Without Boundaries|Young Kuwaiti Talents|FA Gallery
one of my favorite works at the exhibition: khalid al sahaly, les annees ont tue le clown-edition: 1/5, digital photo printed on canvas
I wasn’t planning on visiting this exhibition last night because I knew it would probably be crowded and I wouldn’t fully appreciate the work. But I ended up going. I got in little later than I normally frequent these events, which served my purpose much better than I could have planned it to. Not only was I able to take a good look at the works, but I got to speak to some of the artists there, one of whom I have a great affinity for, even though she and I have only met a few times before, on similar occasions. There was one thing I wasn’t sure of last night: without question, these artists are young. But are they beginners? I’ve seen Ali Alsarraf’s work before, at other group exhibitions and have been an admirer. Deena Qabazard is so comfortable in her own (gruesome, decaying, pretty) skin that I can’t help but feel that she has been doing this since she was two. On the other hand, you have the ones I believe were students (young, enthusiastic, somewhat talented) whose works reminded me of just that: student work. I think there is no danger of Deena or Ali ever losing their passion for creating, and I don’t see them stopping. To me, it’s part of how they live. With some of the others, it’s what they do at school. I hope I’m wrong.
ali alsarraf's disturbing and disturbed photographs from his '8 of march ends' series. these were done using 35 mm black and white film which i bow to him for. the photos scream of identity crisis and struggle. he says that they express his 'own transition from artist/musician to engineer'. to me, it looks like a rocky and unnecessary one. we have enough engineers in this country, not enough artists. stay with us, ali. you've already disappeared in these photos
viewing mai al farhan's work. mai is a wee 17-year-old but her photos show promise and a precocious confidence
a closer look at one of mai's photos
two of khalid al sahaly's photographs. these are a little underwhelming, especially compared to his 'clown' which is bold, striking and somewhat tactile
a detail of one of muneera al romaihi's works
mohammed sharaf, 'that's how it goes', silkscreen on paper: i really liked these prints. both political and social, mohammed's works simply and effectively illustrate the region's current upheavals
mohammed sharaf, 'according to maslow', silkscreen on paper: here mohammed plays on maslow's hierarchy of needs
this lovely little lady is registered and trademarked
mohammed ramadan and one of his works
detail from deena 'machina' qabazard's 'tea with milk', mixed media on canvas: i love the way deena has manipulated the gauze in the hair and ruff. this clown woman is so organic, and like everything which lives and dies, she will also die. i wonder what she's thinking
a detail of deena's 'the show must go on', embroidery & mixed media on paper. deena's work is very detail-oriented and there is something happening in every crevice of this drawing. petrified faces blend with decaying tree stumps, ligaments, muscles and membranes
deena's finger and two hollowed eyes
oh, what a storybook quality these paintings possess. if deena were to design a doll house, it would be decrepit, with one or two resident ghosts patrolling its long and narrow stairways
grotesque and beautiful. this reminds me of a summer when i was six or seven and visited the school my aunty (who is just two years my senior) attended. i went to the bathroom and saw on the ceiling one blob after another of once-wet toilet paper that had been thrown up onto it by some very mischievous girls, and dried. as i looked up at the tissue clouds, the sensation i felt was one of wonder, admiration and disgust; the same way i felt last night about this painting
Thank you for the coverage, You took great photos :)
May I share some of these on my facebook account?
Best regards..
I took great photos? Well, that’s flattering coming from you! I do hope to see more of your work in the future. I’m sure it’ll only get better and stronger. Can’t wait :) Oh, and of course you can share!
Thank you, I highly appreciate your words.. Sadly i didnt get the chance to meet you that day ;(
*This is a video that i’ve done covering this whole exhibition you can add it to your post if you’d like to:
the mix of the talents was very well chosen. and what you have written took back into that friendly nice place where i saw all the remarkable work of young artist.
all the best to them all & you.
Mai, I tried playing your video on Youtube so that I could embed it into the post but it was blocked.
Thanks for this really Great truthful post/coverage really appreciated.. Im a fan of your blog! ( I know that this is super late )