The AUK Art & Graphic Design Department Hosts Khalid Al-Baih

As part of its ongoing lecture and workshop series, the Department of Art & Graphic Design (GDES) at AUK invited cartoonist and designer, Khalid Al-Baih, to conduct a workshop on the basics of cartooning and lecture on his work as a political cartoonist. The visit was held on Tuesday, 21st of November, 2017 and was open to GDES students and the public. The twofold event was facilitated through the department's collaboration with The Promenade Cultural Centre (PCC), to support the Art and Graphic Design Lecture Series initiative. The PCC is managed and directed by a 2010 AUK design graduate, Othman Al Othman, who is working with the GDES department to bring world renowned speakers to Kuwait. Some of the lectures are held on campus and some will be held at the Promenade Culture Center.

The day kicked off with Al-Baih conducting his "Cartooning 101" workshop with GDES students where they looked at headlines in the news, then voted on a certain topic to brainstorm visual ideas on. After that, they drew political cartoons, which consisted of an image describing their thoughts on that political situation. With their focus on the growing diplomatic tensions between USA and North Korea, their artwork proved to be impressive.

The workshop was followed by Al-Baih's lecture in which he outlined some of his political cartoon works that made him go viral, such as documenting the 2011 Arab Spring uprising, Colin Kaepernick's gesture, as well as the Doha Fashion Fridays which inspired the Kuwait Fashion Fridays that photographs migrant service workers on their days off, showing their fashion sense outside of uniform. In discussing his works, Al-Baih also played a clip from a video installation he did, where he had compiled shots of Syrian refugees trying to migrate by sea, with depictions of drowning and rescuing from overcrowded rafts which greatly moved the audience. The event concluded with a Q&A session and brief discussions on various topics.

In describing the event's significance, Associate Professor William J. Andersen, Chair of the Department of Art and Graphic Design, commented, "Guest lecturers are important for students' and even our faculty's education as it helps broaden our understanding of the world, politics, life, and art. Education isn't just going to classes, but partaking in extra cultural activities." Similarly, Assistant Professor Clark Stoeckley, who organized the event, added, "The students that did attend really appreciated it, and that if you are really interested in bettering yourself as a graphic designer, or an artist, then these are great opportunities to check out."

This event comes as part of the monthly GDES lecture and workshop series entitled Mind Matter, which is held in collaboration with the PCC. Organized by Professors Marcella Kulchitsky and Clark Stoeckley, it aims to bring in figures who have made a career and impact in art and design commercially, politically and socially. In attending these events, the students get to witness various perspectives that could expand their horizons beyond what the classroom offers, as well as be able to experiment with different styles and fields of art.

Khalid al Baih is a Sudanese artist and political cartoonist that was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1980. He currently lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark. He publishes his cartoons on social media under "Khartoon!," a word play on cartoon and Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. Albaih has published his cartoons widely in international publications including The Atlantic, PRI, and NPR, in addition to his published written social and political commentary in publications such as The Guardian and Al Jazeera. His work has been exhibited in group exhibitions worldwide.

General Images from the Workshop