Emirati artist uses tragic experience to inspire others

Abu Dhabi: After losing both her brother and father to heart disease since 2008, artist Khawla Darwish is well aware of the anguish exacted upon families by cardiovascular disease.

And to that end, she is making it her personal goal through her artwork to spread the word that heart disease can be prevented with proper diagnosis and lifestyle changes.

“Although this is a very personal story, I still talk to people about it for the sake of raising awareness,” she said. “This is why my main aim behind all the work I produce is to urge people to go for a regular check up.”.

According to Khawla, 26, her biggest achievement was gaining acceptance into the SIKKA art fair in Dubai.

“Out of all the proposals that were sent to the fair, 24 were selected, and mine was one of them,” she said.

Her publicdisplayat the 2012 event was a two-room installation featuring an examination bed, a nurse and an ECG (Electrocardiography) machine, which records the electrical activity of the heart.

“Usually patients pay Dh500 to take this test. However, mine was free of charge because it is important to me to urgee visitors to keep monitoring their health,” she said.

When patients were done taking the ECG test, Khawla strongly urged them to consult a doctor as the nurse was not certified to reveal any of the test results.

“This way, patients were encouraged to go to doctors to find out about their heart activity and get frequent check-ups,” she said.

The art display also contained another room in which patientswere asked to thoughtfully express how they felt while taking the test. Their comments were written on papers that were hung on the wall.

“The end result, including people’s opinions, is my idea of a public installation. Saving one’s life means a great deal to me and I take pride in what I did,” she said.

Among her other accomplishments was participating in what is considered to be one of the most prestigious art exhibitions in the world.

“Two of my proposals were approved in the Venice Biennale: one was a painting and the other was a form of mixed media,” she explained.

Bothartworks were also cardiology-related.

“All the work I have produced so far containsa medical aspect, mainly focussed on the human heart,” she said.

The works she showcased were originally part of her own series which she titled, “In the memory of the departed beloved ones.”

During the time of Venice Biennale art exhibit, Khawla was still a student so having two of her proposals accepted was one of the highlights of her career.

Khawla told Gulf News that she is eagerly hoping to represent the UAE in the Venice Biennale art fair in 2013.

Some of the well-known artists that Khawla is inspired by are Abdul Qader AlRaes, an Emirati artist;Andy Warhol, an American artist and Yayoi Kusama, a Japanese artist.

During her career’s infancy, her family members were not sure about her career choice because they wondered whether if it held a promising future.

“It was achallenge for me to try and prove myself and show how I can be capable of becoming a successful artist,” she said.

Khawla received a bachelor’s degree in visual arts and another in early childhood and kindergarten.

She is currently enrolled in the Graduate Management Programme at Etihad airways in Abu Dhabi.

Maisoon Mubarak is an intern at Gulf News.