Today, The Art Blog takes a moment to sit down with one of our UAE-based artists to take a closer look at her career and her practice. Loubna Abdelkrim is a linguist and an artist. She works as a translator and considers the skill of carefully considering words and meaning as being similar to translating a picture onto a blank canvas. She is from Morocco and has lived in Abu Dhabi for eight years.
Q: You trained as a linguist, what propelled you to go into art?
Art is a passion that I have carried with me since childhood. I was only fourteen when I won an art prize in my home town of Rabat. Since then, I was hooked on art. Later on, I got a degree in English literature and went on to work as a translator and PR specialist. My career may seem different from my hobby but, for me, dealing with words with such a care as to convey the right meaning in another language is also a sort of art. It is just as majestic as translating a real life picture onto a blank canvas.
Q: So, you are self taught. Did you experiment with different mediums to get to your current style?
That is correct. I am a self-taught artist who has acquired artistic skills through research, practice, visiting art museums and exhibitions and taking some workshops to enhance my performance. I use mixed techniques and work mostly with acrylic and oil paints to create realistic pictures of everyday life with an abstract touch...this leap from the known to the unknown is what motivates me and makes painting an extremely exciting experience for me.
Q: Are your paintings inspired by your Moroccan heritage?
Not all my paintings can be described this way. Moroccan heritage is a theme I chose for my solo exhibition that took place last year in Abu Dhabi at the Millennium Hotel. The purpose was to pay tribute to my beloved country through bright and happy paintings, which raise awareness in the UAE about our rich culture.
Q: Do you also find inspiration from the UAE and the community here?
There are actually so many common features shared between the Emirati and the Moroccan culture. This definitely inspires me. The UAE is home to a rich traditional heritage which has been strongly influence by the environment. It is unique in the variety of its nature from deserts, mountains, rivers, to shores and coral beaches, which are all reflected in the exceptional lifestyle of the Emiratis. This makes it a tempting area to explore in an artistic way.
Q: Is Abu Dhabi a good place to pursue an interest as an emerging artist?
The art scene in Abu Dhabi is growing slowly but in a smart and steady manner. Compared to Dubai, I believe there is more opportunity for me or for any other artist to emerge and be noticed. So many places here are ready to welcome emerging artists and they do support new ideas and new creations, whether galleries, foundations or hotels. Efforts of individual artists also count here such as the Abu Dhabi Art Collective, of which I am a member. It is a community platform to reach out to the public through artistic activities such as exhibitions for art, musical evenings, poetry and even jewellery making.
Q: Do you have any exhibitions coming up that we should watch out for?
I have an idea in mind that is going to free my paintings from being confined to gallery walls but this is still a plan in the making, hopefully I will reveal more details soon.
