In a small room full of easels, paints and canvases at Dubai’s Rashid Centre for the Disabled on Tuesday morning, 25 children between the ages of 12 and 18 looked on in excitement as Hesham Malik explained the process of painting and then let them get their hands dirty.
The 39-year-old Indian artist, who divides his time between Dubai and Bahrain, where he was born and raised, was working on a one-day project with special-needs children at the centre.
“The idea is that the work should be a collaboration between me and them,” says Malik.
The paintings, along with 20 others donated by the artist, will not be exhibited but will go on auction at One&Only Royal Mirage hotel in Dubai next month. The event is being held in partnership with Sotheby’s and all proceeds will go to Rashid Centre.
Together, Malik and the children produced four canvases – two of which the artist had already outlined with a Kufic Arabic script, while children painted the background of the other two, which Malik will later adorn with calligraphic details.
Malik, who has exhibited frequently in the UAE and whose artworks feature in private collections all over the world, says collaborating with kids is one of the most rewarding parts of his work.
“In the few hours I have been here, these children have not stopped smiling,” he says. “They are very happy and, unlike adults, they paint how they feel.”
Ritu Chaturvedi, one of the head art teachers at Rashid Centre for the Disabled, says this kind of interaction is invaluable for the children.
“Art is for everyone and it is everywhere,” she says. “There are no rules in art as there are in maths and the children can really be free. It is a wonderful experience for them and helps with many of their motor and cognitive skills.”
Coloured Tweets
Rashid Centre was also the venue for the launch of the second edition of the week-long Dubai International Art Symposium. Seventeen international artists have been invited to join 13 UAE-based artists to create paintings within the halls of the centre, where the children were encouraged to interact with the artists.
For the 2015 edition, the artists have been asked to choose their subject matter from a selection of the Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s tweets, all which of have a humanitarian theme. The artists chose the tweets on Tuesday, April 14,and will work on their paintings over the course of the week at Rashid Centre, allowing visitors to watch the artworks being created, and to view the finished paintings at the end.
Aljona Shapovalova, a Russian artist, picked a tweet that read: “We do not want our youth to be just dreaming about their future; we want to help them fulfil their dreams.”
“For me, this is a very inspiring statement and it is the perfect subject to choose while working inside this centre for children with special needs,” says Shapovalova, adding that she visualised the tweet as a painting with shells as a bridge between the past and the future. “I will use spiral shells as they are a symbol of infinity.”
The German-Syrian artist Bahram Hajou says he would choose to depict a tweet about women’s rights: “Women proved themselves in many workplaces and today, we want them to have a strong presence in decision-making positions in our institutions.”
“This subject is very important to me,” says Hajou. “All my paintings are on the subject of women and children.”
Abdul Karim El Sayyed, a Palestinian artist who has been living in Dubai for 40 years, also said he takes inspiration from Sheikh Mohammed’s words about women.
“All of the words and poetry of Sheikh Mohammed are really inspiring for me as an artist,” says El Sayyed. “He covers many subjects and topics that are close to my heart and this symposium gives us the chance to address these in our work.”
The paintings will all be sold at an auction in November to raise funds for Rashid Centre.
• The Dubai International Art Symposium: Coloured Tweets runs until Monday, April 20, and is open to the public from 10am to 6pm daily
aseaman@thenational.ae
