MUSCAT – Under the patronage of His Excellency Sayyid Said bin Sultan Al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, local artist Muhammad Al Timami has been crowned as the winner of Tilal Al Irfan’s first National Art Competition followed by Reem Al Hashmi in second place and Mohammed Qamar in third place. Tilal Al Irfan is a partnership between Omran and Majid Al Futtaim Properties which is transforming 550,000 sqm of land at the heart of Madinat Al Irfan into the City of the Future.
Muhammad Al Timami was one of over a hundred Oman-based artists who submitted designs for a sculpture that would be built within the development’s landscape. Tilal Al Irfan is already a destination where the philosophy of place making is inspiring authentic connections. The competition ran for two months from September to October, and was open to nationals and residents, who could enter either as an individual or as a team of up to five members. As well as the accolade of winning and the opportunity to have their work seen by thousands of people, there were financial awards too, for both the winner and two runners up.
Al Timami’s winning entry was chosen by an esteemed panel of judges made up of Hawazen Esber, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim – Communities, Peter Walichnowski, CEO of OMRAN, Hassan Meer, Arts and Culture Manager at Omran and Owner of Stal Gallery, Dr. Bader Al Maamari, Head of the Art Faculty at Sultan Qaboos University and Sarah Al Ulaqi, Artist and Founder of Cure8art Gallery.
Commenting on the selection, Hawazen Esber, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim – Communities, said, “We were overwhelmed with the positive response to this competition where both the originality and the variety of the entries, clearly reflected the incredible talent, passion and enthusiasm of artists living and working in Oman. Art is a key pillar within Majid Al Futtaim’s place making philosophy and this initiative is one of many that will bring this philosophy alive at Tilal Al Irfan. The designs were all impressive and it was a difficult process narrowing them down to decide on a winner. But Muhammad Al Timami’s concept stood out as exceptional and we know that once the sculpture has been created and is standing pride of place outside of the completed Sales and Experience Centre, that it will enhance what is set to be an architecturally-striking space that offers something to every resident and visitor.”
The wining sculpture will be the first of many prime examples showcasing the design talent in the Sultanate of Oman and a testimony of Tilal Al Irfan’s cultural and artistic pillars. Tilal Al Irfan will continue to build on this initiative and work with local artists to provide them with a platform to challenge their creativity.
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