Ahaad Adulaziz Alamoudi is a Saudi Arabian artist who grew up in Britain. In this interview she discusses her religion, her heritage and what inspires her artwork. Growing up in the UK has greatly influenced her artistic concepts. Ahaad spoke to Stuart Russell B.E.M in January 2014.
What does the Mud in “Ana� (me) represent? The Mud represents human beings. In my artwork I want to portray the essence of what we are and our relationship to beauty. The Quran states many times that we were created from mud; we are this martial. A product mainly used for construction; we are reforming ourselves and the world around us, constantly pursuing beauty.
Like human beings in nature, my installation are somewhat alive. Through the course of time the mud will eventually dry up. The mud is habited in transparent boxes. The installations habitat will define how the mud is transformed by light and room temperature. Like human beings, or cells in a body, the pieces that make up the whole installation will die and dry up randomly.
Who inspires you to create? My mother is an artist, so I grew up in a very expressive household and art was the medium that helped me express. It defies language, and this helped me a lot when moving from one country to another. I create art to understand and find meaning in things, all of my artworks are messages I am expressing about the world around me.
Is there an artist or sculptor that you aspire to? I don’t really aspire to be any artist, but I am obsessed with a lot of them. One of my favourite artists is Francis Bacon; his works with the human figure and face is so effective and compelling, it has always attracted me. Caravaggio is another artist that interests me. There is so much drama in both of their works, I like them a lot.
You are originally from Jeddah. What is the art world like there, how does it differ from England? The art scene and art communities in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia are rising. People are becoming more aware of the importance of art and the positive effects it has on communities. Many artists from Saudi Arabia, such as, Abdulnasser Algahrem and Ahmed Matter are starting to become known globally and this is a huge development in the arts in this country. Saudi Arabian art in relationship to the art scene in England is far more reserved regarding the content. However with these limitations, artist still find ways get their message across modestly.
How would you describe your artwork to a complete stranger? Time has always influenced me to produce artworks.
Is there a certain place you find most creative? I usually feel most creative and rejuvenated at my grandmother’s house.
What work are you currently producing? I am currently developing my work “Heya” (she). An artwork about women in resemblance to gas. Gas has the ability to diffuse readily and spontaneously. It is uniform
and
distributes
evenly
through
any
environment. In a physical state it is a substance that does not
resist
change
of shape and
will
expand indefinitely to fill any container. If very high pressure is applied to gas it may become liquid or solid. In this artwork, gas becomes a metaphor.
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