Entertainment | Visual & Performing Arts
Memories and identity
An exploration of resilience and survival from the perspectives of two artists
- By Jyoti Kalsi, Special to Weekend Review
- Published: 22:51 April 23, 2009
- Image Credit: Supplied picture
- Rodin Hamidi's 'Phoenix Series' was inspired by the rapid transformation of Dubai from a traditional to a futuristic city
The values and traditions society is built on; the conflict between group and individual identity and connections with the past that give us the strength to accept change and new beginnings — these are concepts Walid Siti and Rodin Hamidi have explored in their works being exhibited at XVA gallery.
Siti was born at Dohuk in Iraq but fled to London 25 years ago, given the political situation in his homeland.
Yet despite living abroad, the Kurdish artist looks to Iraq for inspiration and to express his connection with his people.
In Stones and Veins Siti displays works from two different series. In the first, Precious Stones, he uses stone to express ideas and emotions.
“Stones have several meanings in our tradition. They represent the mountains Kurds regard as their only friends. These mountains have offered us refuge — and their peaks represent our aspirations.
"The venerated stone of Makkah, towards which Muslims pray each day, is a powerful, precious stone. The stones used to build pedestals to glorify our leaders and the arches of palaces and monuments that bear our architectural and cultural legacy are also significant,'' Siti says.
His charcoal, crayon and acrylic drawings and paintings in a subdued palette of black, white and greys depict a huge central stone surrounded by smaller abstract shapes.
The stone represents the roots of religion, nationality, culture and values around which society evolves.
“I have been working on this series for several years. I wanted to explore the idea of this evolution around a central piece. I have depicted the stone as a powerful symbol that has some secret, precious meaning with an almost magnetic power.
"It creates movement around it and constructs a relationship between the elements around it, resulting in an identity — a unified body or state or society.
"Within this mass one feels the strength of being part of the whole — but one is also constrained by the general movement and magnetism that make it difficult to develop as individuals,'' he says.
Siti builds on this concept in his other series, Family Ties. Here the strong centre is the head of the family who holds it together.
“I have a huge family and although I live far away from it I am affected by everything that happens to any member. I wanted to capture the strength, support, safety and comfort that our bonds with family bring. I also wanted to express the fact that these bonds can limit an individual's freedom and aspirations.
“In London I have seen how clinging to old traditions prevents immigrants from adapting to their new environment, often resulting in conflicts with the younger generation.
"This series reflects the tension, attraction, fragility and inflexibility of the supportive yet oppressive social connections and the need to balance tradition with the demands of modern life,'' Siti says.
“I especially want to focus on women, who are burdened with the responsibility of upholding the traditions, morals and values of family, tribe and society,'' he adds.
The artist eloquently expresses this idea through an installation of several balls strung together in a web of threads.
The balls are painted black on the outside but are differently coloured on the inside, highlighting the fact that every member of a family has a distinct personality, though they may often appear to be similar or are forced to be so.
Yet they are so interconnected that any disturbance disrupts the equilibrium of the structure. The theme is further reflected in Siti's acrylic paintings and crayon drawings of crisscrossing lines connecting several dots.
His fluid brushstrokes impart a sense of movement to his abstract drawings and his layered compositions and muted, sombre shades and repetitive patterns give them a spiritual feel.
Rodin Hamidi's Phoenix Series is also about connecting with roots and accepting change. The young Iranian photographer and filmmaker moved to Dubai three years ago and was overwhelmed by the rapid transformation of this city from traditional to futuristic.
“I was impressed by the speed of the change. But as a photographer I wanted to to see where it all started and to find something that I could personally connect with,'' Hamidi says.
Ironically, he found what he was looking for in an area he had passed hundreds of times. It was a complex of old residential villas built to accommodate the architects, engineers and managers who initiated the amazing transformation of Dubai.
“When I set foot in this complex of semi-demolished villas, I felt I had discovered a part of lost history. These abandoned villas seemed as though they were waiting to tell their stories before vanishing from the face of the Earth,'' he says.
Hamidi's camera has captured these untold stories. His images tell bittersweet tales of the people who lived in them — of their successes, failures and the problems they surmounted to make Dubai's transformation possible.
“The design and colours of the villas, the shape and size of the broken furniture, the scattered rubble and the remaining perspectives of the walls, corridors, windows and doors combined with the sunlight, beautiful old trees and flowers that still bloomed in the unattended gardens and the tranquillity of the neighbourhood emitted a stunning energy,'' Hamidi says.
“As I shot these pictures, sometimes with the Burj Dubai peeping over the roof of a villa, I felt these old houses were happy and proud to give way to the next generation. And I was reminded of the Phoenix, the mythological bird that rises anew from its own ashes,'' he said.
Jyoti Kalsi is a UAE-based art enthusiast.
Stones and Veins and Phoenix Series will be on display at the XVA Gallery, Bastakiya, until April 26.
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