ISSA Oman\Suhar Sculpture Symposium in the Great Mountains for 12 Years

The 12th Sohar Sculpture Symposium, as well as ISSA Oman, was held from February 1-14, 2025, at its annual base 

in the Wadi Jizz Marble Mountains in Sohar governorate. 15 artists from 11 countries participated in the event. 

The event has become one of the region's most prominent art events, providing a unique space for creative expression,

 cultural exchange and immersion in nature. The symposium is part of Sohar Art's ongoing support for the art 

movement and provides a fertile environment for sculptors to create, interact and exchange cultural experiences. 

It serves as an interactive platform that brings together sculptors from around the world for an intensive two-week 

art and humanities experience. The launch of the Sculpture Symposium was presided over by the Secretary General 

of the Ministry of Finance, H.E. Mahmoud bin Abdullah Al Oweniyeh, and was attended by dignitaries, ambassadors, 

art enthusiasts and visual artists. The event marked the official launch of the symposium's activities and 

diversification programs. During this year's event, participating artists completed 15 large-scale sculptures, 

some of which are three meters tall. These works reflect a unique and diverse artistic vision inspired by 

the surrounding landscape, history or themes chosen by the artists themselves. The works are in harmony with 

the geology and aesthetics of the site. The artists live in specially prepared campsites near the sculpture site,

 creating an ideal creative environment free from city noise and immersed in a peaceful winter atmosphere and 

mountain tranquility. Warm interpersonal relationships were established between the participants and the organizers,

 fostering a strong sense of solidarity as if they were one big artistic family - an experience rarely found elsewhere.

The symposium program also includes cultural and tourist visits to historical and natural sites, as well as evenings

 of traditional Omani music and dance, and lectures on local customs and heritage. This provided the artists with

 a cultural immersion experience deep into Omani society. In addition, emerging sculptors were invited to participate

 in a foundation workshop and several painters joined the symposium to document the event through their artwork.

The symposium ended with an outdoor art exhibition at the sculpture site, where the finished works were displayed

 to visitors and art lovers. The symposium ended with a stunning visual experience that embodied the dialogue 

between man and stone, leaving a new layer of beauty on the ground. For the first time, the sculptures will be

 permanently displayed at the sculpture site, joining the works from the previous symposiums to form an outdoor

 museum at the Nature Center, a globally unique cultural and artistic landmark in the Sultanate of Oman.

Materials Provider: ISSA Oman Member Ali AlJabri

Chief Editor: Liu Qin

English Version Editor: Sun Ya’nan

Legal Advisor: Tao Ranting