"The Desert is definitely not silent!"

Who said that the desert is silent?...”a message that I dedicate to the West in particular, but Arabs are naturally interested in the issues of the desert and its history,” said Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, Chairman of the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation, in response to a question asked by one of the journalists participating in the media coverage of the events of the Art Exhibit “The Desert is not Silent” which was opened at the Hermitage Museum in Russian city St. Petersburg; an answer that carries many connotations and that paints clear steps to disseminate culture, art and history.

 The venue is "Novy Manezh Hall", the time is Monday June 18, at 18:00; an occasion where the desert was interrogated through a collection of approximately fifty contemporary art paintings by Mr. Seif al-Islam. The collection came varied in its composition between "graphics" and "collage" and other paintings that bear the "abstract” print. It was also an occasion to exhibit paintings by other Libyan artists and a collection of Greco-Roman artifacts from Libyan museums.

“I came to Moscow as a representative of the Libyan art that I consider as an outreach of an ancient civilization; I came this time with something different; a message of art and culture away from weapons, so let us listen to the colors of the desert which is definitely not silent”, with these words mingled with the melodies and the shows of the Libyan dancer band, Mr. Seif al-Islam inaugurated the art exhibition, escorted his guests headed by the Russian ministers of culture, energy, the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church in Antioch, the mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov, the Deputy Director of the sponsoring foundation the Russian Railways JSC, and some members of the Duma, on a tour through the art gallery providing them with ample explanations for his paintings and replying to the questions the guests. Copies of a 100 page-book were distributed during the event. The book showed pictures of all the exhibited items along with commentaries in Russian.

“Luzhkov: This Exhibition Is a Major Artistic Event"
Mr. Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, Chairman of the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation, met with the Mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov in the White Hall at the Municipality premises, on Monday 28 March 2010. Mr. Luzhkov said he considered that the opening of the exhibition "The desert is not silent" as a major artistic event, and that Russian media are interested in it. The mayor also gave Mr. Seif al-Islam, an overview about Moscow, which lies upon the Moscow River and covers a total area amounting to 878.7 km 2, and which population is increasing (18 million); he said that Moscow is one of the most important and developed cities in the world. It represents a major trade, investment and tourist attraction. It has an unemployment rate of 0.9 per cent only; the lowest rate in Russia and the world. The city also allocates 40 per cent of its budget, which accounts for 45 billion dollars a year for social welfare, and employs 700 million thousand citizens.

In his meeting with the Chairman of the Foundation, Luzhkov spoke of the huge Metro network in Moscow, which is 300 long, and provides services to 9 million passengers a day. The Mayor also presented an overview of the history of the hall named “White Hall” at the Moscow Municipality premises.

Following the opening of the art exhibition "The desert is not silent", the Mayor of Moscow who was known for his love for football escorted Mr. Seif Al-Islam on a tour of the antique car gallery, a club for old car enthusiasts, before he concludes the tour with a dinner banquet in honor of the Chairman of the Foundation and his guests.

 
"Historic Civilizations and the Desert"
Just prior to the opening of the art exhibition, a press conference was held and presented by Mr. Yuri Luzhkov, The Mayor of Moscow. The press conference was marked by attendance of large numbers of media men representing more than eighty media Arab and international channels, newspapers, magazines and news agencies. Speaking at the conference, Mr. Seif al-Islam said: "We used to exchange arms and oil with Russia, so why don’t we share with them culture and art today? … it is from this perspective that we embarked on this cultural exchange experience to be a title for the exchange of our Libyan and Arab culture with Russia and all the countries of the world."

Mr. Seif al-Islam also expounded on the strong relationships that bind many of the historic civilizations with the Sahara ... and how those ties were disappearing little by little; so we had to promote renewal and reconstruction and pay attention to the civilizations of the desert, as well as to preserve its environment, components and species.

"Life-Restoring Colors”
In response to a question by a Russian daily to the Chairman of the Foundation regarding the intensity of color in his paintings, Mr. Seif al-Islam said: "What I wanted to say through my paintings is that the desert is not silent, but it is vibrant with its strong and warm colors as if it speaks… and that these colors are what gives fauna their strength and bring them to life again."

Similarly, when he was asked about his choice of the city of Moscow to hold his art exhibition, he said: "We first launched this travelling exhibition, which specializes in the desert and its noteworthy life, in Paris, then London, Berlin, Tokyo, Madrid and, most recently in the city of San Paulo, Brazil in March and, finally, today in Moscow; and all this for the sake of sending out a message aimed at promoting the desert culture ... and the choice of Moscow to hold this event  is of course because it is the city of contemporary art and architecture.”

Regarding another question addressed to Mr. Seif al-Islam on whether he intended to hold his art exhibitions in the Arab countries, he said: "Of course I intend to hold this exhibition in the Arab countries, but as I said earlier, the purport of this exhibition is a message dedicated specifically and first of all to the West ... whereas the Arabs are naturally interested in the issues of the desert and its history and civilization.”