At Sotheby’s Bond Street, the UK charity Turquoise Mountain Trust and Alwaleed Philanthropies Global celebrated the start of a new five-year partnership, Connecting Artisans to Market: Taking the Power of Culture Forward.
Building on two decades of collaboration to date, HRH Princess Lamia bint Majed Al Saud, Director General of Alwaleed Philanthropies, and Shoshana Stewart, President of Turquoise Mountain Trust, are hosted a reception with Sotheby’s Bond Street, to celebrate the new partnership and a number of Saudi British Society Trustees and Members were generously invited to attend.
Focussing on the New Partnership
The first year of partnership will focus on cultural collaborations between creatives and artisans in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. Alongside the reception, Sotheby’s showed the exhibition Weaving Poems, a collection of 24 carpets created by Afghan designer Maryam Omar and the women weavers of Bamiyan in central Afghanistan. The designs are inspired by poems associated with traditional weaving practices, as well as by the natural and cultural landscapes of the Bamiyan Valley. The exhibition pays tribute to these artisan communities and their heritage.
Weaving Poems was first exhibited at Qatar Museums’ inaugural Design Doha in 2024. Fourteen of the Weaving Poems carpets are on display at Sotheby’s New Bond Street until August 22 2025. The exhibition is organised by Turquoise Mountain Trust in partnership with Sotheby’s and marks the first in a series of events celebrating Turquoise Mountain’s 20th year.
An Amazing Reception, Presentation and Exhibition
The reception was a lively and cultured affair, and Trustees and Members greatly enjoyed their exclusive access to the stunning Weaving Poems exhibition. During the event a host of refreshments were served and attendees were treated to an exclusive presentation by Shoshana Stewart about Turquoise Mountain’s work.
You can find out more details on the exhibition on Sotheby’s website.