A creative bond

Take six young women, all beautiful and clever, but with two things in common that may be even more crucial in shaping their future: their Emirati roots and their passion for art. Together they make up Mizmah, the art world equivalent of a girl band, founded in October 2008 by six graduates from Sheikh Zayed University in Abu Dhabi. “We chose the name Mizmah because it means container,” says one of the members, Noora Ramah, aged 21, who was born in Abu Dhabi of Egyptian parents but holds an Emirati passport. She graduated from the university in January with a major in visual arts, video and photography. “We are six girls with very different talents and areas of artistic expertise. The idea is that we can put everything together in this one place, this container.” The women are all keen to be recognised as Emirati artists and to represent their country abroad: at the moment, they are working on a show at the Swiss Ambassador’s residence in Abu Dhabi. The women have a deep sense of commitment to their nation and to their history. They met while they were at university. They all took art classes together and became friends. The idea of a group was first mooted among the six of them, as well as some other students, while they were on a trip to Bulgaria. When they came back it was clear the six girls were the ones who were committed to the concept of a group and Mizmah was formed, with its core values of mixing tradition with the modern. “For me the mix between modern and my [traditional] culture is what makes UAE art unique,” says Hyam al Murekhi, who is 24 and graduated with a degree in graphic design in 2007. “I want them to say, ‘she’s an Emirati artist’, and for there to be a style that people will recognise as Emirati. I firmly believe that one day we will see a famous Emirati artist. We are really growing fast.” Even five years ago it would have seemed improbable that an internationally renowned curator such as Anne Baldassani, who is the director of the Picasso museum in Paris, would be able to source 165 works by 65 Emirati artists to show at an exhibition held at Gallery One at the Emirates Palace hotel earlier this year. Although there are no other artist groups like Mizmah, there are other female stars such as Lateefa Bint Maktoum, Reem al Ghaith and the Dubai-based photographer Lamya Gargash. This weekend sees the ceremony to start the construction of the Louvre in Abu Dhabi. Maybe by the time it is built, curators will be clamouring to buy locally produced art by them and others like them. Noora says the concept of past and present is the main idea behind Mizmah. “We want to mix tradition and modern life together,” she explains. “Lots of people paint the desert, the palm trees and a camel, which is all fine – we can see them – but what else is there to portray? We want to show them that tradition can be modern too.” At the moment she is looking for work while keeping herself busy with Mizmah projects, such as one the group is working on for the Swiss ambassador here, Wolfgang Amadeus Bruelhart. He explains the brief: “I wanted to create an art project where elements of Switzerland and the UAE are integrated. I had come across the girls in an article in The National and contacted them. We met several times and decided to paint huge canvases, which will hang on the walls of the residence.” This is the third art installation the Swiss ambassador has organised in Abu Dhabi. But it is the first one by the women and also the only one to be displayed at his home. The others have been at the Swiss embassy. “During the process, the residence was transformed into an art studio,” he says. “It was great. The thinking behind the initiative was to create a cultural exchange between the two countries.” In the case of this project the women came up with 12 sketches, and the ambassador chose six. “We met and we all had ideas about how best to combine the two cultures,” says Hyam. “We ended up mixing the UAE and Switzerland by using the cross as a symbol and by putting in quotes in Arabic from Sheikh Zayed, Sheikh Khalifa and Sheikh Mohammed; quotes about the nation, culture and education. I think the symbol and the words work very well together and bring the two cultures together, too.” This Swiss commission is just one of several projects the girls have worked on together since they founded Mizmah. The previous one was a commission from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and his wife Sheikha Salama. “They have a massive collection of masterpieces and they invited the most important art collectors from all over world to see the collection,” explains Noora. “We were asked to take the guests on a tour of the pieces and looked after them at the palace.” Buthena al Murekhi (no relation to Hyam), 22, graduated in June 2008 with a degree in graphic design. “I loved talking to the collectors,” she tells me. “And of course the collection was incredible, just about every great artist you have ever heard of and more. The paintings were displayed in tents all over the palace grounds. It was an amazing experience.” Buthena has been working as a graphic designer for the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority since November. “I work from 7am to 3pm and the rest of the time I am with the group,” she says. “I am happy that I am starting my career. This is my job, but of course my designing is related to the company. With Mizmah I can express myself more, share my ideas and show how I feel.” (Sometimes work commitments get in the way of their artistic ambitions. One of the members, Mouza al Mazroui, wasn’t available the day of the interview and photographs due to her flourishing interior design business.) When the girls are presented with a brief they all think about it for a few days, then they meet up to brainstorm and see which direction works best. Buthena explains how the creative process works. “We come up with an idea and a theme and we all express our own ideas according to same theme. Although we are a group, we each express ourselves differently, but one idea keeps us together. Working in a group is very interesting. I think it is stronger – two heads better than one – but we retain our own individuality and identity within the group.” But with six lively and intelligent women, all expressing their own opinions, there must be disagreements – what happens then? “We vote,” says Noora. “And if there are three on each side then we either flip or a coin or go for a totally different concept.” “It’s a kind of democracy,” adds Buthena. “But we try to make everyone agree.” Most of the time they find that working together helps their creative process. “I work with the group as well as alone,” says Sara al Aidarous, 22, who studied interior design and graduated in January this year. “Working together is a very different thing and is more motivating. I enjoy the brainstorming sessions and the process of coming up with ideas.” Noora al Qubaisi, also 22, will graduate in June this year with a degree in mixed media and says she enjoys the camaraderie of the group. “These are my friends and I am very happy to work alongside them. I look forward to coming to work every day. It’s the best job ever. There is a real sense of closeness. We understand each other’s thoughts. The atmosphere is always happy and smiling. The group makes creating more hectic and more fun. The creative tension is fun; it pushes us to work harder, to come up with something bigger and better. I am proud of our achievements, but we can do a lot better.” The work they have taken on, individually and as a group, is influenced by their surroundings. For example, as a student Buthena was given the theme of seeing and non-seeing to work with. “It was a photographic assignment and I came up with the idea of photographing workers on construction sites; they are out of sight when working and then out of site once the building is completed. You don’t really think of them as people with an identity, but you just see them as workers who do the job and then go. And when they are working they are almost part of the monument, like ants attached to it.” A recent exhibition they worked on was a selection of images based on the burqa for the Bastakiya gallery in Dubai. “We all came up with ideas around the theme of the burqa,” says al Qubaisi, “and then we selected the ones we liked the most. We’re really proud of the exhibition, it really combined our core values.” Noora al Qubaisi says her inspiration comes from the past. “I was inspired from the patterns on my grandmother’s hands or the way she wore her sheila: little everyday things in traditional life.” She started out studying accountancy. “I always wanted to go into arts, ever since I was tiny,” she says. “I always looked at how things were drawn and how people dressed. I drew ever since I was a child and started taking courses. One of my early teachers suggested I continue, but I went into accountancy instead because my parents thought it was a more secure job. But sometimes you have to gamble. After a couple of years I couldn’t stand it. I knew then I had to pursue arts. Also people kept asking me, ‘How come you’re an accountant? You should be an artist.’ Luckily my parents trusted in me and my decision.” Most of the girls, such as Hyam, have wanted to be an artist since they were very young. “I always wanted to be an artist,” she says. “The problem is my family is all in business: my father, my mother and my brothers. I am the only one out of line. They didn’t stand against me, but they would have preferred me to be a business major. But I can’t be something I am not.” She has no regrets about her decision. “I would tell anyone, major in the thing you love. You don’t want to regret not doing so in the future. Follow your dream and what you feel intuitively.” Sara was inspired by her parents to take up art. “My mother was always into art and my father is an architect,” she says. “And I was very much encouraged throughout my education by both my parents and the state to develop my artistic side.” Partly because of the support they have received, all the girls feel they want to give something back to the UAE. “Our aim as a group is to be world known and to represent our country in a good way,” says Hyam. “We want to be heard, we want to show people that there are talents here,” adds Buthena. Sara says the group is ambitious. “This Swiss project has been great experience for us, and it’s good to have our art exposed to Switzerland. Two months ago we showed our work in Bahrain. These are all decisions we make together for the future success of Mizmah.” Along with Emily Doherty, a professor at Sheikh Zayed University, Mizmah is organising the first Fringe Abu Dhabi (FAD) art fair. “It is a place where everyone can go and see emerging artists from the Middle East,” says Noora al Qubaisi. “It will probably run in conjunction with Art Paris in November.” If the girls have anything to do with it, they will be bigger than the Spice Girls by then. The Mizmah exhibition at the residence of the Swiss ambassador in Al Bahia, Abu Dhabi can be visited by appointment. Please call 02 563 2366.

“We chose the name Mizmah because it means container,” says one of the members, Noora Ramah, aged 21, who was born in Abu Dhabi of Egyptian parents but holds an Emirati passport. She graduated from the university in January with a major in visual arts, video and photography. “We are six girls with very different talents and areas of artistic expertise. The idea is that we can put everything together in this one place, this container.”

The women are all keen to be recognised as Emirati artists and to represent their country abroad: at the moment, they are working on a show for next week’s Venice Biennale. “This is such a major event for us,” says Noora. “We were totally shocked when they told us we would be participating. We’re so excited about it.” Each of the six young women will produce one piece of work to show at the UAE pavillion. Among them will be a video installation, a photograph and a sculpture. For this the group will not be working together, but all six will be represented, and representing their nation, which is crucial to them all. Especially as this is the first time a GCC country has been invited to exhibit in Venice.

The women have a deep sense of commitment to their nation and to their history. They met while they were at university. They all took art classes together and became friends. The idea of a group was first mooted among the six of them, as well as some other students, while they were on a trip to Bulgaria. When they came back it was clear the six girls were the ones who were committed to the concept of a group and Mizmah was formed, with its core values of mixing tradition with the modern.

“For me the mix between modern and my [traditional] culture is what makes UAE art unique,” says Hyam al Murekhi, who is 24 and graduated with a degree in graphic design in 2007. “I want them to say, ‘she’s an Emirati artist’, and for there to be a style that people will recognise as Emirati. I firmly believe that one day we will see a famous Emirati artist. We are really growing fast.” Even five years ago it would have seemed improbable that an internationally renowned curator such as Anne Baldassani, who is the director of the Picasso museum in Paris, would be able to source 165 works by 65 Emirati artists to show at an exhibition held at Gallery One at the Emirates Palace hotel earlier this year.

“The UAE should get some recognition for what is going on within the country,” Tirdad Zolghadr, curator of the UAE pavillion at the Venice Biennale told The National. “In the past we’ve been eclipsed by artists in other countries, but we’re discovering our own art scene. But it’s been moving at such speeds that it’s difficult to judge, to evaluate.” Although there are no other artist groups like Mizmah, there are other female stars such as Lateefa Bint Maktoum, Reem al Ghaith and the Dubai-based photographer Lamya Gargash.

This weekend sees the ceremony to start the construction of the Louvre in Abu Dhabi. Maybe by the time it is built, curators will be clamouring to buy locally produced art by them and others like them. Noora says the concept of past and present is the main idea behind Mizmah. “We want to mix tradition and modern life together,” she explains. “Lots of people paint the desert, the palm trees and a camel, which is all fine – we can see them – but what else is there to portray? We want to show them that tradition can be modern too.”

At the moment she is looking for work while keeping herself busy with Mizmah projects, such as one the group has just finished for the Swiss ambassador here, Wolfgang Amadeus Bruelhart. He explains the brief: “I wanted to create an art project where elements of Switzerland and the UAE are integrated. I had come across the girls in an article in The Nationaland contacted them. We met several times and decided to paint huge canvases, which will hang on the walls of the residence.”

This is the third art installation the Swiss ambassador has organised in Abu Dhabi. But it is the first one by the women and also the only one to be displayed at his home. The others have been at the Swiss embassy. “During the process, the residence was transformed into an art studio,” he says. “It was great. The thinking behind the initiative was to create a cultural exchange between the two countries.”

In the case of this project the women came up with 12 sketches, and the ambassador chose six. “We met and we all had ideas about how best to combine the two cultures,” says Hyam. “We ended up mixing the UAE and Switzerland by using the cross as a symbol and by putting in quotes in Arabic from Sheikh Zayed, Sheikh Khalifa and Sheikh Mohammed; quotes about the nation, culture and education. I think the symbol and the words work very well together and bring the two cultures together, too.”

This Swiss commission is just one of several projects the girls have worked on together since they founded Mizmah. The previous one was a commission from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and his wife Sheikha Salama. “They have a massive collection of masterpieces and they invited the most important art collectors from all over world to see the collection,” explains Noora. “We were asked to take the guests on a tour of the pieces and looked after them at the palace.”