Artdayme: Hossein Hashempoor: The readers responded favourably to my previous essay from July 3, 2023, headlined "Middle Eastern Modernization through Football and Arts," that discussed the new policies of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and even Oman for the resurrection of the region with two paradigm-shifting symbols, Art and Football.

I stated: "Once upon a time, the Middle East was associated with oil and the unrestricted use of energy, but now, with the change in mindset of various nations, is reintroducing itself to the world as a rising powerhouse.

This unprecedented display of power appears to be accompanied by a football and art presentation, making a modern statement about how the best medium for branding and compelling advertising is both art and, of course, football in the modern world. It is apparent that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are supporting this same strategy in our region."

Now, this presumption can be fully verified by the UAE's presence in the heart of European football, the World Cup in Qatar, and an appearance of Ronaldo and Benzema in Saudi Arabia, as well as through the inauguration of international museums and art fairs in addition to the branches of the Louvre, Guggenheim, and Georges Pompidou.

The sheikhs of the region acknowledged that oil and all ephemeral energies would ultimately run out, but the true oil well is a science-based icon, like art, that could enable a Salvator Mundi artwork worth 540 million dollars, which may now, five years afterward, have soared higher than the Burj Khalifa.

Today's Middle Eastern oil wells are actually artists, as demonstrated by a study I published in Farsi two years ago in Iran Art under the headline "Every Artist, an Oil Well" (August 9, 2021).

Why should Middle Eastern artists be left out if modern Chinese artisans make it to the list of the most expensive living creators in the world?

At the moment, vibrant art events are happening in Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Saudi Arabia, and Tehran. A few years ago, summertime in the region meant a complete lack of art-related events, but now, art is renovating the Middle East, and the history of art with a Middle Eastern focus will undoubtedly gain new chapters.

By Hossein Hashempoor