My UAE: The return of Abdul Rauf Khalfan

The Emirati artist Abdul Rauf Khalfan hopes to have his techonologically advanced project ready for Expo 2020.

The Emirati artist Abdul Rauf Khalfan in Dubai with one of his artworks. Satish Kumar / The National

After a few relatively quiet years, the Emirati artist Abdul Rauf ­Khalfan believes that 31 is the perfect age to showcase his new “crazy ideas”.

Khalfan hopes to have his technologically advanced project ready for Expo 2020, in what he believes will be a first for the art world – rotating paintings. “I want to automate them. I want them to be triggered by clapping,” he says.

The paintings comprise four small squares, which can simultaneously rotate to reveal one of four larger images. They form part of a collection, with vases and paintings crafted with similar aesthetics.

“Nothing is impossible” is his mantra. “If I want to fly out of this window,” he says, “I can do it. You have to fly – or you will die.”

Khalfan traces his love of art back to when he was 6, and asked his father for a drawing book, but received a notebook.

Throughout his childhood, Khalfan continued to sketch images in black and white, steamrollering through competitions. He progressed to charcoal drawings of the UAE’s royal families and heritage sites, such as Dubai’s Al Fahidi district.

Colours made their way into his artwork, after he dreamt of a lady collecting shells at the beach – a sight he could not do justice to in black and white.

One of his newest pieces is a large, flat sculpture that incorporates traditional Emirati items – such as coffee pots and ships’ wheels. Khalfan first painted it black, then threw buckets of yellow paint over it.

Meanwhile, he has also crafted two large pieces resembling coins, potentially part of a “coins of the world” project, and is also branching out into fashion – complemented by his trademark “crazy Arabian style”.

Do you have any unrealised ambitions?

I want to hold the Guinness [World] Record for the largest painting in the world.

How have your sketches developed over time?

I have 400 to 600 sketches in my studio. It’s like cars: every year there’s a new BMW, it changes step by step.

Where do you like to relax?

I like to sit by the sea and look at the sunset.

What imagery is common in your colour paintings?

A man, woman, the dove and sea shells.

Do you travel much?

My dream is to travel around the world, but we have a lot of traditions and heritage to discover in the UAE – and when you travel to different countries, you get mixed up.

How do you stay focused?

I think if you have a lot of friends, you will get lost. Do not listen to anybody; it’s between you and God.

What are your large coins made from?

Nakheel – palm trees.

Have you received any feedback on them?

When I showed it to Abu Dhabi people, they went crazy.

Who are your artistic influences?

Why focus on other people? Forget about Picasso; who are you? What are you going to do?