Reem Nazir is a Saudi-international artist who remains faithful to her rich heritage and interprets it through unique fine arts.
In an exclusive talk, Reem speaks about the life of an artist, her experiences and success following the worldwide tour of the highly acclaimed exhibition, Hajj Journey Through the Ages.
Reem, please tell us about your journey from Jeddah to the world
I was born in my grandfather’s house in Jeddah’s historic Balad district. My parents divorced in my infancy and I lived with my maternal grandparents in Jeddah back when it was a city just growing beyond its walls. That period made a lasting impression on me. When I was 10 years old, I travelled overseas and joined my father in Brussels, as he was the ambassador of Saudi Arabia. I went to a girl’s school, which was run by nuns and instruction was in French. Travelling between Belgium and Spain, where we spent our summer holidays, improved my language skills in French, Spanish and English. And of course along with my original Arabic mother tongue, with a pronounced Jeddawi accent, which I got from living with my grandmother and aunts, and which I have retained to this day.
In the art world there is an ongoing discussion about academia vs. talent. In your opinion, what contributes to the success of an artist?
There are many art worlds and they are not unified or very defined in my mind. We all live in our surroundings and circumstances, including encounters and experiences. Therefore, our abilities and skills as humans will vary as one expresses oneself using traditional artistic expressions, be it a painting or sculpture. Invariably a mix of talent and academia comes into play whether it is in the form of a structured program or an informal one. We all learn from something or someone one way or another. We then build on that and hopefully get a chance to come on to terms with what we do physically with our hands to translate a thought or idea into a material medium. However, each artistic experience is unique and how an audience receives, interprets or puts a value on it is not within the hands of the artist or the artistic experience.
Knowing that the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Culture has supported your work, what role can the government play to better encourage Saudi talent?
Personally, I am always thankful and appreciative of any form of help or assistance I might get from any contributor. If that assistance comes from our government, I am doubly appreciative. When the government allocates some resources towards art and education, it is an acknowledgment of the positive role that art plays within a society. The art community will certainly benefit from such programs, as will the community at large. This will help establishing a dialogue within and with other societies. I certainly think and believe that is an enlightened attitude and a very positive one.
You have held exhibitions on a global scale, which country has fascinated you the most?
Everywhere one goes there is inspiration but if I have to choose one, it would be Italy.
Hajj Journey Through the Ages is one of your latest and biggest projects to date; how do you prepare yourself creatively for the development of something like this?
As far as the Hajj Journey is concerned, a number of factors were involved. The first step was to decide what were the various stages of such a journey. Once these were determined, I made use of my husband’s reference library and collection of historical photographs to make the final selection. A collaboration followed in the development of the exhibition, which entailed three elements: the series of paintings, other historical images of the scene being depicted in the paintings and thirdly, first person quotations from pilgrims over the past 1400 years, describing that particular stage of the journey.
That particular project sheds light on the beauty of Islam. How important do you think your role is to portray a positive image of the religion considering some negative preconceptions in the West?
My Hajj Journey exhibition was basically intended to portray the beauty of people’s faith, which led them to undertake such a difficult and dangerous journey. It also shows the strides that have been taken in the last fifty years to make that journey more accessible and safer.
Finally, what advice do you have for women who are passionate but often afraid to become professional artists?
My feeling is you don’t choose art, rather art chooses you. What comes after is still a mystery to me. In any case, choosing a career path in art, for both males and females, is easier in the present climate than for previous generations.
Text by Victor Gee
