Tashkeel - Exhibition

<div style=text-align: justify;>PROVERB USED: Go far and come back safe<br /><br />STATEMENT: <br />This chosen Arabic proverb speaks of a reciprocal practice. There is trust in this statement, and an encouragement spoken, to travel uncharted distance, to expand both knowledge and experience, and one day, to return. <br /><br />A lone branch detached from its original state where it began its life, clings to its new environment. In a past life, this was an organism that once thrived and was alive, growing and producing fruit. Stripped down to a tool of communication, it belongs to the scholars, charged with recording history, ancestral maxim and the fruit of our forbearers. The wooden limb shoulders an uninhabited tikitiki (topknot), a former dwelling place and the embodiment of sacred ties to the past. Shaped almost unconsciously, clothed and padded with the material of lineage this enclosure was vital even before conception. <br /><br />We are encouraged to leave and travel great distances across oceans, vast divides, and sometimes desert. We are no longer restricted to our own backyards, but are given the freedom to explore, to venture out and experience other cultures, languages and ways of life. Though the blessing has been given to go forward and boldly navigate the unknown, it is countered with an informatory vow. The abode although vacant, remains and endures as a beacon, ready to embrace a returning traveler.<br /><br />Maori whakatauki (proverb) were passed on in a manner consistent to the tradition of Arabic proverbs. Maori were not customarily writers and prior to the introduction of the pencil, Maori language and proverbial proclamation existed, evolved and was kept alive orally. These inherited whakatauki are abstracts of life experiences, of wisdom obtained through mistake making and the historic challenging of boundaries.’<br /><br /><br />
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Aimee Rose Stephenson

PROVERB USED: As tall as a palm tree with the mind of a goat <br /><br />
<div style=text-align: justify;>STATEMENT: This artwork represents someone who has the look of a young lady but the thinking of a child. She is wearing a clown’s costume to show how funny and silly she is; she is careless, wasting time and money and using technology in a negative way. The golden frame evokes that she always wants to be in focus. I have used magazine papers, wallpapers, crystals, paints, pens, objects like CDs, coins, frame to create this artwork.<br />
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Aisha Al Mehairi

<div style=text-align: justify;>PROVERB USED: The fish darted away, because of too many fishermen<br /><br />STATEMENT: My painting focuses on the issue of overfishing here in the UAE that has resulted in the decline of fish stock and the danger of extinction of some species of local fish. It raises awareness of an important local matter that may have a negative affect on the whole ecosystem if left uncontrolled.<br />Instead of painting the deep blue ocean filled with fish, I decided to do the opposite and paint the sea full of fishing lines and hooks. The fishing lines, which are straight at first, become tangled as they get lower; this idea illustrates how overfishing is a much more complicated issue than we think it is. The suspended lines also form the traditional proverb “The fish darted away, because of too many fishermen” in simple Arabic calligraphy, serving as a warning to follow the regulations and as an explanation of an empty, dark sea.<br /><br /><br />
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<div style=text-align: justify;>PROVERB USED: He who does not have a past, has neither a present nor a future <br /> <br />
<div style=text-align: justify;>STATEMENT: A few metres away from the Union House lay a forgotten gem. Built in 1965 this was a part of a larger scale Hospitality Palace commissioned by the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed, Ruler of Dubai.<br />
</div>The structure included a guest-house with six bedrooms for visiting delegations, a dining hall and kitchen, and an office which His Late Highness used. This building was functioning until the 1990s when it was shut and was only re-opened recently. Many attempts have been made to restore this building, including a project that I worked on myself.<br />Unfortunately, time is going by and it would be a tragedy to lose a symbol that has not only witnessed the unification but represents design of an era and of stories untold.<br />This photographic series is an attempt to document and immortalize something that with time might not be there to share its own story. <br /><br /><br />
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PROVERB USED: Don’t take more than you need, even if you take it from the sea <br />
<div style=text-align: justify;>STATEMENT: People should always think wisely when they spend on their daily life, because you never know what may happen tomorrow or what is coming to someone. If someone is living today in comfort and luxury, maybe tomorrow one will not have these things. Everyone should be prepared for any difficulties in life. <br />
</div>In my photos I wanted to show the basic needs of people and how they suffer to get it - although if we think of ourselves, we waste a lot without thinking about these suffering people. However, I see positivity because some people are still trying to give to these people because it will reflect on their life in good way<br />

PROVERB USED: Don’t take more than you need, even if you take it from the sea <br /><br />
<div style=text-align: justify;>STATEMENT: People should always think wisely when they spend on their daily life, because you never know what may happen tomorrow or what is coming to someone. If someone is living today in comfort and luxury, maybe tomorrow one will not have these things. Everyone should be prepared for any difficulties in life. <br />
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<div style=text-align: justify;>In my photos I wanted to show the basic needs of people and how they suffer to get it - although if we think of ourselves, we waste a lot without thinking about these suffering people. However, I see positivity because some people are still trying to give to these people because it will reflect on their life in good way.<br />
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PROVERB USED: Don’t take more than you need, even if you take it from the sea <br /><br />
<div style=text-align: justify;>STATEMENT: People should always think wisely when they spend on their daily life, because you never know what may happen tomorrow or what is coming to someone. If someone is living today in comfort and luxury, maybe tomorrow one will not have these things. Everyone should be prepared for any difficulties in life. <br />In my photos I wanted to show the basic needs of people and how they suffer to get it - although if we think of ourselves, we waste a lot without thinking about these suffering people. However, I see positivity because some people are still trying to give to these people because it will reflect on their life in good way.<br />
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<div style=text-align: justify;>PROVERB USED: Don’t take more than you need, even if you take it from the sea <br /><br />STATEMENT: People should always think wisely when they spend on their daily life, because you never know what may happen tomorrow or what is coming to someone. If someone is living today in comfort and luxury, maybe tomorrow one will not have these things. Everyone should be prepared for any difficulties in life. <br />In my photos I wanted to show the basic needs of people and how they suffer to get it - although if we think of ourselves, we waste a lot without thinking about these suffering people. However, I see positivity because some people are still trying to give to these people because it will reflect on their life in good way.<br />
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<div style=text-align: justify;>PROVERB USED: Don’t take more than you need, even if you take it from the sea <br />STATEMENT: People should always think wisely when they spend on their daily life, because you never know what may happen tomorrow or what is coming to someone. If someone is living today in comfort and luxury, maybe tomorrow one will not have these things. Everyone should be prepared for any difficulties in life. <br />In my photos I wanted to show the basic needs of people and how they suffer to get it - although if we think of ourselves, we waste a lot without thinking about these suffering people. However, I see positivity because some people are still trying to give to these people because it will reflect on their life in good way<br />
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<div style=text-align: justify;>PROVERB USED: He who takes a big bite chokes on it <br /><br />STATEMENT: Every grain of rice represents a single form of desire. They are united as victims; mere commodities of a single persons greed. These grains forever become the tainted cells that define you. Regardless of its significance each and every grain comes with a price and He who takes a big bite chokes on it<br />
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PROVERB USED: Whoever wants to feed you knows where your mouth is <br />
<div style=text-align: justify;><br />STATEMENT: There is a distinctive feeling when reading this proverb that intrigues me and it is the essence of being centred and connected. For that reason, I find communication plays an essential role in this piece.<br /><br />What I like to express is how this aged proverb is being injected into our modern society. Whilst technology is mostly used for communication today, those living the traditional Bedouin life survived by knowing that they would find tribal tents close to the mouth of a well.<br /><br />Whatever happened in the past has a dot to be connected to the present and then it evolves to the future. It is about a poetic journey of knowing how to reach to someone. Therefore, I would like to think that this work connects a fine line between the poetic Bedouin life and the current social life, merging both tradition and modernism against a backdrop of the extensive landscape of the desert, exploring land and space and how we can use both as tools for orientation.<br /><br />Space is wondrous. It can be used to feed us with information, lining up these dots to illuminate a clear message in the sky, showing us the North Star that acts as a guidepost to make it easier to navigate our way forward. Whereas on land there are several possibilities to connect to someone, particularly through the mosques because of their call for gathering, therefore, whoever wants to give you something knows where you are<br />
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Buthaina. A. AlNajjar

<div style=text-align: justify;>PROVERB USED: Each time you cross an expanse of desert, you come to a valley <br /><br />STATEMENT: Thinking about the saying “Each time you cross an expanse of desert, you come to a valley”, was as if it was an invitation to go far and to discover new places. An invitation to walk is the simplest way to start a journey. I have then transferred this idea and simple word onto a simple object, two pairs of plastic slippers, embroidering the letters in cotton thread. The color being the same, one has to come close to the object in order to see the word, just like one must pay attention to deeply understand the meaning of a saying. <br />In my perspective, this idea of simplicity was essential to the project as the saying is also known as popular wisdom and it is normally expressed through basic words and meant to circulate on every level of the society<br /><br /><br />
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Cristiana de Marchi

<div style=text-align: justify;>PROVERB USED: Whoever wants to feed you knows where your mouth is <br /><br />STATEMENT: The saying “Whoever wants to feed you knows where your mouth is” immediately suggest the idea of generosity, which is implicit in the very principle of feeding, and generosity does not expect anything in return. <br />Therefore I have used a “birds’ feeder” as a symbol of this “perspective”, as feeding birds is by definition an act of pure liberality. Indeed birds are free and just come to pick some seeds and fly away. The pleasure in feeding birds is in the act itself. <br />The cotton embroidery of the letters composing the word “feed” simply invites to be open-handed and generous.<br /><br /><br />
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Cristiana de Marchi

<div style=text-align: justify;>PROVERB USED: You won’t know my true value until you try someone else <br /><br />STATEMENT: The inspiration behind this painting comes from the proverb, “You won’t know my true value until you try someone else”. Reflecting on the representation of women in 19th century portraiture, I appropriated and refigured the portrait of Louise de Broglie, by the painter, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, to show how artistic conventions in the 18th and 19th centuries only allowed for a limited understanding of the complexity of women’s selves. <br />My interpretation of “True value” refers to an inner process, pointing to the emergence of women’s consciousness.<br />In interpreting “trying someone else” I painted two selves to call attention to the process of emerging consciousness (alluding to Lacan’s mirror stage) where one must see oneself from the outside before fully understanding the internal self.<br />
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Colleen Quigley

<div style=text-align: justify;>PROVERB USED: The heart is a shop and everyone has a place <br /><br />STATEMENT: <br /> for me it means if our heart or our self are open and giving a chance to view the others or we allowed someone to be a part of our life.... even we know that we have a bounderies to each other but being open minded as long that we cant hurt the heart of the others and everyone gave us a fullfillment ...a healthy heart will be a big paradise that need to care and will accomodate more love and care.Our heart is a place were we can create a new image to view and our brain is the way to explode it to exist our imagination.<br /><br /><br />
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Darwin Guevarra

<div style=text-align: justify;>PROVERB USED: Sweeten your tongue and you will make friends <br /><br />STATEMENT: These illustrations have been inspired by the English nursery rhymes I read and recited as a child and always wondered what they really meant. I believe that childhood always stays with us: its fears and fancies play a central part of adult lives and the simplicity of the verses in these rhymes underplays the complexity beneath. The style used in these drawings is layered storytelling, since I love the element of surprise in visual narratives. The process of discovering the hidden elements in a piece is always very exciting for me and I want the viewer to look carefully and be puzzled.<br />Little Miss Muffet portrays the image of a little girl who has set aside her curds and whey and is instead busy sweetening her tongue with honey, which has a flock of insect people (including the spider) thronging to her side. Traditionally the first food Indian babies are fed is a teaspoonful of honey, probably to “sweeten their tongues”. <br />I have portrayed two other people in this drawing, which we can identify in our own lives… one who can only be spiteful - he has frogs and snakes emerging from his mouth - and another who is so sweet that there is a shower of blooming lilies when she chooses to speak.<br /> I have woven three other proverbs in, “as tall as a palm tree, mind of a goat”, “after every desert comes a valley” and “a monkey is a gazelle in the eye of its mother”, since these were the other proverbs that I was intrigued by while creating this piece.<br />Reference of nursery rhyme used:<br />Little Miss Muffet, sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey. There came a big spider, who sat down beside her, and frightened Miss Muffet away.<br />
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Debjani Bhardwaj

<div style=text-align: justify;>PROVERB USED:     He who takes a big bite chokes on it    <br /><br />STATEMENT:        This illustration connects 4 different nursery rhymes, each reflecting the same proverb about excessive greed, which inevitably leads to our undoing. This is true with respect to our planet whose resources we are milking indiscriminately for all we can get from it, leaving it polluted with premature extinction of species of animals and overfilling of landfills. The black sheep has been fleeced of 6 bags of wool, the fisherman has over-harvested the pond and has his little finger bitten by a fish, the cow has jumped and chewed off a part of the moon and the maid’s nose has been pecked off by the blackbird because she baked a pie with 24 blackbirds cooked in it. . .<br />Reference of the nursery rhymes used:<br />
<div style=text-align: left;>Baa baa Black Sheep have you any wool?                                  Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full.                                      One for the master one for the dame,                                                  And one for the little boy who lives down the lane” <br /><br />One, two, three, four, five, once I caught a fish alive.                    Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, then I let it go again.                            Why did you let it go? Because it bit my finger so                         Which finger did it bite? This little finger on my right.<br /><br />Hey diddle diddle,                                             The cat and the fiddle,                                    The cow jumped over the moon.                                      The little dog laughed to see such fun,                        And the dish ran away with the spoon.<br />
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<div style=text-align: left;>Sing a song of sixpence, a pocketful of rye.                                 Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.                              When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing,                         Wasn’t that a dainty dish to set before the king? <br />The king was in the counting house counting out his money.             The queen was in the parlour, eating bread and honey.                                            The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,                      There came a blackbird and pecked off her nose.<br /><br />
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Debjani Bhardwaj

PROVERB USED: Go far and come back safe <br /><br />STATEMENT: <br />In every starting line <br />That journey peruses <br />Somewhere in space <br />Wherein; <br />Roads are paved <br />Greeneries are there <br />Skies in pastel <br />All; <br />Welcoming him <br />To pass within <br />And make it through <br />But; <br />In a lump sum <br />Take it easy <br />Depart safely <br />And please; <br />Reach your goal <br />Remember my way <br />Revert back home<br />

Hamad Al Falasi

PROVERB USED: Whoever is used to a whole loaf of bread is not satisfied by a bite. <br />
<div style=text-align: justify;><br />STATEMENT: I believe that a person who aims high and has great ambition to accomplish great things in life, is a person who wont settle for less. He is a person of a strong will and determines to be innovative and not be an ordinary person.<br />
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Hamdan Al Shamsi

PROVERB USED: The person who applied the kohl, blinded the eye <br />
<div style=text-align: justify;><br />STATEMENT: “The person who applied the kohl blinded the eye”; in Arabic “سار بيكحلها عماها” is a famous traditional proverb that is often said when someone attempts to fix something and ends up destroying it or making it worse. The painting portrays this proverb by focusing on the issue of plastic surgery. The woman in the painting is an example of those who get several surgical procedures done to beautify themselves but end up looking worse or fake. She’s wrapped in plastic and is gazing away; showing the dissatisfaction that most people feel later on.<br /><br />
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<div style=text-align: justify;>ROVERB USED: Go far and come back safe <br /><br />STATEMENT: As an itinerant family away from our homeland we constantly absorb the culture in which we exist and that becomes part of who we are. In order to be happy in a place, one must become symbiotic with the environment, listening to its history through the people. <br />As travelers, one senses a commonality with those that are of nomadic spirit, those that are free to move on. So for me to be able to read and consider a proverb of another place is an honour, and allows us one of the reasons why we travel, to offer something back.<br />To interpret “Go far and come back safe” is to reflect on the very values that are instilled in all human beings, this proverb speaks most profoundly to me of the essence of life.<br />To “go far” for me means to see the world and enjoy life with it; to be unafraid and to expect change, allow uncertainty in order to learn, to challenge ones beliefs to try and understand some of the complexities of the world. To “come back safe” reasserts the foundations instilled by one’s parent to be bold and free, but knowing that there is always a home.<br /><br /><br />
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PROVERB USED: Go far and come back safe <br /><br />We would rather be ruined than changed, <br />We would rather die in our dread <br />Than climb the triangle of the moment <br />And let our illusions die<br /> W.H. Auden (edited) <br /><br /><br />

<div style=text-align: justify;>PROVERB USED: Each time we cross an expanse of desert, we come to a valley <br /><br />STATEMENT: My impression of U.A.E. before my first visit here was of a country with some kind of very advanced architectures assembled in the middle of a desert. That’s it. I soon realized that it’s more than just that, after I have settled here - initially in Abu Dhabi, and now in Dubai. As the Arabic saying goes, “Each time we cross an expanse of desert, we come to a valley.” What a valley! I was initially attracted to the modernity, as are so many other visitors, but instead of continuing the indulgence of the luxury, I ventured to the other side of the valley. I looked for nature, as always, and I have discovered the deserted oasis.<br /><br /><br />
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Leon K. L. Chew

<div style=text-align: justify;>PROVERB USED: Whoever is used to a whole loaf of bread, is not satisfied by a bite. <br /><br />STATEMENT: Since I have been living a few months in the UAE, I have been fascinated by the architectures which are born every<br />day. Through my walks in the city of Abu Dhabi, the apparition of these bits of city under construction (Al Reem<br />Island, Saadyat Island…), bring myself to think about the place of the human in these monumental projects and to<br />create a model of a city.<br />The choice of the white plastic, allows me to create a ghostly atmosphere and give to the installation some different<br />shapes through the process of time. Indeed, thanks to a system of fans integrated to the structure I make appear<br />the city and to make it collapse. Making fall the tower blocks and the whole city, I want to express the lost of a<br />man’s discernment and the lost of his wisdom suggested in the Arabic proverb: « Whoever is used to a whole loaf<br />of bread, is not satisfied by a bite. »<br />Moreover, this cycle under construction/destruction visible in the installation is a way to underline that this<br />characteristic is peculiar to the human being since the dawn of time.<br />
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Maialen Dissard

PROVERB USED: One day older, one year wiser <br /><br />

Maitha Demithan

<div style=text-align: justify;>PROVERB USED: Go far and come back safe <br /><br />STATEMENT: This proverb entails a contemporary dilemma: We seek global penetration but insist that national identity is a treasure. We demand universality and equality, but populate a shrinking planet in a lifestyle that is increasingly unsustainable. <br />My watercolors comment on this dilemma in content and in form.<br />The content story chronicles the narrative of the UAE in terms of the Gulf. The abras on the creek, the dhows and the QEII are all visual markers of the UAE’s character. It is shaped by centuries of trade and traditions that connect with the world beyond its sandy shores. What plays out in our ports and creeks is the daily drama of economic systems that meet needs of traditional and modern commerce, embrace human dignity in tolerant diversity, and pair sustainability with remarkable efficiency.<br />The formal story replays the drama in patterns rhythmic, repetitive and colorful. The pictorial surface shifts between representational and abstract focus. It is the pastiche of the waterways, enlivened by reflections and filled with busy textures. The material and immaterial engage in visual confusion but remain anchored in detailed execution. The pictorial chaos embodies and hides functioning systems, just like art itself. <br /><br /><br />
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<div style=text-align: justify;>PROVERB USED: One hand cannot clap <br /><br />STATEMENT: If one hand cannot clap, how to get applause? The hand can be open to receive, to invite, to give. The finger in front of the mouth can warn you to whisper, to be silent. The hand can play a guitar; sound of the instrument that is played by hand. The hand can strike. The hand can wash in innocence. Having blood on the hands. The hand can tell you to stop. The hand can stop you. The hand can grab you. The hand can grab the tree in the park. Coming from the same roots. No applause. <br /><br /><br />
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<div style=text-align: justify;>PROVERB USED: As tall as a palm tree with a mind of a goat <br /> <br />STATEMENT: Referencing the style of old hand-lettered signs, in style and material, the proverb, which is meant to indicate stupidity, or that a person is not at the adequate level of knowledge that one would expect from them, is shown here with the words switched around, to express this lack of intelligence. It reads “As tall as a goat, with the mind of a palm tree.” The switch might not be completely obvious at first glance, as the words only differ in one letter in Arabic, but the title might make people take a second look. <br /><br />
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Maryam Al Qassimi

<div style=text-align: justify;>PROVERB USED: As tall as a palm tree with a mind of a goat <br /><br />STATEMENT: Referencing the style of old hand-lettered signs, in style and material, the proverb, which is meant to indicate stupidity, or that a person is not at the adequate level of knowledge that one would expect from them, is shown here with the words switched around, to express this lack of intelligence. It reads “As tall as a goat, with the mind of a palm tree.” The switch might not be completely obvious at first glance, as the words only differ in one letter in Arabic, but the title might make people take a second look. <br />
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Maryam Al Qassimi

PROVERB USED: Close the door that brings wind and be at rest <br /> <br />
<div style=text-align: justify;>STATEMENT: The image mirrors the concept that, in spite of living a life of deprivation, turning away and closing a door to a path that can bring potential harm will eventually lead to peace of mind. <br />
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<div style=text-align: justify;>PROVERB USED: The heart is a shop and everyone has a place. <br /><br />STATEMENT: Just as the translation of an Arabic saying, “The heart is a shop and everyone has a place”<br />But unfortunately, as the art depicts, this love or place in the heart comes with a price tag, like an item in the shop. There is no free lunch, as they say…but why? Why can we not love mankind unconditionally, give them at least a small corner in our heart, they so much deserve.<br />
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<div style=text-align: justify;>PROVERB USED: <br /><br />STATEMENT: This concept is a visual response to the tradition of proverbs in general, and was initially inspired by the Arabic proverbs in association to this exhibition.<br />I’m using an age-old tradition of embroidery, among other techniques, to convey my ideas. I’ve discovered that the meditative rhythm of repetitive stitching can mimic the rhythm and pattern of the spoken word.<br />Proverbs are passed down through generations, between different families and from one culture to another. We usually share our knowledge and traditions with those around us. This blending of cultures and understanding of one another will enhance our futures.<br />Some proverbs, like traditions, are lost and forgotten with time but in every society, history repeats its wisdom through words, stories, learning and the shared language of friends and families. My mother is a source of friendship. Ever supportive, she will often share her pearls of wisdom but never assumes that her words are the last.<br />Her words are carried with me and will be passed on to future generations, along with the knowledge I collect through my own invaluable life experiences.<br /><br /><br />
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Rebecca Rendell

<div style=text-align: justify;>PROVERB USED: The heart is a shop and everyone has a place <br /><br />STATEMENT: In our daily life we meet many people who somehow, somewhere influence us and teach us something valuable about life, about ourselves. They could be our parents, our friends, the bus driver, the Pizza Hut guy, or any other individual living on this planet. Even if we meet them for just a few seconds, or a lifetime period – they are those people who share an experience with us, who give us another reason to cherish this life . . .<br /><br />Thus I’m assigning myself a mission of gathering all the names that passed by my life and placed themselves in my heart. Recalling those people who play/played a big role in my journey and have been a great part of turning me into the person that I am today. I appreciate their meaningful existence in my life.<br />I am building an installation of 400 names, written on torn papers that are suspended from the ceiling to create the shape of a big heart. A symbol of my heart with each name that has its own place. Simple, straight and reflecting my interpretation of the proverb.<br /><br /><br />
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As the Saying Goes

Tashkeel. All Rights Reserved. 2009.