If you ask Mariam Al Suwaidi, founder of Gadeemadis and curator of the Islamic Art Forum, why she stands were she does, this is her response.
“At some stage, I felt the need the climb and reach the top of what I enjoy most. Life is about struggling for what we can do best.”
Constantly endeavouring to reveal the innovation, creativity, insightfulness and charm of her Emirati culture, she adds, “This is exactly the root of Gadeemadis”.
Alongside a growing number of UAE-based institutions that nurture emerging and existing talent on a global platform, Al Suwaidi’s initiatives engage a comprehensive long-term strategy to ensure the intellectual and artistic status of the UAE and to explore ever-expanding opportunities in the regional art scene.
Drawing from the cultural fabric of the Emirates, the first edition of the Islamic Art Forum held in 2016 in Abu Dhabi focused on calligraphy to help fill in a gap she observed in the perception of Islamic art.
Striving to promote the evolving nature and enduring relevance of Islamic heritage as it dialogues with both tradition and modernity, Gadeemadis and Islamic Art Forum work together with the Emirati government’s orientation towards dynamism and artistic growth.
“It adds to that movement which communities need in order to prosper,” Al Suwaidi says, indicating that her creative undertakings also have a philanthropic element.
But this is merely a definition of Al Suwaidi as she spearheads the development of an artistic event she hopes will “match the renowned arts events in Kuala Lumpur, Istanbul, Madrid or Moscow”.
Who is the individual behind the scenes and how did she reach this moment? “I have a tendency towards art, it is rooted in my personality,” she explains. “It must have been inherited somehow — studies show that creativity is something we are born with and, as it is well known, many members of my family are related to art and culture.”
Following a strong belief that practice and dedication to what you love will get you ahead, Al Suwaidi recounts her first memories of the beginning of a long-standing relationship with art.
“It wasn’t a single artwork in particular, but I have been so attracted to it since childhood,” she adds, despite going on to study engineering. “I was very impressed by historical architecture such as ... Islamic, early Modernist and Post-Modernist.”
The authenticity and imbued heritage clearly visible within architectural form specifically have elicited a sense of awe and pride within Al Suwaidi and played a key role in developing her concepts and themes.
“Initiating the Islamic Art Forum allows me to visualise its future as an established annual forum,” Al Suwaidi says.
Thinking a few years out is equally as important as her past in positioning herself with the UAE art scene and the region as a whole, and while gender is not a necessary part of that discussion, Al Suwaidi’s philanthropic tendency emerges yet again.
“I would like to see females have more power and set an example for all women out there to believe in themselves, to pursue their dreams.”
As a keen supporter of equal rights in the workplace, home and society at large, this is exemplified by the Islamic Art Forum’s upcoming exhibition Untha from Alef to Ya, which is scheduled for today at the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi in celebration of International Women’s Day where proceeds will go towards the Al Jalila Foundation in collaboration with WOW Middle East, an entity that promotes and awards talented female producers, directors, writers and editors.
The sense of national pride in all that Al Suwaidi does is evident and motivates her desire to help the UAE unleash its potential and unveil a cultural richesse that only recently began to internationally flourish.
“It would take hundreds of lines to describe that fast transition in artistic offerings in the UAE!” she declares. “It is happening, we are witnessing this unique presentation of authentic work through the expansion of spaces and their exhibitions.”
Al Suwaidi, as much as she forges forward in solidifying her contributions, also shows a modest, reflective and possibly even objective side that can only add to her desire to leave a mark that “embraces the most brilliant of contemporary Islamic artwork under one umbrella, able to document and present it for the whole world’s enjoyment.”
Untha from Alef to Ya opens on Tuesday, March 7 at the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi. The second edition of Islamic Art Forum themed Peace will take place in November 2017.
