Abu Dhabi Week finds out the secrets behind the beam chatting to Samar Al Shamsi about her latest exhibition
IF A picture is worth a thousand words, then Dr. Samar Al Shamsi is certainly well spoken, to say the least.
The Emirati artist has had the chance to paint portraits for a handful of world leaders, including the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and US President Barack Obama.
Al Shamsi has certainly made a mark in the global art world and her work has been exhibited in the UAE, India, the United States, France and Italy. With not one but two honorary degrees, she certainly isn’t shy about her role in promoting Arab art.
We sat down with Al Shamsi to find out more about her new exhibition in Abu Dhabi, ‘Samar Arts’. Hosted at the Avenue at Etihad Towers, the exhibition is inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci’s enigmatic Mona Lisa. Al Shamsi’s Arabic version of the famous portrait was unveiled for the first time in the UAE and is the centerpiece
of her collection…
Have you always been interested in art and did you have a specific moment that sparked your interest in art as a career?
My early beginnings showed strong touches to express my thoughts by illustrating characters of cartoons and caricature. As my interest in art grew, I began to drift with my thoughts to catch an idea and capture it with my brush and a colour palette, whether it be the desert, sea, and worlds of heritage, politics and all elements of that nature.
Describe your artistic style.
I convey the challenges of globalisation in realistic, abstract and surreal language, although most of this language is extracted from my inner world and dreams.
What is your medium of choice?
I prefer to work with oil, water and acrylic.
Tell us more about your upcoming exhibition, Samar Arts. What are you trying to convey with this showcase?
I really look forward to exhibiting my work at Avenue at Etihad Towers. It is a prestigious location that reflects the quality of my work. I want to convey the high level of skill of Arab artists, and of course showcase the Arab Mona Lisa.
Tell us more about your Arab Mona Lisa. What inspired this idea and how do you feel to be unveiling it for this first time in the UAE?
I was inspired to paint the Arab Mona Lisa through a dream. Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa ignited people around the world by its puzzled and impressive smile. I wanted the Arab Mona Lisa portrait to show a fantastic artistic look of the oriental Arab woman. It contains a hidden secret that will be questionable forever, and I am delighted to unveil this portrait for the first time in the UAE at Avenue at Etihad Towers.
What would you like to see, in terms of appreciation for Arab art, in the global art scene?
Generally, I would like to see Arabic art recreated all over the world and consequently adopted by foreign artists.
You’ve received some prestigious commissions in terms of portraits for leading political figures. Tell us more about the process that goes into painting a portrait.
The process begins by searching for the prestigious person to be painted. Then I look at their personality, and analyse photos of them. The photos I look at will be in different contexts to really get the correct identity of my subject.
Are you working on any upcoming projects you can tell us about?
I am working on a number of architectural engineering projects, one of which is completely unique and the only one of its kind in the world. In terms of exhibitions, I will have a charity exhibition in the Levant region shortly.
