For our current exhibition called “Beyond Conventions”, the gallery has offered its space to young Emarati artists, some who are still in university to use our premises as a project space, giving them a chance to experiment with their ideas within a more professional environment. The intent of this project is to bring about a new perspective within this region by erasing certain clichés about Arab art through a fresh and creative approach, disengaging the viewer from the stereotypical concept of what others identify Contemporary Art to be in the Middle East. Contemporary Art of the modern Islamic world has a new approach and content with a new visual language.
Participating Artists
Aisha Hareb: Aisha Saeed Hareb is currently majoring in Graphic design at the Art and Design College at Zayed University, Dubai, U.A.E. and will be graduating soon with a B.A. She found her inspiration from her brother, the creator and founder of the first Arabic animated series “Freej” Aisha feels that the world we are living in seems to have been invaded by the world of mass media and communication and the only way to appeal to the millions of communicators around the world, is by using their method of communication against them. Through her works, she is able to construct / deconstruct a statement as one creation that can hold a million words.
For example her works entitled “Chromotherapy” can be defined as color therapy enriching the soul and mind. This luminous energetic power heals emotional environments with a glimpse of an eye. The second the ink is in contact with water, all boundaries break loose, the ink rushes for its freedom creating multiple paths in which it expresses its explosive energy. However the artist suggests that freedom as we all know has boundaries. “… the second the ink settles on the bottom of the glass there is no escape. All freedom has ended for my chemical reaction. This processes takes under a second to happen, therefore my reaction has to be quick yet subtle to capture the exact moment desired”.
Alia Lootah: In her works Alia portrays a flood of emotions. By taking a break from the conventional methods of painting she aims to create something new; a sense of nostalgia, so she took the step forward by using a medium different to what she was used to. In her piece called” Flood” she uses handmade paper which she molds and creates into a 3 dimensional piece that represents cars on a highway, in traffic due to a physical flood yet she feels that this emotionally resembles herself, stuck in her thoughts that swirl around in her head, which lead her to leave her creation colourless,
Her second piece ”The Cube Collection” was initiated from an idea of the blood vessel.
She started off by sketching vessels, and then distorted the shape until she came up with a very unusual angular vessel. She plays with the wire and explores the brazing method to connect the pieces. This sculpture is an initial starting point for a project she is planning which will entail creating a very large piece that will be almost an architectural element.
Amna Abulhoul : Amna uses art as her medium of expression in its truest sense. An extremely intense person she speaks about stages of emotions that each one of us may have experienced at some point in our lives. In her work “Wrapped in Pain” she speaks of an emotion know only to her, an emotion so personal which touches upon the multiple layers of the human senses. For her the idea of the ideal comes with a hidden pain. In her sculpture” Overloaded Creativity” she wanted to touch upon the subject of how an artist struggles to deal with their creativity... for her the bulb became a significant and symbolic image of an idea or creative idea where it lightens up in this work but explodes, maintaining that a balance of thoughts and emotions is the key.
Khalid Mezaina : His work “Khalid Says Relax” is the product of Eastern traditions and Western influences, and the outcome of living in an ever-evolving metropolis. In his works cultures merge, past trends are revived, neon nights illuminate our world and traditions inspire our lives. The artist believes if we were to categorize this trend, ‘Arab-electro’ is the right phrase to use. The unconventional followers of ‘Arab-electro’ believe in accepting the many differences around us, to enjoy the music that communicates and to embrace the combined results of heritage with techno-color, and to be true to who you are. And lastly, to just relax… “Working in the design world was something I had to be a part of. Being an avid comic book collector and having a passion for illustration at a very young age made me realize that I had to pursue graphic design as a career. I would like my work to inspire others the way design has inspired me. Also, if the work enables an audience to smile when viewing it, then I believe my work has been successful.” Khalid graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2006.
Rawdha Al Shafar: Rawdha is currently enrolled in an Art and Design major at Zayed University in Dubai. In her series of prints entitled “The Other Side” she speaks of shameful yet true issues that have stung her thoughts. In her words she speaks of a contagious yet denied dilemma among us, a subject that refrains her from voicing her thoughts incase it may turn heads in the wrong direction but in these works she makes it her goal to impose an awareness between the vast contrast of what is seen and what really exists. “As many of our citizen wallow in the shame of this predicament , I will not lower my head with them and curl up in their shadow, I will not be the one to sit and ponder forever , I will be the one to stand up and speak , let my words flow with the heated breeze of our beloved country , in the hope of making a difference…..”
Maitha Huraiz: is currently studying at the Zayed University and will be completing her BFA in 2011. According to the artist, the series "Behind Closed Doors" expresses the uptight values of our closed and secretive society who fear for their daughters. In a society where a platonic greeting or a friendly gesture can be misinterpreted, women try as much as possible to live their lives the best way they can. “Despite the changes in people's perceptions, the cold hard fact is that old -thinking- dies hard. In a place where having fun is limited, love is a sin, and public displays of affection are shameful, women are taught to embrace their pent-up emotions and devote themselves endlessly to men. In spite of the noticeable change in our part of the sphere, some of us still live in man-dominated patriarchies behind our closed little doors owned like gleaming jewels expecting to glitter at all times.” She chooses to create pictures with conceptual themes yet keeping her stories vague and takes inspiration from the world around her and the world within her and tries to convey through her art the things that she would not be able to otherwise.
Maryam Lootah: Maryam's interest in the creative and broad fields of Fine Art is to produce work that relates to herself and her surroundings, whether this is created through paintings, photographs, sculptures, prints or even 3D structures. She has come to understand that there are endless ways to portray a feeling, but what she has grown attached to is to show it through a variety of mediums. Being a person who finds it difficult to show her personal views and feelings, she is able to depict herself through her art. She has a unique and consistent touch to her work, which in the end breaks through to identify her work amongst others, whether it were deliberate or not.
In her work “Give me Time” she explains “I began as a stranger to my own self, where I aimed to create a new environment; that gave a sense and understanding of time and place. Using plaster to create forms that were familiar grew roots to my origin. Yet creating a piece where color came to it's surface gave me hope. As it hangs, and swings and twirls in the breeze, let it think. Give it time…”
Buthaina M. AlMarri: Buthaina is currently enrolled on a BFA programme at Zayed University. “Perplexed in putting words together to express my feelings, and thoughts; the outer and the inner; the conscious and the subconscious; I found my way to crayons and brushes at a very young age. I came to realize that a painting can express a thousand words. Art helps me express my feelings. Through art, I have the ability to convey my own perspective without any limitations. There is no right or wrong. How I see things is not necessarily how others see it, how I feel may not be how others feel. With my art I feel that my soul is set free. My works are inspired by assessments of simple things in life that anyone may experience and embrace through art. It’s a series of feelings and thoughts that make up my work.”
Meera Huraiz: In this particular series of works called “It”, Meera depicts a humorous representation of a regular emirate girl who struggles to fit in, where people misjudge her abilities because of the way she dresses. She ends up in a world all on her own, when her role becomes insignificant and her voice becomes unheard, and her needs are neglected. Its when people pass by her and fail to see beneath the surface of her Abbaya, that she shies from a world she’s made of, to a place up on a tree where she finds solitude and sanctuary.
The series “Don’t take me seriously” is an opposite and extreme contrast of the black Abbaya that is conceived with total seriousness. “I chose to make the Abbayas colored and metallic to add a touch of playfulness and give it a futuristic appeal. It is an exaggerated image of how I think Abbayas really should feel and look like.” Meera is currently studying at Zayed University.
Reem Al Ghaith: speaks in her own words. “I am a designer, a writer, a daydreamer, a teacher, a leader, a believer, a challenger, a photographer, a motivator, a printmaker, a lady, an artist, and a performer. I perform within design, on different stages, on different papers, on different landscapes, on different materials. I respond in my booklet, in my mind, in my eyes, in my language. I respond in any form. I am a form of design, not stated in a guide. I am a guide to the art of my country, my land, and my culture, which I re construct within my hands, in a photograph, in a booklet, in a spread, in a sculpture, and in words. I am a visual communicator. Reem recently graduated from the American University of Sharjah.
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