Cape Town - The South African Foundation for Islamic Art (Safia) will host a gala fund-raising dinner next month to keep brushes in paints on canvases, and in as many hands as possible.
Safia was established in 1985 and formally structured in 1989 by renowned local artist Achmat Soni. It aims to teach and promote Islamic arts and crafts, as well as non-Islamic genres to all visual artists.
“Art for the Soul TODAY” will be held at the Islamia College Hall on February 25.
Attendees can expect a meal while they are kept entertained with music, comedy and interactive art. There will be prizes on offer.
In founding Safia, Soni’s vision was to create a space for artists to converge and create and share their work. At the time, it was also a medium used to conscientise and empower the community during apartheid, Safia member and gala dinner co-ordinator Zaitoon Abed said.
Soni, whose career spans more than four decades, has painted domes and mihrabs of 76 mosques in South Africa and overseas, as well as 1 600 artworks which can be found in homes and other places in the world.
Abed said Soni had represented South Africa in many international art competitions and symposiums.
Safia has 47 active members, with new members welcomed at a cost of R200 annually.
There is a permanent exhibition at the Mariam Parker Islamic Art Gallery at the Islamia School Complex. Art workshops are also run for children and adults in this space.
Its year-long exhibition at the Bo-Kaap Iziko Museum will end today after opening in January 2022.
Abed said the dinner was to raise much-needed funds for workshops for adults and children, exhibitions and related expenses, as well as a small amount for administration and website costs.
Tickets are R350. Contact Saneeya Adams on 084 667 0802 or Abed on 072 171 0036.
