece represents the blinding of ignorance and how debilitating lack of education and knowledge can be. Juxtapose that, an artwork by Lebanese artist Aya Haidar, to Balestere's '...', depiction of a wide open illuminated space and you will find sheer balance in the contradiction of terms. On the one hand, is a dark scene of confused thought and clouded vision juxtaposed to a vision of elucidation and clarity that knowledge can grant. "

- Mohammed Hafiz

Farah Behbehani's exploration and celebration of Middle Eastern culture and identity is of great interest to me and is reflected throughout my collection.The Tree of Knowledge, as its title entails, treats a very noble and vital subject that has helped form the essence of Islamic art and its most recognizable character, calligraphy, particularly the Diwani calligraphy, a form that is found in Sufi literature. The artist revisited this style making it more accessible to an uninformed public, hence stating indirectly that knowledge is for all. There are many other symbolic and philosophical interpretations that can be found in this piece but most importantly as a collector, it is one that speaks to me. 

- Tariq Al Jaidah 

“Xu Bing’s work is the embodiment of education, of knowledge and of learning put in to practice.  The body of work, Square Word Calligraphy, celebrates words, the written language, with a flourish that only an artist like Xu Bing can illustrate with such beauty.  I admire beauty and also knowledge and believe that when these notions are married in a work of art, such as this one, that demonstrates aesthetic beauty there can be little doubt that education is the single most important thing in humanity.  Education is about literacy and traditional knowledge but it is also about culture and an appreciation of beauty.  Humanity benefits from its individual members communicating in a reasonable way, evolving together rather than apart and lifting each other out of ignorance and poverty together.”

- Alia Al Senussi

" From our point of view, these photographs represent ''HOPE" through education as it is never too late to pursue your dreams. It is a reflection of real life situations where not all women have the privilege to enter the educational system.

These individuals have gone through many obstacles and sacrifices in order to achieve their personal goals. Self-motivation, perseverance, and discipline, are strong factors, which each and every one of these women possess; breaking through barriers into which knowledge, skills, and healthy habits are transferred from one generation to the next.

With these inspiring images, Laura Boushnak has given the observer a chance to reflect on the importance of women in education and not to take it for granted, as it is a powerful weapon in developing self-accomplishment.

 “You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a nation”. 

-  Bringham Young  "

- Mohammed & Monse Tamer

" I am sometimes shocked when I discover and observe just how lacking in knowledge much of the younger generation is these days. How the pursuit and acquisition of profound knowledge and wisdom has been sacrificed by an obsession with the shallow and superficial. This is not only down to a lack of education, but also the transformation of certain values, that education alone cannot rectify.

The correct strategy to promote is education, with a solid emphasis on values, and a keen awareness and understanding of history and precedent. Otherwise, we will face the same cycle over and over again, that of a ruthless, Harvard-educated graduate possessed of the ability to destroy an entire financial system.  

 Braco’s video is a challenge to us all, asking what we know of history. I am genuinely amazed at how the younger and middle-aged generation simply can’t recognize many of the people featured in Braco’s video, many of whom have made a significant historical impact. "

-Ramin Salsali

"Knowledge. Every time it keeps putting me on track by showing me how little I know. Every time I acquire more knowledge, it teaches me of my ignorance. This artwork continuously speaks of the naked man being vulnerable and the clothed being protected. For me it’s about going back to the naked form, the basis of all humanity, to acquire my knowledge.

I see this piece speak about balance and what’s required to achieve a full form is only a holistic metamorphosis that can only happen by keeping me thinking."

- Hamza Serafi

" Abdelrahman Katanani, through a strong bond with his environment, illustrates the hope that education and knowledge can offer to a child. From his disadvantaged environment he created an assemblage that shows how far you can go with a good message represented by the "kite".

Education, just like a kite, travels across borders, cultures and economies. The "Kite" opens up the mind, gives a chance to communicate with others and most of all makes you visible to the world.

The "Kite" enables one to tell a story as a way of self expression in a free spirited world.

Katanani embraced his environment in style and material to create a message  that transcends social condition in content.

Reading is a powerful tool, a source of reconciliation with the world and inner freedom.

Yet, to this day, some of us find themselves deprived of this privilege (or necessity) blaming social/political conditions, environment or even genetics.

"Stormy Day" Is a piece that I conceive as follows: Despite the hurdles and difficulties; entangled with all the mind connections that decipher symbols; embodies the trajectory of a person going through the process of Iqra'.

Saddiq Wasil sculpted the motion in space to show the reader moving forward, pushing through environment and genes in order to reach a goal, a new world. Wasil kept all the pieces attached showing that difficulties enrich your experience and draw your individual path.

Drawing parallels from this is the process in overcoming reading difficulties, the mind opens up to new horizons beyond the set environment. "

- Mohammed Ali & Dina Zameli

"As collectors who have a weakness for works on paper as well as thoughtful conceptual art, the mere idea of an exhibition titled “Pen to Paper” to fund Al Madad Foundation’s affiliated education programme was exciting, let alone being asked to collaborate on it and, effectively, taking part in the curatorial process.

The challenge was choosing the appropriate work. While doing so, it was the following sentences from the brief that kept resonating:

“It is this notion, the production of knowledge and understanding, which is to be deconstructed and explored.”

“ … A bid to question the diffusion of information, notions of knowledge and truth as well as the power of misinformation.”

In these works from Nina Papaconstantinou’s “Bookcase” series, the artist has literally taken pen to paper and laboriously traced texts from entire books that influenced her onto one page, in a process of “reception and transmission”. In her words “Text is not meant to be read but to be seen as an image, in order to reveal what language itself generates: a deceptive imagery”.

Of relevance also is the artist’s tracing the idea of painstaking reproduction of text and handwritten copy back to monastic scribes; a time when literacy and knowledge were heavily guarded by a privileged few and the rest of the population was intentionally kept illiterate and in darkness. Indeed, knowledge empowers. "

- Faisal Tamer & Sara Alireza 

As collectors who have a weakness for works on paper as well as thoughtful conceptual art, the mere idea of an exhibition titled “Pen to Paper” to fund Al Madad Foundation’s affiliated education programme was exciting, let alone being asked to collaborate on it and, effectively, taking part in the curatorial process.

The challenge was choosing the appropriate work. While doing so, it was the following sentences from the brief that kept resonating:

“It is this notion, the production of knowledge and understanding, which is to be deconstructed and explored.”

“ … A bid to question the diffusion of information, notions of knowledge and truth as well as the power of misinformation.”

In these works from Nina Papaconstantinou’s “Bookcase” series, the artist has literally taken pen to paper and laboriously traced texts from entire books that influenced her onto one page, in a process of “reception and transmission”. In her words “Text is not meant to be read but to be seen as an image, in order to reveal what language itself generates: a deceptive imagery”.

Of relevance also is the artist’s tracing the idea of painstaking reproduction of text and handwritten copy back to monastic scribes; a time when literacy and knowledge were heavily guarded by a privileged few and the rest of the population was intentionally kept illiterate and in darkness. Indeed, knowledge empowers.

 - Faisal Tamer & Sara Alireza

"I am sometimes shocked when I discover and observe just how lacking in knowledge much of the younger generation is these days. How the pursuit and acquisition of profound knowledge and wisdom has been sacrificed by an obsession with the shallow and superficial. This is not only down to a lack of education, but also the transformation of certain values, that education alone cannot rectify.

The correct strategy to promote is education, with a solid emphasis on values, and a keen awareness and understanding of history and precedent. Otherwise, we will face the same cycle over and over again, that of a ruthless, Harvard-educated graduate possessed of the ability to destroy an entire financial system.  

Rabeijah’s ‘The Golden Gun’ is another reminder that education can decrease the level of ignorance, contribute to a better understanding of other cultures and values and words can replace the language of Force."

- Ramin Salsali

As collectors who have a weakness for works on paper as well as thoughtful conceptual art, the mere idea of an exhibition titled “Pen to Paper” to fund Al Madad Foundation’s affiliated education programme was exciting, let alone being asked to collaborate on it and, effectively, taking part in the curatorial process.

The challenge was choosing the appropriate work. While doing so, it was the following sentences from the brief that kept resonating:

“It is this notion, the production of knowledge and understanding, which is to be deconstructed and explored.”

“ … A bid to question the diffusion of information, notions of knowledge and truth as well as the power of misinformation.”

                                                              -  Faisal Tamer & Sara Alireza

"This piece by Saudi artist Faisal Samra has always intrigued many who view it; each and every person comes up with their own explanation as to what it could possibly mean. Faisal Samra never really decoded the intention behind this triptych artwork. My own interpretation is that women, Arab women in particular, carry the most burdens on their shoulders. As a Saudi woman myself, I have always realized the importance of freedom, and it starts with education. I was raised to hold acquiring knowledge as a sacred virtue, and a duty to myself as a mother, a citizen and a human being.

I believe this artwork is a reflection of the struggles women all over the Arab world face each and every day, a reminder that women are survivors."

-  Basma Al Soleiman

Abdelrahman Katanani, through a strong bond with his environment, illustrates the hope that education and knowledge can offer to a child. From his disadvantaged environment he created an assemblage that shows how far you can go with a good message represented by the "kite".

Education, just like a kite, travels across borders, cultures and economies. The "Kite" opens up the mind, gives a chance to communicate with others and most of all makes you visible to the world.

The "Kite" enables one to tell a story as a way of self expression in a free spirited world.

Katanani embraced his environment in style and material to create a message  that transcends social condition in content.

Reading is a powerful tool, a source of reconciliation with the world and inner freedom.

Yet, to this day, some of us find themselves deprived of this privilege (or necessity) blaming social/political conditions, environment or even genetics.

 "Stormy Day" Is a piece that I conceive as follows: Despite the hurdles and difficulties; entangled with all the mind connections that decipher symbols; embodies the trajectory of a person going through the process of Iqra'.

Saddiq Wasil sculpted the motion in space to show the reader moving forward, pushing through environment and genes in order to reach a goal, a new world. Wasil kept all the pieces attached showing that difficulties enrich your experience and draw your individual path.

Drawing parallels from this is the process in overcoming reading difficulties, the mind opens up to new horizons beyond the set environment.

 "Stormy Day", is a reminder that how much some of us struggle in order to acquire the tool of reading and keeps us wondering, if we are to remove the heavy pieces attached to the entangled wires, would the process be easier or would it shape the path in a totally different way?

- Mohammed Ali & Dina Zameli