In the Media


Wilada Mural Bringing Beauty to Amman By Ibtisam Awadat Star Staff Writer Upon first glance, you might think you are entering an outdoor gallery or an art exhibition. But in actuality you are still walking or driving along Al Urdun Street in Wadi Al Haddada, an area on the edge of east Amman. Today, a unique mural stands there. Its soothing colors in harmony with the charm of the city. As part of a cultural plan, which includes making Amman the Arab cultural capital for 2001, the Coca Cola Company presented the city with “Al Wilada” (The Birth Mural), considered one of the most important inspirations by prestigious Jordanian artist Mohammad Al Jaloos. The mural is part of a plan to beautify Jordanian cities. The idea was introduced by members of the private sector and is being carried out in cooperation with Coca Cola and the Greater Amman Municipality. The mural was inaugurated, 1 October, under the patronage of Amman Mayor Nidal Al Hadid and attended by Antoine Tayyar, Coca Cola’s Middle East Public Affairs Manager. A crowd of Ammanites gathered to witness this event. Though many people wonder if the mural will be understood by the ordinary man on the street, Al Jaloos believes his message goes beyond basic understanding. “I want the eyes of ordinary people to get used to modern art like I created in ‘Wilada’,” he told The Star. During the four-week period it took to complete the mural Al Jaloos was delighted by the number of people the project attracted. He said they would come and watch as he applied every line and color to his work. “The people who live in the neighborhood told me how they became aware of my work and how much its development intrigued them,” he said. “This in itself is the objective of this kind of art work, to create a state of curiosity, to have others accept this kind of art and enjoy it at the same time.” This is the largest out-door mural in Jordan, painted on 60 square meters and supported by a huge wall that is parallel to Al Urdun Street. Al Jaloos, 41, started painting at the age of eight and continued his study at the Association of Jordanian Artists in 1981. He has organized more than 20 one-man exhibitions and participated in many international exhibitions. He also made two murals for the city of New York, back in the mid-1990s. In an attempt to bring life to the bare walls, “the most significant accomplishment is to transcend art galleries and bring artistic creations to the people on the street,” Tayyar told The Star. He pointed out that the project aims at promoting art to the public by giving life, through the use of color, to areas dominated by concrete. “’Wilada’ is the first mural of a series which will beautify the walls in different areas of the country. In an area like Al Haddada, which is dominated with concrete views, the surroundings are now more picturesque through the unique mixture of colors,” Tayyar continued.

Wilada Mural

Bringing Beauty to Amman

By Ibtisam Awadat

Star Staff Writer

Upon first glance, you might think you are entering an outdoor gallery or an art exhibition. But in actuality you are still walking or driving along Al Urdun Street in Wadi Al Haddada, an area on the edge of east Amman. Today, a unique mural stands there. Its soothing colors in harmony with the charm of the city.

As part of a cultural plan, which includes making Amman the Arab cultural capital for 2001, the Coca Cola Company presented the city with “Al Wilada” (The Birth Mural), considered one of the most important inspirations by prestigious Jordanian artist Mohammad Al Jaloos.

The mural is part of a plan to beautify Jordanian cities. The idea was introduced by members of the private sector and is being carried out in cooperation with Coca Cola and the Greater Amman Municipality.

The mural was inaugurated, 1 October, under the patronage of Amman Mayor Nidal Al Hadid and attended by Antoine Tayyar, Coca Cola’s Middle East Public Affairs Manager. A crowd of Ammanites gathered to witness this event.

Though many people wonder if the mural will be understood by the ordinary man on the street, Al Jaloos believes his message goes beyond basic understanding.

“I want the eyes of ordinary people to get used to modern art like I created in ‘Wilada’,” he told The Star.

During the four-week period it took to complete the mural Al Jaloos was delighted by the number of people the project attracted. He said they would come and watch as he applied every line and color to his work.

“The people who live in the neighborhood told me how they became aware of my work and how much its development intrigued them,” he said.

“This in itself is the objective of this kind of art work, to create a state of curiosity, to have others accept this kind of art and enjoy it at the same time.”

This is the largest out-door mural in Jordan, painted on 60 square meters and supported by a huge wall that is parallel to Al Urdun Street.

Al Jaloos, 41, started painting at the age of eight and continued his study at the Association of Jordanian Artists in 1981.

He has organized more than 20 one-man exhibitions and participated in many international exhibitions. He also made two murals for the city of New York, back in the mid-1990s.

In an attempt to bring life to the bare walls, “the most significant accomplishment is to transcend art galleries and bring artistic creations to the people on the street,” Tayyar told The Star.

He pointed out that the project aims at promoting art to the public by giving life, through the use of color, to areas dominated by concrete. “’Wilada’ is the first mural of a series which will beautify the walls in different areas of the country. In an area like Al Haddada, which is dominated with concrete views, the surroundings are now more picturesque through the unique mixture of colors,” Tayyar continued.