You can almost hear the ship heaving under the weight of its cargo. On Hadil Moufti’s canvas, depicting Noah’s Ark, a teetering structure of dissected buildings balances on top of the boat base. A mosque’s dome and several arch-like windows are immediately obvious and then, higher up, the buildlings become more abstract, repetitive and fantastical. In a twist of wry humour, the only passengers on the ark are fish. It is a playful twist on the story of Noah; in Moufti’s version, the only ones he saved from the flood are the fish, who of course, can already swim.
In other paintings, towers are prominent. The Tower of Babel is built and then collapsed and other towers loom upwards into the sky, taking the viewer on an imaginary journey. As in her previous works, Moufti uses much repetition - choosing photographs of members of her family to populate her canvases - which are all, in some way, enquiries into her own identity.
She was born in Saudi Arabia but has lived all over the world and as such, feels like she belongs everywhere and nowhere. “Having lived in many different countries, regrettably, or perhaps fortunately, I find I do not have a sense of belonging to any one place or peoples,” she says. “My background has resulted in work that is not relevant to a political or social agenda. The lack of a nation to associate with, coupled with my deep sense of the fantastic, has driven me to create my own universe, expressing a personal point of view of an illusionary world.”
Her studio itself is a window into that world. In these stunning images, taken by Sueraya Shaheen as part of an ongoing series on The Art Blog, where we explore artist’s studios and bring them to you in the form of a photo essay, Moufti can be seen deep in thought and surrounded by the tools that come together to form her fascinating art works.
The architectural element to her work is new. It is much more considered than previous paintings, which have been instinctual and sometimes free flowing. These manipulated images of buildings involve hours of meticulous cutting, something that she breaks up with research and the two combine in the final result.
The beauty of her work is appreciated at first glance but also in the detail. “It is important to me that the image is appreciated from a distance but it is important to me to have that detail close up,” she says. “If someone is willing to give one of my art works the time to spend pondering it, I want to give them some kind of reward for doing so.”
* To see more of Hadil's work visit: www.hadilmoufti.com or on Instagram @hadilmoufti
* For Sueraya’s work follow her on Instagram @sueraya_shaheen
