Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - As part of its efforts to connect artists, collectors and buyers to contemporary art in the Middle East, QØDE AGENCY, a traditional art agency that also offers possibilities of online information and engagement, launched on 10th September, 2013, its official website www.QØDE.com. Through its online space, QØDE AGENCY will provide art investors and enthusiasts with art consultancy services, and will represent a group of the Kingdom’s top young artists locally, regionally and internationally.

QØDE AGENCY and QØDE.com are led and managed by a group of talented and experienced individuals in the areas of contemporary art. The group includes Co-Founders John Lillywhite and Maral Tajirian, as well as a team of qualified new-media specialists, all of whom are working towards fulfilling the Agency’s mission of integrating Jordan’s top artists into the global art market.

QØDE.com is divided into four main sections: QØDE STORE, an online print store promoting new emerging talents; QØDE AGENCY, which offers information on a group of special fine artists the Agency is representing outside of Jordan; and QØDE COLLECTORS, which provides a Node for Art Collectors. The fourth and final section of the website is an online English magazine about the global contemporary art arena’s latest news and updates, scheduled to be launched in the near future.

The launch of QØDE.com comes at a time where contemporary art across the region is witnessing rapid development and the industry is receiving increased interest on a global scale. According to Bloomberg, the Middle East art market is valued at USD 11 billion and is expected to triple over the next five years. Forbes also reported that, based on academic studies, fine art has been a better investment than Standards & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) over the last 50 years.

Commenting on the launch of the website, Lillywhite said, “The relationship between an artist and their audience is at the center of what art is. QØDE.com is about strengthening that relationship both online and offline, and making art more accessible to art investors as well as art lovers who are curious about the MENA art market.”

In turn, Tajirian stated, “What makes QØDE AGENCY different is that we think internationally, and so do the artists we represent. The artistic talent Jordan boasts is distinctive and commercially viable, and we want the art market in Dubai and elsewhere to see that.”

In conjunction with the launch of QØDE.com, QØDE AGENCY is bringing its first exhibition, Children of Gaza, to Jordan at Orient Gallery. All proceeds will go to Save the Children in Gaza.