Creating vibrant images of UAE culture is Budour Al Ali’s speciality.
The 30-something Emirati artist, who has been painting since she was a teenager, is showing her works in a solo exhibition titled Beauty of Nature and Desert Life in the UAE in the capital's Al Seef Mall.
The artist’s paintings have been displayed in the United States, United Kingdom, Morocco, Singapore and Switzerland, but she says this is the first time she has had a show in a shopping centre.
“At first, I was against the idea, subscribing to the belief that art is a luxurious thing that shouldn’t be reachable to just anyone,” she says. “But I was wrong and I quickly changed my mind. I’m so glad I did.
“I’ve received such wonderful feedback. Emiratis tell me how much they appreciate these glimpses of our culture and many stop to take selfies of themselves beside the large portraits of His Highness Sheikh Zayed [founding President of the UAE], God rest his soul.
“And expatriates get to see the different parts of our culture through these paintings, where I have specifically focused on the beauty of the UAE.”
One painting depicts a traditional Emirati bride, covered in henna and in jewellery.
“Emiratis can immediately tell that she’s a bride, and say, ‘This is our culture, this is how our grandparents got married – look at the gold, the henna’,” says Al Ali. “But expatriates have to be told that she is a bride, they wouldn’t know otherwise.”
Exhibiting in a mall, she says, provided her with a different experience and the opportunity to display paintings that are affordable to many (prices start at Dh1,750).
“I haven’t sold any paintings yet, but that’s OK – I’ve had a lot of publicity and I ran out of the 350 brochures I had printed and had to reprint some more,” says Al Ali.
“Besides, it’s not just about the exhibition. I am giving back to my country, as a young, open, modern Emirati who can tell people about the UAE through my art. I am telling a story of my traditions and my culture.”
Al Ali, who recently resigned from her job as auditor and accountant, says the job had taken up a lot of her time.
“I sometimes feel that corporate life kills creativity, so I’ve chosen to take a few months off and see how far I can go with art,” she says.
She paints for at least five hours a day, and later this year hopes to release a coffee-table book of her paintings of horses, accompanied by self-reflective observations. “Like art and like everything to do with my country, horses are a passion for me. I participate in endurance races, I train and own horses, and I can’t stop painting them.”
• The Beauty of Nature and Desert Life in the UAE is at Al Seef Mall until August 20. Follow @budouralali on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.budours.com
artslife@thenational.ae
