The conference brought together three prize-winning scholars and critics to share their research on Arab art, literature, and poetry.

Azzedine Bourga, a visual arts researcher, talked about contemporary Arab visual art and how it is constantly changing, emphasizing the idea of “dynamic identity”. He also discussed new artistic practices such as installations and archive-based works that combine images and written texts.

While the Moroccan cultural critic, Abderrezak Mesbahi, reflected on literary prizes as not only an award or fame, but rather a recognition of a long-term intellectual endeavor. “What matters is the depth and the continuity of the work, not the prize itself,” he said.

Mehdi Laaraj, a researcher and critic, focused on modern Arabic poetry. He said that the way poets describe their work as “poetic experience” is not neutral, as cultural institutions and the media shape it, which can hide the real diversity between poets and make their work seem more uniform than it really is.

The conference showed that winning a prize is not just about personal success. It’s really about bigger ideas, like culture, identity, and the different forces that influence how art and literature are created and understood in the Arab world.