Mariam Nihal

Saudi Gazette

Dana Awartani, of Palestinian-Saudi heritage, is a Jeddah-based artist who sets an example for her contemporaries with a dynamic approach to Islamic art and the status quo. The artist’s work is a celebration of design, belief and construed sublimity. Her themes revolve around spirituality, sacred geometry, numerology, and the perennial philosophy that traditional arts subscribe to.



“I create art that explores themes of spirituality and the ‘sacred’ through the use of historical artistic disciplines. My aim is to educate and raise awareness not only about traditional techniques of art making, which is nearly nonexistent, but also about the beauty of Islam, a side a lot of people don’t know of.” She believes her art makes a difference at a time when “horrible stereotypes” are attached to religion. “I hope through my art I can break down these misconceptions and try to start a positive dialogue. When I talk about the spirituality behind religion it allows people from other cultures and religions to relate to it and find similarities with their own beliefs and practices. I guess I am trying to give people a sense of unity rather than build even more barriers.”



What Dana really loves about Islamic art, regardless of the diverse practices used in the art form, is that they still share a common law and the idea of symmetry, harmony and structure is always at its core.



“Geometry plays a crucial role in all these different practices in Islamic art; it can be seen as the foundation or guideline. Every element of Islamic art is entwined with geometric proportions and is used to tell a story. If you look at calligraphy each letter is composed using very strict geometric measurements that must be followed, in miniature panting the layout of the page is generally composed using geometric principle.



“In the art of illumination at first you may think that the artist has just taken complete creative freedom and created a random series of flower motifs, but in actuality if you examine the layout they are based on proportional spirals that are repeated throughout the design.”



“One thing I have always wanted to pursue before I die is to design and build a monumental mosque in Saudi Arabia.”



“But not just any mosque. A mosque that embodies what Islamic art is, combining all artistic traditions across the Islamic empire. Throughout my travels I have fallen in love with the Persian, Ottoman, Mogul and Moorish architecture and the mosque I want to build one day would combine all these elements in perfect harmony, a symbol of our unity.”



In the past two years she has been in Saudi Arabia, she witnessed such a rich and highly diverse art scene erupt with various art forms, except Islamic art. “With my art I am currently trying to fill that gap and hopefully start getting our next generation interested in this art form.”



Dana said the art scene in Jeddah now is still a developing platform and is open to a variety of different art forms. She believes artists play a very important role in a society. “Not only is our art used as a form of education and a tool in raising public awareness but we can also be seen as ambassadors for our country, as people from around the world see Saudi art as a window into our society. I really believe art is one of the most effective and powerful tool of communication, it’s a visual form of communication that can reach out to such a wide audience, and its our role as artists to use this in a positive way.”



She told Saudi Gazette, her main goal is to inspire and educate people. “To teach them to love and respect Islamic art which is sadly becoming a dying tradition and I feel it is my duty as a Muslim and an Arab to constantly promote my religion and culture in a positive light. The one thing I can do is use my art as the tool. I really believe that art is one of the most effective ways to send a message; it’s a visual language that anyone and everyone can relate too. I also hope to educate the future generation to learn about Islamic art, it’s a shame that whenever you are taught art in school it is always based on Western techniques of drawing and painting and you never learn about your own culture.”



Dana moved to London for university studies at the age of 18, and studied at Central Saint Martins and the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts.



“Being constantly surrounded by such a diverse range of artists for six years really inspires you, raises your awareness in the diversity of art and most importantly motivates you. In Art College I was also taught such a wide variety of techniques and exposed to all kinds of art forms ranging from the traditional to the modern and this left me with a very strong foundation which I believe is crucial for any artist. I can’t imagine being who I am today without going through that experience.”



She understands that being an artist is not a job, but a lifestyle one must commit to 100 percent. She said it is extremely important to develop a thick skin and accept that criticism, whether good or bad is bound to happen. “People might love or hate your work and you shouldn’t let it affect you emotionally or demotivate you.”



She mostly enjoys geometric paintings because they combine her two favorite methods. “The precision and concentration that requires drawing geometry which is quite mathematical and then painting which I find extremely therapeutic and relaxing. I love working with color when I paint, and I usually find that it leaves me in a good mood, and the most exciting part of painting is finding the perfect balance between the colors you use so they work harmoniously next to each other.



Even though she believes the celebrity culture has not caught up to Jeddah based artists; she dislikes the monetization and commercialization of art. “Sometimes it becomes less about the art itself.”



She said art is all she has ever known. “I can’t remember a time in my life when I was not making art. From the age of 14, I officially knew I wanted to study art in university and I never considered any other path to take in life. I am at my happiest when I am making art and I never saw it as studying when I was at university or currently as work, it’s a passion and it has become a part of me, I cannot go longer than a week without picking up a paint brush or I start getting very agitated. I guess you could say that I didn’t choose art, art choose me and I am so grateful that it did.”