Abu Dhabi: It was Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s quote — “A nation without a past is a nation without a present or a future” — that Shaikha Mariam Bint Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a 23-years-old Zayed University student, used as the inspiration for her artwork.
The artwork, Mirage, in the form of a triangle with three points representing the past, present and future, also examined the blurred lines between reality and fantasy with shaped mirrors clustered together.
Out of more than 100 applicants, Mariam won the Christo and Jeanne Claude Award, which was instituted in 2012 to nurture artistic talent in the UAE and encourage the creation of new artworks.
The inaugural award-winning piece by Zayed University student was unveiled to the public in Abu Dhabi yesterday.
Shaikha Shamsa Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan, patron of the Christo and Jeanne Claude Award, honoured the winner and finalists with certificates of achievement. Suheyla Takesh, Farah Al Qasimi, Sarah Al Hosani, Khowla Al Mureikhi and Nikolai Kozak were among those who were feted.
“The commitment and support of Shaikha Shamsa for this unprecedented award has inspired young students and graduates across the UAE to embrace their creativity, resulting in myriad proposals of outstanding excellence,” said Huda Al Khamis Kanoo, founder of Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation.
“The award marks a significant step in enabling talented students and recent graduates to conceive and develop works while understanding the intricate process of creation,” Kanoo added.
Mariam, who is a visual artist and a photographer, told Gulf News that, “Everything around, everyday experiences as well as spiritual life inspire me to work. I seek to translate the fragile realities through drawing, painting, mixed media and photography. I started Mirage artwork when I was in my last semester at Zayed University and with very low budget of $5,000 [Dh18,360]. Mirage mainly consists of three triangular shapes, each repeated about 10 times and each of the 30 mirrors is one metre in size and positioned on a metal stand,” she said.
“I had to try them in diverse locations and different environments and temperatures to assure the good quality of the samples which I am using in my artwork, which might appear very simple to its viewers; yet, for the artist it is a huge challenge,” she added.
Also the stand can be adjusted allowing the mirrors to be angled in any direction
Mariam, who participated for the first time in an awards competition, added that, sometimes, things remain unseen while there echoes beneath their surface a more honest vision of what is really there. She said she had tried to capture this concept in Mirage.
Reindert Falkenburg, vice-provost of intellectual and cultural outreach at New York University, said: “This recognition has inspired and empowered these young artists to continue to engage in innovative and creative artistic pursuits.”
