WUNRN
SAUDI ARABIA - WOMAN ARTIST PAINTS
WOMEN WITH CULTURE & FEMININITY, BUT FOR WOMEN'S EQUALITY, AGAINST
VIOLENCE
Mohammedi employs traditional Islamic and pre-Islamic
patterns in her works. (Courtesy of Saudi Gazette)
Saudi Gazette, Jeddah - 26 October 2014
It is
hard to imagine that a shy, giggly woman like Ghada Al-Mohammedi is responsible
for creating the colorful and expressive paintings currently on display at the
French Consulate General in Jeddah.
The
paintings convey a powerful call for equality of the sexes.
At
28, Mohammedi knows exactly what she wants to convey to the public: “My message
is that a woman is a human,” she explained on the sidelines of the opening
event on Tuesday, adding: “She is not of less value [than a man].”
The
reality in her culture is different, according to Mohammedi. Women are painted
with their head down, clearly suffering from the country’s mainstream views and
opinions concerning their role in society. Statements in English and Arabic are
written around them, giving the impression of a collage.
On
the other hand, Mohammedi employs traditional Islamic and pre-Islamic patterns
in her works. “I travel, through my paintings, to the past,” she said about the
triangles, dots and other geometric figures in her more abstract works, which
she uses to express the love she has for her culture.
The
view that Mohammedi’s criticism about the role of women in her society appears
to contradict her love for Arab culture is something the painter does not share
but is unable to comment on. The two themes — women and traditional patterns —
are even combined in some of her works, and despite her culture’s shortcomings,
Mohammedi has a strong urge to proudly present it to the world, or, in this
case, France.
French
Consul General Louis Blin was full of praise for the young artist who graduated
in sociology from
“Ghada
Mohammedi paints the adult world with childhood lines and colors,” Blin said,
describing her work, adding that through this, she invites her audience to
introspect.
“Her
paintings invite us to enter a world of tenderness,” he continued. “It is
mainly a women's world, full of delicacy and fragility, filled with nostalgia
for childhood.”
However,
Blin noted that her work is not all about lively colors and patterns, as her
paintings of women convey a strong sense of melancholy and “revolt that rejects
any violence.”
It is
a different way to express the things many Saudi women of her generation
demand: more freedom, more equality, and a more visible role in the society
they dearly love despite all its shortcomings.
Ghada
Al-Mohammedi’s paintings will be on display at the Cultural Section of the
French Consulate General in Jeddah until Oct. 30 during the consulate’s regular
working hours.
This
article was first published in the Saudi Gazette
on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014.