Mariam Nihal
Saudi Gazette
“Call me a dreamer, but I believe we – as Arabs – will rise up again and be a beautiful civilization one day,” according to Kuwaiti artist Shurooq Amin. “I am also exposing corruption, a problem in our societies that leads to embarrassingly slow progress, and in some cases, zero progress.” The artist known to juggle feminist, political and social themes with her work, is back with a new series called We’ll Build This City on Art and Love. The artist spoke to Saudi Gazette about her new mixed media work which will be exhibited from 14 September until 30 October 2014 at Ayyam Gallery in Dubai. She said the title is extracted from the eighties song “We Built This City on Rock ‘n’ Roll”. “I altered the grammar and vocabulary to imply that we – as Arab nations– need to start rebuilding everything we are currently destroying, be it physically and geographically with war, violence and corruption, or be it mentally and psychologically with subjective censorship, judgementalism, racism, narrow minded beliefs and dogmatic, hypocritical ideologies. We can fix all that. It’s not too late to stop the destruction and start rebuilding. I’m calling for peace though art and love.” Many of her titles are inspired by literature and most titles of paintings are a twist on chapters from Lewis Carrol’s books Alice in Wonderland, The Hunting of the Snark, etc with each title adding humor to a grave issue.
Her previous body of art ‘Popcornographic’ was a response to the censors who had shut down her show in 2012. “This year, my series focuses on the concept of rebuilding, and on the concept of not just tolerance but indeed acceptance of diversity and love.”
Amin’s inspiration is centered upon the state of socio-political affairs in the region. In the past, she has focused on the secret lives of men in our society (It’s a Man’s World) and women (Society Girls) in the Arabian Gulf, as well as censorship and freedom of expression in the Muslim world (Popcornographic). “But this time the images stem from situations that I found harrowingly painful in the realm of politics, religion, and economics, and how they – when taught, preached and implemented negatively in any society - play a defining and dangerous role in current and future generations.”
Talking to her about dreams and future plans, she said: “Oh my, that’s a loaded question. I would like to make a difference in this world, and I think I am on the right track. Not only through the messages in my art, not only through my writings and poetry and teaching, but actually my biggest dream is to establish an avant-garde school, or educational facility, that takes in kids at an early age and into their late twenties; and allows them to flourish and develop their strengths (without focusing on their weakness, so there would be no such thing as failure), and over the years create a generation of geniuses. It would a school for all the fish that can’t climb trees. Imagine! Imagine a school where all the “losers” and “failures” of society go to become their own version of genius, by focusing only on their strengths. It would change society completely. Can you imagine the amazing beautiful ripple effect of such an institution? I have the vision, the determination and the background to implement this vision. I just need the financial backing. And I have no doubt, one day my dream will come true.”
Represented by Ayyam Gallery, Amin believes having the support of an internationally recognized gallery helps to clarify her message.
“The Samawis believe in my vision and in my longevity and wanted to give me a platform for my voice, especially at a time when I was facing local opposition regarding the controversial nature of my work. Some people, unfortunately, misinterpret my message.” She said lately people are starting to come around and understand that her intention is to intiate dialogue and instigate change via transparency. “Call me a dreamer, but I believe we – as Arabs – will rise up again and be a beautiful civilization one day. I seek cultural and socio-political progress. And Ayyam – I have no doubt – will help me achieve that, because they are a gallery that is giving a voice to Arab artists and they – not just as a gallery but more importantly as a family – believe in the future of Arab art and its power. So it’s a perfect match for me.”
Amin believes art is a powerful weapon, and when coupled with love, can only bring about positive change. “One person at a time, one artwork at a time.”
