Emirati artist recalls the journey of UAE art scene

Gulf News

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00:00The stunning transformation in the UAE's art scene is probably best explained through

00:08the eyes of one of the UAE's most treasured artists, Abdel Kader al-Reis.

00:13Born in 1951, al-Reis is one of the first Emirati artists to emerge on the international

00:17art scene.

00:18He was only 17 when his first painting was sold in 1968.

00:21I remember during the 70s, especially when I finished my high school in Kuwait, I came

00:28back.

00:29If you want, for example, art material, it was difficult to find.

00:35I think it was one place, they have only just a few colors, a few things, but most of the

00:42material wasn't available.

00:44Of course, no galleries, and also no bookshop to buy art books and art magazines.

00:52Drawn to art from childhood, al-Reis took every opportunity to express himself through

00:56art.

00:57With his art studio, one of the two located in his home, it is hard to imagine the scene

01:01al-Reis describes of the old days.

01:03You can't compare it between now and 70 or 71 or 72.

01:12For example, I came back when I was learning in Kuwait.

01:19I tried to finish high school in the Emirates, in Dubai, and then I go back to Kuwait to

01:27continue and then come back again.

01:29Why?

01:30Because here, really, there is nothing.

01:34As he grew up, the lack of opportunities in the art scene saw al-Reis give up his beloved

01:37passion of art for a more dependable job at the then Ministry of Labor.

01:41It was in the mid-80s that the self-taught artist returned to the art scene after much

01:44encouragement from his wife.

01:46In the 1990s, there was the development of the Sharjah Art Museum, which was instrumental

01:50for artists of the time.

01:51They were working very good to support art and who's like to learn art and they have

02:00also a small studio for learning.

02:04Although the scene was changing for the better, there were still challenges for artists.

02:08What kept al-Reis going was the continuous support from the country's leaders.

02:11Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, really, he and his wife, Sheikh Salama, was the reason which

02:20they made me continue to work, especially in the beginning of 1980s.

02:28I stopped for years, 12 years, and then when I came back to paint and do art and I do exhibitions

02:41in Abu Dhabi, she was supporting.

02:46She collected a lot of my pieces from the beginning, from that time, and alhamdulillah,

02:54really, and also Sheikh Mohammed in his office, they have a lot of my artwork.

03:00And all of this, it was from the beginning of 1990.

03:05I remember two years before when I was in the exhibition, Sheikh Mohammed asked me,

03:13how many time you take when you finish this kind of painting?

03:19And I know what he was asking this question.

03:25I answered him, that's only 36 years only.

03:31And he said, oh, because without that 36 years experience, you can't do it.

03:39Abdul Qader al-Rais is a firm believer that the unification of the UAE has helped foster

03:44the growing art scene in the country.

03:46The unity of Emirates, or we call it the Tehad, this is something really make different in

03:56the life of people and also the level of everything, everything has become better and better.

04:05And artists like him have paved the way for the youth of today to help set the UAE as

04:09a rising star in the global art community.

04:12Logan Fish for Gulf News.

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