The stars of Arabic art

For other artists the Arabic script is an undeniable part of their cultural inheritance that influences their creativity — they may use the script to illustrate poetry, to reinforce Arab or Muslim identity, or to make political points. These contemporary artists are inventing exciting new genres that are still unmistakably informed by their own artistic traditions.

Showcasing over 40 works, the exhibition encompasses a diverse group of artists, from the renowned Mahmoud Said and Adam Henein, to young and emerging artists such as Lamia Naji and Emirati artist Maitha Huaraiz, the youngest artist featured at just 21 years old. Other Emirati artists showcased in the exhibition include internationally celebrated artists Abul Qader Al Raes and Lamya Gargash. Nujoom includes several monumentally large pieces, including the impressive Kaleidoscope, 2007 by Lara Baladi, and brings together mediums as diverse as painting, video, ceramics, and bronze.

“From the birth of civilisation to the present day, the Arab world has produced a multitude of gifted artists, from painters and potters, to musicians and poets. Today, the region, and the UAE in particular, is at the forefront of major developments in art and culture internationally,” says Farhad Farjam, founder of The Farjam Collection.

The best known artist from UAE, Abdul Qader Al-Rais, paints abstract works, often involving the Arabic letter form. His signature use of small floating squares appear even in the most realistic of his paintings. 
In his photorealist work, the artist captures the almost-vanished life of the UAE of old and in his work chronicles the country’s old neighbourhoods, houses, and forts.

Mahmoud Said’s choice of composition is also compelling and was certainly a turning point in contemporary Egyptian art. Both his subjects and compositions present a stunning depiction of local Egypt, with a brilliant palette of true colours that bring out the life in Egyptian culture.

Face-masks, cagoules, kaffiyehs and gas masks are all symbolic images in themselves. They have been given meaning and significance by those that wear them, as well as those who see them. They may evoke fear, pride, humiliation depending on the individual. Associations of prisoners, militants, and Arab male identity all come to mind. These are a selection of the different ways in which the most recent body of work by Ayman Baalbaki discusses issues of place and the singular experience of being. The collections of works reflects a personal investigation into issues of identity, gender and community.

Moroccan born photographer Lalla Essaydi, uses calligraphy to engage in political issues. In her photographs, Essaydi portrays women in veils covered in Arabic script, to show how text is written on their bodies and clothes and their lives are circumscribed by the interests of others.

The concept for Kaleidoscope, 2007 was drawn from Lara Baladi’s piece Roba Vecchia, a large-scale kaleidoscope that visitors walked into to view. In both works, the intricate patterns of shapes and colours are computerised amalgams of countless images. The effect produced is reminiscent of the arabesque, an elaborative repetitive form prevalent in Islamic arts. Traditionally used as a visual expression of infinity, the motif is here revisited as a scintillating digital collage. Pointing to the saturation of visual information that characterises the modern era, the work questions the make-up of what inspires awe in us today.

Adam Henein’s art harks back to Egypt’s pharaonic artistic heritage, but his is a very modernist sensibility. Henein is best known for his bronze and stone abstract sculptures, but he is equally adept in creating delicate papyrus paintings using natural pigments in warm earth colours as well as ink drawings. Om Kalthoum in Bronze is a tribute to the versatile singer.

Encompassing a wide range of media, including paintings, sculptures and photography, the exhibition explores some of the defining styles and techniques in Arab art over the last century.

The fusion of tradition and innovation, and of stylistic influences from across the globe, demonstrates the timelessness and the universal resonance of art from the Middle East.

raziqueh@khaleejtimes.com