Artist Bouthayna al-Muftah’s works are inspired by her
country’s distinct heritage. By Umer Nangiana
One of the most distinct pieces of art that is bound to catch your attention in the very first instant at Here, There exhibition is a collage of ‘faces’, covering a considerable space on one of Al Riwaq’s walls, and emerging to cover an even bigger space in Doha’s art scene.
It is the idea and then the style of the artist that makes these portraits of “faces from past” even more engaging and attractive. These are a series of drawings by young and promising Qatari artist Bouthayna al-Muftah, one of the 20 Qatari artists featuring in the exhibition of works by Qatari and Brazilian artists called ‘Here, There’ at Al Riwaq art space.
Creating works in raw form, al-Muftah’s ‘Um Alsalsil Will Thahab’, the title, is centralised on aspects of Qatari heritage and traditions. The series of drawings are inspired by stories and remnants of the past, depicting unique and distinctive qualities from Qatari culture in a somewhat abstract form.
Al-Muftah illustrates portraits of women once seen in monochromatic photographs as underlined through her use of a black-and-white palette, along with abstract drawings. “Many aspects of both our past and present have been a huge inspiration. A lot of work I produce is centred in tradition, culture and Doha’s nature that surrounds me today. I try to preserve these memories and concepts from our local culture in my work in a contemporary manner,” says al-Muftah in her video message on Here, There.
Characteristics of Qatari culture, that are preserved to this day, influenced the ‘Um Alsalsil Will Thahab’ series, which translates from Arabic to “Mother of Chains and Gold”.
The title of the series is derived from a line in a folkloric Qatari song. This song is performed by children on the 14th day of Ramadan, known as Garangao. Jagged shapes form faces emanating emotion, drawing the past into the present and the future, through gestural free flowing movement of ink.
“In this particular piece that I am exhibiting, my purpose is to create a reflection of a past version of ourselves. The emphasis here being that the jewellery of our past is truly part of our culture and heritage,” adds the artist.
Each face tells its own story, whether through the composition of the shapes, the detail of the jewellery, or the difference in expression of each figure per drawing. Each figure directs her gaze at a different direction, with some portraits created in side profile form, and some looking toward the viewer.
“The series serves as a commentary on beauty, where each of us are born with distinct features that make us unique, yet we are connected through our traditions and values that create our sense of style,” says the curator of the Here, There exhibition.
“I think political art is becoming more and more common in today’s world, and many artists are beginning to express their views and emotions through artistic media to portray their views on society and politics,” says al-Muftah.
She adds that digital art is having a big impact on today’s art scene. Then you see artists more and more common due to their presence through others on social media such as Twitter and Instagram, says al-Muftah. “I believe that art and design as a whole plays a big role in changing human behaviour. Art is all based on perception. Many aspects of arts and design are made to make people feel a certain way, evoke emotion and even make them see things differently as a result,” says the Qatari artist.
Having a background in graphic designing, this young artist has a unique style of putting her ideas across to the audience and is destined to make great impact on Qatari art landscape in the near future.
She is hugely inspired by the Qatari culture and heritage and her work reflects her inspiration in letter and spirit. Before, Here, There at Al Riwaq, she has featured in a group exhibition ‘Mini Art Exhibition’ in Doha’s Visual Art Center.