ReeM Al-Rawi completed her bachelor and masters degrees in architecture at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. Her diverse cultural and social international backgrounds clearly influence her architectural design projects and artistic works. She has participated in a number of international art exhibitions as well as architectural competitions, and helped plan and manage a number of social fundraising events to support ongoing international charity causes. Now based in the United Arab Emirates, this rising artistic star is attracting a lot of attention. Here she speaks to Teakster.
Hunna 1 (2013) by ReeM Al-Rawi
Teakster: How did your creative journey start and what made you interested in the arts?
ReeM Al-Rawi: My interest in art and specifically drawing started at a very early age. My parents are to thank for carrying the talent forward; they enrolled me in fine-art schools at a young age and encouraged me to participate in events and competitions. It quickly developed and later was a huge effect on my architectural education and design approach.
Being a teacher and a full time mother, how do you find time to make art?
Inspirations are all around us, from things we visually encounter to relationships and human interactions we experience on daily basis. I find the busier I get with family and work, the more inspired I am to execute ideas as visual translations. When you are passionate about what you do, you will always find the time to achieve anything, from a small sketch to a large size painting.
Most of your pieces use Arabic calligraphy. What fascinates you most about the art of calligraphy?
The Arabic letters each present us with a very rich artistic composition, let alone words that combine to create endless meanings and interpretations. The calligraphy in my pieces is a free form; I don’t follow any rules and purposely did not study the art and restrictions of different calligraphic styles. I believe that each piece will present the calligraphy forms differently from the other depending on the meaning of the text and subject matter.
What is the creative process behind each piece, and is there a message behind it?
I believe in the ability of artistic translations through the creative process. As every character, event and experience processes through layers of visual and conceptual translations, where words become stories merging with the visual essence to create pieces of art reflecting the hidden appearance of what we see and take for granted. As a result my artistic expressions are affected by poetry and people, as well as global events. The artworks, and exclusive items derived from them, are intended to achieve a vision to reach a wider audience through communicating current global events and issues, as a means of making a beneficial difference in repairing issues of identity crisis and social damage the world is experiencing today.
The Bedouin (2014) by ReeM Al-Rawi
What are the joys and challenges of being a Muslim artist, and what is your view on working as an artist?
Being a Muslim artist actually opens up many paths of understanding specific issues happening today; it allows a wider scope of artistic translation of the overwhelming global occurrences we are currently experiencing. As artists, we must not restrict production but increase it, to help improve the misled global view of our religion, history and society.
What advice would you give Muslims who are interested in pursuing the arts?
Each artist can add a new perspective that is unique and valuable. A talented artist should never restrict his or her expression in art. I recommend that Muslim artists explore their paths in artistic expressions and target specific matters while trying to get involved in their surrounding social events and causes, to reach a wider audience and to carry forward their message.
Check out more from ReeM at her website or follow her on Facebook
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