Art is a truly unique phenomenon that affects how people interpret life and what lens they take to the environment and people around them. Therefore, producing art could be represented both as a creative and therapeutic process, as well as an attempt at creating a unique conversation with millions of people. In the collection of art pieces discussed below, a combination of a personal narrative and the sociopolitical, sociocultural, and socioeconomic changes observed in the present-day world has been incorporated. By integrating traditional means of artistic expression with some of the more recent ones, the art pieces in question communicate crucial social issues in a new and unusual way, inviting observers to thin and engage in the conversation about the subject at hand.
The artworks represented below have been arranged in groups of three, which helps to introduce a sense of cohesion. As a result, each of the sets establishes a part of the greater narrative and allows viewing them as the extension of a persona story. Thus, the perspective of an individual is combined with the larger critical lens, utilizing the form and the expression tools such as the medium, shape, and color, to offer criticism regarding some of the current events.
The first art piece to consider is a set of three images portraying a skeleton with his eyes, ears, and mouth covered in each picture separately. Representing a variation of the famous three wise monkeys, namely, the creatures that represent the unwillingness to see, hear, or speak evil, the specified triptych pushes the idea further by introducing new elements such as the face mask to it. As a result, the problem of transparency in the current political strategies of governments toward the people that they have sworn to protect and represent is discussed. Moreover, the pictures in question raise the issue of death, which is usually seen as a taboo subject in social discussions. Although the image in question is admittedly provocative, outlining the current conflict regarding the measures undertaken by state authorities to shield people from the disease, it encourages viewers to consider their current stance on the issue critically. Thus, the picture allows viewers to reconcile with their own mortality and confront the related fears.
Inspired by the concept of the life wheel, the art piece in question draws the audience’s looks to it due to the unusual and appealing color palette, as well as the smooth shapes that have a most calming effect. The image captures the floating and fluctuating nature of life in general. Specifically, the image is represented primarily by wavy shapes and lines that tend not to take any easily recognizable form and, instead, encourage the audience to see their imagination in order to decipher the intended manning of the art piece. Additionally, the choice of the color palette also inspires the viewer to embrace the complexity of life. Namely, in the image, the calm and soothing colors of purple and pink are set against the vibrant lime green. As a result, the image incorporates the complexity of life and the ways in which it manifests itself and the calm., soothing lines and colors, thus, creating conflict, attracting the attention of the audience and introducing a mystery into the general artistic narrative.
Next, the image referring to the picturesque landscapes of Saudi deserts is introduced. The painting uses traditional medium of oil to represent the conflict between nature and nurture in the context of the present-day setting. Specifically, the green contrasting gates placed amidst a desert illustrate the progress of the humankind in its conquering of nature as the ongoing urbanization process. Similarly, the contrast between the colors of the gates and the landscape is called to emphasize the end to introduce an immediate action to keep the Saudi residents safe from the threat. The paining also communicates its troubling message by introducing the contrast between nature and the humankind. Namely, in the painting, a human portrayed in it is shown as infinitely minuscule, epically compared to the vast horizon. Thus, the conflict between the humankind and nature is depicted quite accurately and in a very nuanced way. Specifically, instead of drawing the viewer’s attention immediately to the idea in question, the artist allows the audience to adjust their vision to the art piece and its delicate color palette, only to denote the jarring difference between the portrayal of the human as a minuscule element compared to the remaining gigantic items in the scene.
The next set of images might seem to be two pictures placed next to each other entirely by mistake. Demonstrating complete disagreement in styles and color schemes, the paintings encourage the audience to consider the issue of vaccination and the implications of refusing to accept it. Namely, the phenomenon of immunization in the context of the coronavirus has gained quite close attention of the media and the press, as well as the general audiences. The painting in question introduces the topic in question in a slightly different light, pointing to the fact that the concept of immunization has been politicized to the point where it has lost lots meaning completely. Indicating complexity of the issues at hand, the painting depicts a literal hand with a clock in it. Apart from rendering the topic of nature versus nurture mentioned above, the image in question outlines the unstable and fluctuating nature of time. The portrayal of the ocean in the first image in the picture supports the specified interpretation, allowing it to shine among the rest of the paintings and attracting the artist particularly well.
The next set of paintings represents a rather unusual theme since it allows shifting the narrative toward the concept of historical drawings and help to represent the multifaceted concept of contemporary art as the notion that may mask a range of threats, including the one of failing to make art represent the sociocultural context in which it was produced. Therefore, the opportunity to portray some of the more recent political and social issues occurring in Middle East presently. Specifically, the final set of three paintings in the specified part of the exhibition is supposed to reflect the terrors of Beirut bombings of 2020. The choice of the contrasting red color is deliberate in these paintings since it allows reflecting the menacing nature of the attack and the deaths of multiple civilians. Thus, while represented in a simplistic form, the Beirut catastrophe gains a new meaning in this set of three paintings.
Therefore, the painting under analysis shows the mysterious nature of the universe and the world around by depicting the images that emphasize the striking contrast between the world of people and that one of nature. Arguably, the first painting allows viewing the two worlds, thus creating a rather unsettling and unusual feeling. Finally, being miniature paintings themselves, stamps could be seen as miniscule art pieces, which renders the image in question the painting of a painting. As a result, the perspective that the artwork lends narrowed down, helping the audience to appreciate the painting in its unadulterated simplicity.
The paintings drawn during my high school period also reflect an important phase in my development as an artist. Specifically, the artworks in question illustrate the role of spiritual development in perceiving the world around us. Specifically, the role of spirituality and, particularly, religion is examined through the lens of the pandemic. The inscriptions from Quran on the paintings in the image under analysis allow encompassing the wisdom of the Muslim religion. Specifically, the first and the last paintings in this set represent the idea of searching for a means of resolving the issue, with the final painting symbolizing the light at the end of the tunnel as an important metaphor in the Muslim culture. Embodying the concepts of trust and hoe as the central pillars of spiritual development in Islam, the paintings under analysis serve as the backbone for the entire exhibition, promoting the significance of life in its form and shapes.
Finally, the last set of artworks entices the viewer immediately with its unique color palette, which sets it apart from other paintings. Namely, the black-and-while color scheme, which imbues the pictures in question with a substantial portion of realism, injects a plethora of hidden layers of meaning into the picture. Specifically, the color scheme in question, combined with the realistic portrayal of key details, creates the theme of a documentary, thus, placing the picture set in question in a very narrow and quite rigid set of standards.
Moreover, the painting under analysis, while being seemingly simple, contains quite a number of nuances that make their understanding quite tricky. Specifically, representing a study of complex architectural forms in drawing, these pencil drafts allow examining the remarkable beauty of geometry and the role of symmetry and evenness as the markers of artificial items. Indeed, while often being captivating in its complexity, the geometrical correctness of shapes and the accuracy of lines is mostly akin to artificially created objects, whereas nature is usually represented by a variety of magnificently inaccurate and uneven forms. Therefore, the drawing under analysis represents the fragile and often unnatural accuracy of architectural symmetry, therefore, creating an ode to the magnificence of artificial structures.
Therefore, apart from their immediate meaning, the artworks in question allow examining different perspectives and philosophies, including that one of the Muslim religion. However, despite incorporating the symbolic elements of the Islamic culture, these paintings and art pieces offer the viewer an artistic shorthand for understanding the intended meaning without the profound knowledge of the culture that has produced it. As a result, opportunities for cultural exchange and the promotion of the dialogue that encourages diversity become possible. In this context, art becomes not only a reflection on the events that have shaped the life of an artist but also an invitation to interpret them for multiple audiences, thus, adding their experience to the general picture.
Consequently, the idea of transforming one’s art as an attempt at depicting personal development and the attempts at making an improvement remains an important part of the set in question. In fact, stretching the specified notion, one could argue that every painting in the described range of sets examines the specified concept of undergoing change as a necessary and unavoidable part of life. Therefore, gaining additional philosophical depth, the set in question serves as the art piece that completes the entire composition, serving as the idea that may have given the initial push to the creation of this exhibition and the concluding thought that summarizes its intended meaning. Therefore, the artworks in question have served their purpose of demonstrating the evolution of thought and matter.
A unique combination of artistic tools and techniques, as well as sociocultural ad sociopolitical themes, in the art pieces represented above, helps to offer a new perspective on current issues and raises a crucial discussion about the current states of the global community. Namely, the issues of openness, diversity, and the importance of personal and professional evolution are tackled in this exhibition. With every item being represented as a part of a three-element sets, the painting under analysis represent the crucial idea of change as a vital part of the human life. The richness of colors, types of expression, form, shape, and materials used in the paintings allows mimicking the complexity of life itself, thus, bringing the entire art piece to its completion. Thus, incorporating high thematic richness and introducing the viewer to the notions of the cross-cultural dialogue, flexibility of time, and the role of personal development, the paintings under analysis demonstrate the significance of diversity as the foundation for the very existence of art.