Venice: With the inauguration of a spectacular set of postage stamps, the Sultanate of Oman concluded its first participation in Venice Biennale 2022, held from April 21 to November 27, 2022.
The closing ceremony was attended by Sayyid Said bin Sultan al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth for Culture, Commissioner-General of Oman’s pavilion. Also present was HH Sayyid Nizar bin Al Julanda al Said, Oman’s Ambassador to the Italian Republic, Dr Aisha Stoby, Curator of Oman’s pavilion, representatives of the companies supporting the pavilion and a large gathering of art enthusiasts.
During the ceremony, four postage stamps were issued by Oman Post featuring artworks presented in the pavilion by Anwar Sonia, the late Raya al Rawahi, Hassan Mir, Bodour al Riyami, and Radhika Khimji.
Besides highlighting the historic debut, the pavilion documents Oman’s contemporary arts march by showcasing creative content and philosophical concepts linked to nature and the benefits it offers to mankind, notably under the theme of this edition of Venice biennial —“The Milk of Dreams”. The theme was inspired by a children’s novel from the 1950s by the surrealist artist Leonora Carrington. The stamps will be made available for fans and other members of the public later.
Oman’s participation in the gala event, distinguished for its superior value and large volume of art lovers, is considered a unique opportunity to celebrate the common “language of creativity” and rally Omani nascent voices in the global domain.
The biennial received massive international media coverage. Its venue saw a large turnout, exceeding 6 million visitors from all parts of the globe, with approximately 10 million views of its electronic website. As many as 8,100 media establishments and 5,540 international media agencies covered the event.
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