A CHARITY art auction organised by the D'Other Office Café and Bistro was held to raise money for Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam through the selling of several pieces of contemporary Islamic art, showcased by a Singaporean organisation, Kontemporari Khazanah.
D'Other Office Café and Bistro hopes to raise at least $29,000 in donations for the special needs children centre through the charity auction held at the restaurant, where several ministers, ambassadors and invited guests were present.
Kontemporari Khazanah specialises in the distribution of Islamic art and heritage and initially, 11 pieces were brought into the country, with two already booked, leaving nine pieces on display yesterday, amounting to a total of $57,700.
Speaking to The Brunei Times, Director of Komtemporari Khazanah, Eida Ahmad said that 50 per cent of the proceeds will go to charity as she hopes to give back to the Bruneian community. The total amount will only be known next week, after which they will close the auction, she said.
"Most of these pieces are targeted for corporate bodies as they make great corporate gifts as well as tasteful pieces to put in the office," she said, adding that the response from the public has been encouraging.
"When we brought these pieces here, a lot of Bruneians were impressed at the detail and the work that's been put into these pieces because it's something that has not been seen before, not here at least, " she said, adding that people welcomed the change.
She explained that each piece was also rare, noting the exclusivity of each piece and while there was a market for such art in Brunei, she said that she has no plans of opening up a shop in the Sultanate anytime soon.
"People show interest in them because it's something unique and most of these come in limited edition, which creates a kind of intrigue to the sale of the art because you know not a lot of people have it," she said.
The company scouts places such as Europe and the Middle East in search of new artists who can create innovative pieces that, though unique, remain true to the Islamic art form. They then bring it to places such as Brunei to be displayed and sold.
"Part of me wanting to do this is to introduce contemporary Islamic art to Brunei. It's something new and I believe it's something that this country can capitalise on," she said, adding that she has noticed a presence of Islamic art in the country although she believes it's still at its infancy stage.
"Our plans for the future involve introducing three dimensional art to the country, such as Islamic sculptures," she said.
Under invitation to the charity auction, High Commissioner of Singapore to Brunei, Joseph Koh delivered a speech, expressing his appreciation to those who attended as well as those who organised such a beneficial event as it provides the opportunity for the public to witness works of art being displayed for such a charitable cause.
This marks the first time such an exhibition has been held. The art pieces on display came from six series, namely Mushaf, Mizan, Elegante, Raoul, Gallic and Mozaique.
Each series represents artistic expressions using various media and medium such as leather, mosaic and gold leaves.
D'Other Office Café and Bistro hopes to raise at least $29,000 in donations for the special needs children centre through the charity auction held at the restaurant, where several ministers, ambassadors and invited guests were present.
Kontemporari Khazanah specialises in the distribution of Islamic art and heritage and initially, 11 pieces were brought into the country, with two already booked, leaving nine pieces on display yesterday, amounting to a total of $57,700.
Speaking to The Brunei Times, Director of Komtemporari Khazanah, Eida Ahmad said that 50 per cent of the proceeds will go to charity as she hopes to give back to the Bruneian community. The total amount will only be known next week, after which they will close the auction, she said.
"Most of these pieces are targeted for corporate bodies as they make great corporate gifts as well as tasteful pieces to put in the office," she said, adding that the response from the public has been encouraging.
"When we brought these pieces here, a lot of Bruneians were impressed at the detail and the work that's been put into these pieces because it's something that has not been seen before, not here at least, " she said, adding that people welcomed the change.
She explained that each piece was also rare, noting the exclusivity of each piece and while there was a market for such art in Brunei, she said that she has no plans of opening up a shop in the Sultanate anytime soon.
"People show interest in them because it's something unique and most of these come in limited edition, which creates a kind of intrigue to the sale of the art because you know not a lot of people have it," she said.
The company scouts places such as Europe and the Middle East in search of new artists who can create innovative pieces that, though unique, remain true to the Islamic art form. They then bring it to places such as Brunei to be displayed and sold.
"Part of me wanting to do this is to introduce contemporary Islamic art to Brunei. It's something new and I believe it's something that this country can capitalise on," she said, adding that she has noticed a presence of Islamic art in the country although she believes it's still at its infancy stage.
"Our plans for the future involve introducing three dimensional art to the country, such as Islamic sculptures," she said.
Under invitation to the charity auction, High Commissioner of Singapore to Brunei, Joseph Koh delivered a speech, expressing his appreciation to those who attended as well as those who organised such a beneficial event as it provides the opportunity for the public to witness works of art being displayed for such a charitable cause.
This marks the first time such an exhibition has been held. The art pieces on display came from six series, namely Mushaf, Mizan, Elegante, Raoul, Gallic and Mozaique.
Each series represents artistic expressions using various media and medium such as leather, mosaic and gold leaves.
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