Pop Artist Khawla Al Marri From Dubai
KHAWLA
AL
MARRI
Her bold evocative Van Gogh strokes in Colorful Dubai and cultural depiction in Women of Arabia, sold at Christie's, speak volumes about the artist. Her pop art and street art is free-spirited, thriving and full of passionate flamboyance.
"My aim is to create cultural and society-related art projects about my country."
She started painting at seven. She sold work at Christie's. She painted on wheelbarrows and vintage cars for the UAE's 40th anniversary, exhibiting outside The Ara Gallery at Burj Plaza. Born and raised in Dubai, Al-Marri grew up in a family of writers, thinkers and readers, the kid who could draw well, and decided to turn that into everything. Her Alice in Wonderland image still stirs the souls of young girls and aspiring artists across the region. Her pop art is bright, unapologetic, and entirely her own.
She paid tribute to the UAE at forty with paintings on unusual objects displayed outside one of Dubai's early art spaces. She represents her country as a young Emirati woman through art that draws from daily life, a quote overheard, a movie scene, the city itself, the people in it. The Middle East is coming around to embracing art. This in itself is the encouragement push, not just for herself, but for all Arab artists.
I'm an artist from Dubai with a B.A. in Media Studies and I'm currently doing my Masters in Marketing Communications. I started my career as a professional artist this past summer when I decided I wanted to be recognised as an Emirati artist.
I love to learn from different artists, especially the ones who left a great mark in the art world. I'm also a great fan of the 80s and 90s. Everything looked different and felt different: music, movies, fashion trends and everything that surrounded me at that time.
To create a huge project about Dubai and exhibit it internationally.
It's my hometown and I love everything about it. I love its beauty and how diverse it is. You can easily work independently in Dubai, start your own business and communicate with others.
What moves me most in life is a creative brain. A person's brain contains beautiful creative ideas.
"I feel that a big part of me wants to create more because I basically love my land and I am truly happy of what I have done so far."
Khawla Al MarriBold evocative Van Gogh strokes applied to the city she loves. Dubai seen from inside the soul of someone who grew up there, not from the outside looking in.
Cultural depiction, sold at Christie's. Representing Arab women through the pop art vocabulary she has made entirely her own. One of her most celebrated works.
National art on unusual objects: wheelbarrows and old vintage cars, displayed outside The Ara Gallery at Burj Plaza. The monument meets the everyday.
Al-Marri was working on an art series about Sherihan, the 80s Arab entertainment icon who added charm to the industry across the Arab world. Performer, singer, dancer, actress: a complete package. The 80s diva as pop art subject: neon colours, flat graphic language, the nostalgia of a generation that grew up watching her. An Emirati artist paying tribute to a pan-Arab icon.
Fragments of meaning: structures, stories, and the visual language of Arab identity through layered painting.
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