Create & Inspire: Mawadah Muhtasib

A still from Mawadeh Muhtasib’s Create & Inspire short film. (Courtesy: Mawadeh Muhtasib)

This month, as part of the annual Create & Inspire competition, organised by The Crossway Foundation, in partnership with Art Jameel and Qatar Museums, 12 winners from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom travelled to Brazil for a creative adventure.

The Art Blog is following them on their trip with a series of interviews with the winners. They were all selected for their original and imaginative responses to this year’s competition theme: “The World is not Black & White”.

Next up is Mawadah Mohammed Muhtasib, a 19 year old Saudi who is currently studying motion graphic design at Dar al Hekma University in Jeddah and won the competition for a short film, which she called Create & Inspire.

Q: How would you describe your style as an artist?

A: I find that my style is continuously under progress, as I am still developing the artist inside of me. With graffiti art, I have spent the past couple of years creating my own font, which is a mix of Arabic calligraphy and graffiti in reverse. As for filmmaking, I am still striving to accomplish my own unique style.

Q: What is your main source of inspiration?

A: I am influnced a lot by my environment and culture. It is true that I have been inspired by many artists but my main source of inspiration is myself. I find that I have strong determination to improve my skills in many ways, in the hope that one day I too will be able inspire others.

Q: What do you hope to gain from the Create & Inspire programme?

A: This programme is not just enhancing my knowledge through this trip to Brazil but it is also providing me with a life-changing experience that allows us to explore and further discover our capabilities as artists. And this is what I hope to gain from this journey.

Q: What has been the highlight of the trip so far?

A: Everyday is like a whole new world full of amazing journeys. The different sights and sounds of Brazil are genuinely breathtaking and I have never seen anything like it before in my life. Engaging with differeant activities that open my mind as an artist is defintiely the best part so far.

* Follow Mawadah on Instagram and Twitter @ododgallery