'Libya has lost one of its great artists': Tributes are paid to photographer Arwa Abouon who died aged 38


Melissa Gronlund
  • English
  • Arabic

The Libyan-Canadian artist Arwa Abouon died at the age of 38 on Tuesday, June 9, in Montreal, where she lived. The cause of death has not yet been announced.

Abouon and her family emigrated from Libya in 1983, settling in Canada while her extended relatives remained in Africa.

Arwa was a deep thinker, a spiritual soul and a humbled human being

Much of the photographer's work was inspired by splits in her identity: being a Muslim Canadian, an emigre whose family straddled two continents, and even an Amazigh (or Berber) Libyan.

Look through the photo gallery above to see more of her work.

Abouon earned an BFA from Concordia University, and her photographs were often autobiographical, dramatising her Western and Muslim identity. This sense of duality was often suggested by her use of diptychs, particularly ones in which images were the reverse of each other.

I'm Sorry / I Forgive You (2012) shows the artist's mother and father in contrasting black-and-white patterns, each making a gesture of forgiveness to the other.

The diptych Mirror Mirror Allah Allah (2012) is a double self portrait. One image shows her wearing black jeans and a top, and in the second image she wears a white hijab. In both, a mirror reflects her other self back to her.

Abouon was aware of the role she played in bridging the two cultures.

"Because I'm also Canadian, I'm aware that my portraits of Muslims or portrayal of Islam are often different than mainstream or media depictions found here," she said in an interview in 2016 with the now-defunct African magazine IAM. "I hope that my work helps build bridges and demystify things. You can see from my family portraits that we're just a regular family!"

'A deep thinker'

Fans took to social media to pay tribute to the artist.

Najlaa Elageli, from Noon Arts Project, shared a touching post on Instagram alongside images of the artist and her work.

"She was as pure as can be. Her art was her her life and saviour," she wrote in a caption, adding that she had worked with the artist numerous times over the years.

"Arwa was a deep thinker, a spiritual soul and a humbled human being. Her passion for peace and serenity lit out of her being. Rose Issa considered her to be one of the most important contemporary female artists to come out of the Mena region and rightly so."

"Libya has lost one of its best contemporary artists," Libyan conceptual artist Tewa Barnosa wrote on Twitter.

Arab photography publication Tribe Magazine also paid tribute, saying: "Thank you for allowing us to witness & engage with beautiful and humbling work, Arwa."

"Libya has lost one of its great artists," added culture platform Reconnecting Arts.

Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

Available: Now

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

MO
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreators%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Amer%2C%20Ramy%20Youssef%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Amer%2C%20Teresa%20Ruiz%2C%20Omar%20Elba%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

Three ways to boost your credit score

Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:

1. Make sure you make your payments on time;

2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;

3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.

The Dark Blue Winter Overcoat & Other Stories From the North
Edited and Introduced by Sjón and Ted Hodgkinson
Pushkin Press 

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Analysis

Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.

The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement. 

We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment. 

 

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

UAE squad v Australia

Rohan Mustafa (C), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Fahad Nawaz, Amjed Gul, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Muhammad Naveed, Amir Hayat, Ghulam Shabir (WK), Qadeer Ahmed, Tahir Latif, Zahoor Khan