The Emirati Creative Exhibition hosted by “Tashkeel” in Dubai
Shamma Al-Amri rediscovers two letters in a variety of colors .. «If you will»
Shamma: Each time I worked on the word, it took on a new character.
Photography: Ahmed Ardeti
picture
Under the title “If you will,” Emirati artist Shamma Al Ameri presents her exhibition, in which she culminated in her participation in the Critical Practice Program, organized by the Tashkeel Center in Dubai, highlighting through the works she accomplished over the course of a whole year, her research in the connotations of the Arabic language, focusing on The roots of one word indicate the truth, which is the word “sahih”, as it deliberately explores its multiple meanings and its different contexts to monitor its concepts and social behavior through it.
The exhibition, which will run until October 18, leads the visitor to know the depth of the artist Shamma's interest in studying Arabic texts from a visual point of view, and linking them to culture and daily life. About meaning and image at the same time.
The owner of the exhibition “If You Will” worked during the Critical Practice Program under the supervision and guidance of: Dr. Hoda Smitshausen Abi Fares, and the artist Muhammad Kazem, and during her research she focused on the experience of graffiti, the origins of the text, in addition to texts from the Holy Qur’an, with the aim of reconnecting in Arabic and study its social and political effects.
modes
The artistic media that Shamma Al-Amiri relies on varied in the exhibition.
Through the multiple materials, the artist explores the contrasting meanings of the word, its effect on humans, and how it is used by them.
And it puts many possibilities and interpretations of the concept of correctness, and this is evident through the work in which the word is written in several directions, as if it is searching for the truth and the validity of things or even actions and what characterizes societies.
The artist reflects on the word and the cases in which we use the word, as it can sometimes signify reluctant approval, failure to achieve perfection, or anxiety about the right choice.
She writes it repeatedly on paper, and sometimes uses metal on the walls, and expresses her feelings in rewriting it in new forms and in various colors, as if she is rediscovering her writing, or subjecting it to experimentation in an artistic and linguistic contemplative state.
deep search
And about her choice of the word "sah" in the exhibition, Shamma told "Emirates Today": "In recent years, I have deepened the Arabic language, especially in the context of contemporary and conceptual art, and focused on our language, as it is deep and carries many influences. One word in language It is made up of two letters that carry multiple meanings and connotations.
She added: "The word you chose is characterized by the fact that it bears the adjective easy and abstaining, and many suggestions, and it also expresses the concept of correctness that changes from one person to another, and its meaning in our daily lives."
She indicated that she imagined the existence of a section in the language for the artist to determine the correctness of his work, similar to the presence of a section for the doctor and lawyer, creating a work of art that explains how its shape can be, and what will control it, asking: “Will the section be faithful to the material or to the artistic media? ».
She continued about the concept of the work: “Deepening in the concept of the section made me turn the work into a block of glass in which words merge on the multiple layers, which is difficult to read as a kind of expression of the difficulty of finding a section for an artist to define his work in one frame,” revealing that she initially worked on the works. Between her and herself, as if she was re-learning the meaning of the word “correct,” and each time it took on a new character, then she left the studio when she worked on the concept of the same word in its formal framework expressing freedom, in cooperation with the correctional institution, as it asked the administration responsible for the work. The technical task is to assign the inmates to implement the word “correct”.
Shamma explained that she "left them the freedom to choose the color, materials and size, and write the word in the way they want, and the surprise is that the works were very similar, and this is an indication of the impact of the place on one's thinking, and his ability to present what is outside the context and familiar."
Regarding her participation in the Critical Practice Program at the Tashkeel Center, she said: “The program focuses on giving the artist space and time, for works are not a product of the moment, but when the investment is by giving the artist his time and space to focus in his research, this leads to the development of works, especially with the provision of specialists. To have a constructive dialogue.
Biography
Artist Shamma Al Ameri holds MA degrees in Culture and Creative Industries, and Contemporary Art Practice from the Royal College of Art in London, and is an active member of the Emirati cultural scene.
She founded a number of cultural projects, including "The Traveling Fund", "Anonymous", and "Bleep", and she is the co-founder of the "Salon of Arab Art" in London.
Shamma has participated in several local exhibitions, and exhibitions in a number of countries, including the United States of America, Britain, and China.
The artist completed the Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Scholarship at the Rhode Island School of Design, the Artist-in-Residence Program with the Delfina Foundation, and a residency at the Domaine de Beaubuchais in France and the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi.
Between language and art
About the exhibition "If You Will", Deputy Director of Tashkeel Center, Lisa Pallichgar, said: "The closing exhibition of artist Shamma Al-Amri confirms her commitment to learning and living experience, and highlights her extensive research in language and expression through art." The influential artworks that she created during her participation in the Critical Practice Program clearly indicate the benefits gained from supporting the formation of the creative community in the UAE that have become tangible.”
Shamma presents the word written on paper, and another deliberately formulates it with wood, metal, transparent plastic, and others.
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