CULTURE CORNER

Promenade Culture Centre

4.7 (3)
SOCIETY & CULTURE

Promenade Culture Centre (PCC) is dedicated to supporting cultural and artistic expression in Kuwait. In its Culture Corner Podcast, PCC brings the authentic stories of creative individuals from our communities.

6D AGO

Reem Al Shatti | Creative Entrepreneur

Reem introduces herself as a creative entrepreneur, but she is a multipotentialite - an architect, an illustrator, an owner of a fencing academy, and a competitive figure skater with a flair for the arts. In this episode we spoke of her love of fencing and her experiences as a competitive fencer. Reem has shared how her relationship with fencing healed once she started coaching youngsters in her own fencing academy that she has founded with her husband. Reem realised that her true love lies in illustration and has been working on finishing her graphic novel. We also spoke of her newly found love of skating and how much her previous experiences in sport are shaping how she approaches skating and competitions today. On the importance of creating, and sharing art, interacting with other creators and finding the balance between all parts of her personality, all in this latest episode. Social Media: Instagram YouTube Credits: Host: Ksenia Graovac Project Coordinator: Farah Omrani Editing: Mohamed Amin Design: Mariam Mandani Produced by: Promenade Culture Centre 2024 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

54 min
JAN 15

Tim Waddell | Founder of Staged in Kuwait Productions

Tim Waddell is a Founder and Artistic Director of Staged in Kuwait Productions. Tim has been in Kuwait for over two decades, teaching, working in marketing and branding fields, as well as operations and IT, and successfully running Staged in Kuwait, a community theatre. Staged in Kuwait is a volunteer staffed theatre company where Tim oversees aspects from season planning and graphic design to marketing, directing and choreographing. He is also very keen on performing as an actor himself. How difficult is it to maintain a community theatre in English language in Kuwait, and whether it is enough to have the passion and dedication to do so, what unites people from different alleys of life to come together for SiK performances and where do creatives go after their experiences in SiK, were parts of our conversation with Tim in this episode of Culture Corner.

1h 2m
12/14/2025

Maha Alasaker | Multidisciplinary artist

Maha Alasaker is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans photography, performance, textiles, and natural dyes. Through her work, Maha embarks on a deeply personal journey of self-discovery, while thoughtfully engaging with questions of culture, identity, and self-worth—particularly how a woman’s upbringing shapes her sense of self. Her projects have been exhibited internationally, with shows in New York City, London, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait, and her work has been featured in publications such as Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Marie Claire, and Rolling Stone. In 2019, Maha published her first photo book, Women of Kuwait, which was later acquired by both the Getty Research Institute and the Thomas J. Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In this episode of Culture Corner, we sat down with Maha to talk about the joys and challenges of being an artist, and the ongoing search for meaning—both in art and in life. We discussed her belief in lifelong learning, the importance of deepening our relationship with nature and its processes, and how she weaves these elements into her practice. We also explored recurring themes in her work, including the intersection of past and present, womanhood, and the evolving understanding of a woman’s self-worth.

47 min
11/17/2025

Farah Bishara | Music Therapist and DJ.

Farah has been a loving music figure in Kuwait for years, setting standards and breaking barriers in what was perceived as a male dominated scene. As DJ Bonita she has also started an online records shop - Vinyl Destination, to a great community response. Farah wanted to make a different use of her classical music training, and to make a serious impact on the community. This led her to a music therapist training, and consequently, work as a music therapist in palliative care at Bayt Abdullah Children's Hospice. In this episode, we have discussed the experiences in providing services of music therapy across the hospitals in Kuwait, relations to patients and their families. We have also debated on whether our societies are ready to accept that music is sometimes an inevitable part of patient care, and how much joy and comfort it can bring to a patient. What are the ways she rests and grows and how does she cope with the emotionally taxing but also rewarding nature of her demanding job? Social Media: Instagram YouTube Credits: Host: Ksenia Graovac Project Coordinator: Farah Omrani Editing: Mohamed Amin Design: Mariam Mandani Produced by: Promenade Culture Centre 2024 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

53 min
10/26/2025

Areej Saleh | Poet and Creative Director of Artscene

Areej Saleh is a poet, and a founder and creative director of Art Scene. Her work on promoting creatives started while she was still a high school student, working with her older sister on Kuwait Poet Society. After studying in the USA, she came back with an even stronger feeling of creating safe spaces for poets, stand up comedians, creatives in general. The roots of Artscene, which she founded with a group of like minded creatives, are deeply in poetry. Today, Artscene organises the famous Open Mic nights, circles and workshops for creatives, spaces for stand up comedians, and more. In this episode we discussed the role of the poet in the modern world, and her own engagement with the audience through poetry and artistry. Also, why is Artscene so important to so many people and what kind of support do they find there? Is Artscene everything she was hoping it would be, and how to maintain a system in something that is constantly growing, without compromising the art behind it? Are playfulness and experimenting the imminent parts of art and do they define creativity as such? Social Media: Instagram YouTube Credits: Host: Ksenia Graovac Project Coordinator: Farah Omrani Editing: Mohamed Amin Design: Mariam Mandani Produced by: Promenade Culture Centre 2024 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

54 min
10/07/2025

Josh Guzman | Educator and Antiques dealer

Josh Guzman is an educator and antiques dealer who is pursuing his passion in interior design, history and culture. In this episode we discussed his road to Kuwait and how he found himself to be an antiques dealer in Kuwait. Josh was sharing with us his favourite places to look for antiques and why his love of carpets led him to be @thecarpetguykw. Initially a teacher, Josh found himself starting Kazimah carpets and selling antique carpets and rugs before settling permanently in Kuwait and starting @thecarpetguykw He now has connections with dealers around the world and is enjoying the Kuwaiti market growing in interest for the antiques. He likes to keep close connection to his customers and sense what the market would like him to offer next. Sustainability is important to him, as well as how the vintage pieces fit into your own surroundings. Social Media: Instagram YouTube Credits: Host: Ksenia Graovac Project Coordinator: Farah Omrani Editing: Mohamed Amin Design: Mariam Mandani Produced by: Promenade Culture Centre 2024 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

58 min
09/11/2025

Dr. Jawaher Al Bader | Artist and Educator

Dr. Jawaher Al Bader is an architect, artist and art educational expert in studio-based instruction. She has a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction in Art Education with a specialisation in Studio Environment. She also holds an MFA in Painting from Pratt Institute and BArch and BFA from Rhode Island School of Design. Dr. Jawaher is also a former faculty member at Kuwait University where she taught at the Department of Visual Communication Design and College of Architecture. Dr. Jawaher is the visionary behind Art Studio Kuwait, a communal space that fosters artistic exploration and creation. The studio is a hub for creatives but also a catalyst for her own artistic journey. In this episode of Culture Corner, we discussed art education and safe spaces for art creation. Is art represented by the final product or the process we undertake to create it? Which of the two carries more importance? How is our life reflected in art and can art help us overcome everyday challenges and struggles? What shift in education is necessary to allow students to create freely and instinctively? Social Media: Instagram YouTube Credits: Host: Ksenia Graovac Project Coordinator: Farah Omrani Editing: Mohamed Amin Design: Mariam Mandani Produced by: Promenade Culture Centre 2024 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

46 min
08/18/2025

Razan AlSarraf | Artist and Educator

Razan AlSarraf is an artist and educator based in Kuwait. Through painting, drawing, video and sound, she reflects on the interactions of people with land and landscape. She received an MFA in Art from California Institute of the Arts and a BFA in Fine Arts with honors from the School of Visual Arts in New York. Razan exhibits internationally, within solo and group shows in New York, Los Angeles, Singapore, France, the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait. Razan was one of the residential artists in our Visionary Lab programme and is currently at residency at Hunna Art, with the upcoming exhibition in September. Razan is one of the founders of Studio Eleven that offers workshops, seminars and art consultancies. In this episode we spoke to Razan about the essence of "artist's identity" and their role in the world. Razan shared her rich experiences creating art and carving her path as a Kuwaiti, Arab young artist in the States and beyond. Her deep interest in the surroundings and human interaction with landscape heavily influence her art as shown in the most recent exhibition she had at Sultan Gallery titled With the land. Social Media: Instagram YouTube Credits: Host: Ksenia Graovac Project Coordinator: Farah Omrani Editing: Mohamed Amin Design: Mariam Mandani Produced by: Promenade Culture Centre 2024 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

1h 1m

TRAILER

Welcome

Discover authentic stories of individuals from our community

S1

•

12 sec

4.7

out of 5

3 Ratings

Promenade Culture Centre (PCC) is dedicated to supporting cultural and artistic expression in Kuwait. In its Culture Corner Podcast, PCC brings the authentic stories of creative individuals from our communities.

Creator

Promenade Culture Centre
Years Active

2024 - 2026
Episodes

27
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Promenade Culture Centre 2024
Show Website

CULTURE CORNER