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Arabia Felix Magazine A Contemporary Female Artist in Yemen: Amnah Al-Nasieri Discusses her Work By Gene McHugh January 1, 2006, 00:01
I had made an assumption that any sort of contemporary art scene in Yemen was inert. But, of course, I was soon challenged and made to eat my words. I found myself in a small gallery off of the Saila where a stack of postcards caught my eye.
"Huh... I wonder what these are. They don't look half-bad." I picked up a stack of these postcards and flipped through. Again, it was "Huh..." I liked them. They were these chromatic abstractions engulfed in a void of black, they were the Yemen I had sensed in my travels except through the eyes of an overimaginative child in the grips of a rather nasty fever dream. And there was method to these bursts of madness. Comprehension was inevitable. Who made these? They can't be Yemeni, can they?
And, of course, where else would this artist call home? Yemen is a special place. It really is. There's something otherworldy that seeps in and nuzzles against your heart and your soul and your secret conversations with yourself. The artist was a woman named Amnah Al-Nasieri. She had a Sana'a address and I proceeded to track her down and see if I might ask her a few questions and have her fill me in on her ideas about art and about Yemen and about art in Yemen. I met Al-Nasieri in her studio and had a look around while a documentary film crew wrapped up their own interview with her. Shortly later I was able to introduce myself formally. She was very friendly and offered me a cookie.
AF -How did you get your start? How did you first become interested in painting? A AN - My parents were in the intellegensia so it was always encouraged. I feel as though I was very lucky to have my parents be so liberal. So, I was always painting all over everything and acting like a weird person. This continued until after high school education when I was accepted to a very good and well-known art school in Moscow. I was surprised that I was accepted. There were these artists from China AF - How would you describe your work at this early point in your career? A AN - It was abstract at that time and very much from my imagination. AF - Is abstract art popular in Yemen? A AN - The people in Yemen are generally not interested in my work. I mostly sell paintings to Europeans. I feel that the reason for this, though, is not because they are not smart, but that there needs to be a good economy so people can become educated. Yemenis are naturally so intelligent. We need to increase the economy in this country to create a better art culture. Also, I believe Yemeni artists should try to combine different types of art. I went to Italy and I was very interested in the way that the different types of art merged and came together. I have recent paintings that I made in conjunction with a Yemeni poet. I like these very much. I never see any Yemeni painters going to poetry recitals or musical events. I hope this could change, because now most Yemeni artists make the old type of art for tourists basically. I think this could be better if we opened ourselves. AF - How does Yemen inspire your work? A AN - Yemen touches me in a sub-counscious way. The mud houses that you see in many of my pieces are an inspiration. I love the classic Yemeni mud houses and you see them in my work because I believe they speak to people in a way that stone houses or tall office buildings cannot. The mud is earthy and it has an organic energy. Art is not academic, either. Sometimes my art can be very childish, because I paint with my heart and not my head. I am also a Professor of Philosophy at the University, but when I make art, I am not the professor in the classroom. I am using different parts of myself. There is no theory in art. You may have a theory or philosophy and it will come through but you cannot try to say it directly. That is not art. Copyright © 2005 - 2007 Arabia Felix. http://www.arabia-felix.com |
