About 15 years ago, when Abdulrahman Zainal moved into his current residence – a family villa in Mirdif, Dubai – the first thing he did was set up a studio.
The artist and interior designer, one of the founding members of the UAE’s nascent art movement, drew up plans for a large dome-shaped enclave to be constructed in his garden. Now, The Dome, as he calls it, is where he retreats in the evenings to paint or simply relax.
Zainal completely redecorates the insides of the structure every couple of years. Since its inception, it has been transformed into a mini mountain range, complete with large boulders and a flowing water feature, and an underwater world. It is currently painted in black with glow-in-the-dark stars and planets stuck to the wall, to create an outer-space environment.
“It was always a priority for me to have a place to work,” he says. “So I designed this place as my studio. I love to come here when I want to paint or sketch; it brings me a lot of inspiration.”
Zainal, 64, is one of 15 artists whose work is on display in the National Pavilion of the UAE at this year’s Venice Biennale.
Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, the curator of the exhibition, selected two of his paintings to be displayed. Interestingly, the only sculpture the artist has ever created, Fighting for a Chair, is made from the metal of a water tank and was kept in Zainal's garden until it, too, was shipped to Venice. "This is a political sculpture," says Zainal about the piece. "It is about our life in this world: everyone is fighting to grab a seat and does not care about others or what happens to them. For me, the form or material of the artwork is not important. It is the message that counts."
Having started making artworks during his childhood, Zainal has always experimented with different forms of art and was supported by a creative family, including his elder brother who was a master calligrapher.
His other two artworks on display in Venice are paintings. Arbab ( The Employer) depicts an old man smoking a water pipe in the foreground while a worker toils away in the background. The idea, says the artist, was to show how hard life can be for some employees, especially in the desert heat.
The other, Aggression, is a close- up of a marching soldier's feet stamping on doves, the symbol of peace.
“This is about the war, any war,” he says. “I don’t see anything positive in war – whichever side you are on, you are losing.”
It is these kinds of ethical ideas that Zainal consistently tries to capture.
“I am always trying to show issues in society,” he says. “An artist should feel the world around him and address the problems he sees. It is not as important to be realistic with the characters they paint, but to put across their story.”
Zainal, who previously worked as a set designer for Dubai TV, has had a long and interesting artistic career.
In 1972, he was part of the first art exhibition to be held in the UAE. In 1980, he was part of a group show in the Lancaster Hotel in London's Hyde Park, and in the 1990s, his works were shown in many exhibitions, including the Sharjah Biennial. In 2000, he was the UAE winner of a worldwide painting competition, as a result of which his painting, , was displayed in London at an exhibition opened by Prince Charles.
But having his work at the Venice Biennale is the pinnacle of his career. “It is really a dream,” he says, a huge smile spreading across his face. “I was really very happy to be chosen for this exhibition and it makes me very proud.”
These days, despite still spending much time in his studio, Zainal doesn’t paint as often as he used to but, like most artists, he says he can never stop completely.“Painting is never finished,” he says. “Painting is endless and it is in my blood, so it will be with me always.”
aseaman@thenational.ae
