A contemporary Arab woman’s view of the world

Young artists often have to wait a long time before they can hope to have a solo show at a well-known gallery. But thanks to Ayyam Gallery’s Young Artist in Residency programme, Noor Bahjat has got this opportunity just a few months after graduating. She is the first artist to be selected for this programme, which aims to support artists at the beginning of their career by providing them with studio facilities and access to the gallery’s extensive resources.

Bahjat was born in Damascus in 1991 and graduated last year at the top of her class from the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Damascus. During the six-month residency she worked in a purpose-built studio in Dubai under the mentorship of established Syrian artists Tammam Azzam and Mohannad Orabi.

She is showcasing a selection of paintings and mixed media collages, created during this period, at her “Young Artist in Residency Graduation Exhibition”. A recreation of her studio, featuring sketches, studies for paintings and earlier work, is also part of the exhibition.

Bahjat’s style is expressionist, and her work is figurative, mostly based on self-portraits. For the young artist, this show marks a point when she could break free from the rules and restrictions she had to follow as an arts student and experiment with new techniques and themes to discover herself as an artist.

“The conflict in my country forced my family to move to the UAE. It was a time of uncertainty and depression for me because I had lost hope of returning to complete my graduation. But after one year I was able to return to Damascus and finish my course,” Bahjat says.

“So, it was great to come back to a situation where I had a nice studio to work in and established artists to guide me. The atmosphere at Ayyam was amazing, and my mentors helped me a lot and encouraged me to experiment with new ideas and new media such as acrylic painting and collage.”

In Dubai, Bahjat also got to visit exhibitions by various international artists. “This opened my mind and gave me a lot to think about. My work is about women, and I use the face and facial expressions to convey the inner world of a person. As a student my emphasis was on technique, but during this residency I have started thinking more about the concept.”

The artist points to a painting of a stooped woman with the outline of a stronger figure in the background as an important step in the transition. “This painting was a big turning point for me. This is not how I had planned it, but I like the way it turned out. The cold, grey, bent figure of a woman in the foreground expresses her disappointment and helplessness, while the ethereal figure in the background represents her soul, which is strong, but silent.

“This work made me realise that following your heart, even if it sometimes involves leaving the work unfinished gives a better result than sticking rigidly to your original plan. Hence this painting is very precious to me, and it is the only one that is not for sale at the show.”

In her untitled paintings, Bahjat weaves together figures and allegorical objects to reflect her environment and to express a contemporary Arab woman’s perspective of the world.

An animal mask covering the face of a woman signifies the herd-like mentality of society that compels women to follow restrictive ancient traditions. The same mask placed on the head speaks about the need to find a balance between maintaining traditions and moving with the times.

In a series of thought-provoking compositions the figures are juxtaposed with objects such as flowers signifying hope and love, a skull, a clock without hands, a globe which falls and then breaks apart, and a crow as a harbinger of bad news.

During the residency, Bahjat also experimented with mixed media collages. “My aim was to seamlessly blend painting with pictures and words that I cut out from magazines. The process was spontaneous, and I enjoyed combining different atmospheres, landscapes, people and objects to create interesting narratives. My mentors encouraged me, and I plan to continue working with this medium in the future.”

Reflecting on the residency, Bahjat says, “The last six months and this exhibition are a dream come true, and I cannot thank Ayyam enough. The environment was positive and encouraging, and my mentors have helped me to improve my work in so many ways.

“Orabi taught me that any technical and conceptual problems we encounter should be seen as opportunities to find creative solutions. And from Azzam I learnt to be open-minded and think outside the box. Working with them has made me realise that rather than being limited by a fixed plan, I should be open to go where the painting takes me and be prepared to surprise myself.

“The most important thing I have learnt is to be true to myself, because my work will touch people and connect with them only if I express my inner feelings from the heart.”

Jyoti Kalsi is an arts enthusiast based in Dubai.

“Young Artist in Residency Graduation Exhibition” will run at Ayyam Gallery Dubai, Al Quoz, until September 15.