Art show on Saudi women wows Alkhobar

Artist Emtethal Al-Awami opened her second solo art show titled ‘Heed’ on Oct. 17 in Alkhobar.
Artists, art enthusiasts, distinguished members of the community, family, friends, and members of the Eastern Province community with a taste for fine arts packed Desert Design Gallery in Alkhobar for the 10-day event.
The artist has a total of 27 works on display, which are best described as contemporary conceptual, and they attracted varying positive reactions from the attendees. Artworks comprised mixed media on photography paper and also featured installations.
Describing the message behind the art show, the artist said she speaks about women who she has encountered throughout the years from all walks of life.
She said: “Women I have met are from all geographical locations and from all schools of thought. I have met more than I can count, and quite a few have different views on life. However, they all share the burden of being a woman.”
Al-Awami said: “When I talk about women, I speak of myself, my mother, my grandmother, my aunt, my sister, my daughter, my best friend, my friend, my colleague, my student and my boss.”
She is speaking about half of society, the lesser known half. A society that comprises a traditional conservative generation as well as a contemporary one. She considers herself as them and they as her.
She said that in a world that has become a big village, “we always did and we continue to shoulder mountains of responsibilities.”
“Where were we and where are we heading?” she asks. “We are no longer the fragile creatures that break easily, nor do we seek sympathy to attain safety. We are no longer mere beautiful fragile possessions that are handled with care in fear that we may be scathed,” she adds.
“Today, we live life to it’s extreme, face its dangers and rise to the level of its challenges, whether that is by choice or as a result of circumstances that force upon some of us the battles or those choices.”
“We were until a few decades prisoners of illiteracy in every meaning of the word, and today we crowd in every field, and exist in every space while we receive admiration rather than sympathy.”
The artworks, which portray a Saudi woman garbed in traditional clothes, received positive reviews from the guests at the opening reception. Irrespective of whether they are from the expatriate or local community, the message behind the art show resonated with them, regardless of culture or gender. They all came out impressed with the genuine Saudi art on display.
The guests viewed the first five art works on display positively as they were portraying a performance visualized in paintings, as if it was an actual performance, albeit, communicated through artwork.
Another artwork, an installation with dimensions of 1.55 cm X 1.05 cm displayed in the center of the gallery, also attracted interest and positive feedback. The multi-dimensional piece is constructed from clear acrylic with an image of a Saudi woman fully draped in an abaya, which is made up of dots.
Another piece that attracted interest is an installation comprising images of various women on puzzle-like squares made from cardboard. The images were actually itched by laser based on photos put together by the artist.
A total of 18 puzzle-like pieces were displayed as one work. The message behind the use of carton as a medium is that it is a package, and as women they often wrap up their feelings and experiences. However, at the end of the day they interact or intersect as pieces of a mosaic to form the community.
One of the attendees commended the originality of the message of the show and the mediums and methods used to communicate it.
Al-Awami is an Eastern Province native who grew up on the coast of the Arabian Gulf in the city of Qatif. She had an early start in art as a hobby, and her passion led her to pursue a bachelors degree in art education from King Saud University in Riyadh.
After graduation, she started a career in art education taking up a teaching job with the Ministry of Education in Alkhobar.
Her teaching career did not prevent her from pursuing a lifelong passion for art culminating in a number of group as well as solo art shows, both locally and internationally some of which were to represent the Kingdom.
Her first solo show “Amongst the Ash” featured abstract art.
—
Email: [email protected]