UAE: Female artists in the spotlight at Al Dhafra Book Festival
Essence of UAE’s heritage and natural beauty highlighted
Al Ain: Young female artists took centre stage at Al Dhafra Book Festival, organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), presenting their exceptional artworks to the public at the Public Park in Zayed City.
Artist Aisha Al Mansoori presented a series of paintings on ‘AlMaqasar’, a traditional summer outfit worn by men in the UAE, which is made of ‘Sharbat’ fabric. “In an effort to highlight this traditional Emirati style of clothing, I began painting various historical designs on it since 2015,” she said.
“I have showcased my work at a number of UAE-based festivals. The audience here at Al Dhafra Book Festival has responded very favourably to it, as they did for the fabric painting workshop that I led at the event.”
For her part, Fatima Al Hammadi presented a unique artwork using various materials, such as leather. Her art, which includes traditional heritage drawings of horses, birds, and gazelles, is painted on handbags and book covers, among other things.
She depicts the nature of Abu Dhabi, and held a candle painting workshop at the festival. “The festival gave me a great opportunity and it has always been my dream to participate in it,” Al Hammadi said. “It made it possible for me to interact with the audience.”
The festival also featured Maitha Al Mazrouei, a multi-media artist who runs a special arts education centre. Her most well-known works feature Russian sculpture paste roses, but she also paints on trunks or palm fronds, and is skilled in decoupage, which entails cutting and pasting designs from napkins onto gypsum plates. Her workshops have drawn considerable interest and participation from the public.
Meanwhile, Rana Al Massi displayed a collection of paintings in her art corner, depicting animals from the Emirati environment such as horses, falcons and peacocks.
She combines her experience in multimedia art and sculpture with oil painting, allowing her to incorporate additional elements into this creative unit. Al Massi uses a variety of materials on canvas, broadening her talent and skill beyond the boundaries of traditional art, by using cement, clay and recyclable materials.