< Previous50 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/art Spring 2020 Rowaida Hakim.Dubai Nights. 2014. Acrylic and gold leaf on canvas HBA_038_46-53_The Artist_Ruwaida_11231925.indd 5011/03/2020 06:00:59 PM51 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/art Spring 2020 The ARTIST The ARTIST HBA_038_46-53_The Artist_Ruwaida_11231925.indd 5111/03/2020 06:01:05 PMbeen one or more new art pieces and techniques with a new message to deliver,” she explains. Made using acrylic and golden leaf on canvas, a work which has contributed to a life-changing mile- stone for Hakim is Dancing Colours (2018), which could perhaps be described as a physical representa- tion of her optimistic mindset and bubbly persona. “I was so happy the night I fi nished Dancing Colours,” she recalls. When the painting is viewed intently, the movement of the gracefully aligned colours is brought to life – they really do dance on canvas. “When we paint, our feel- ings are shown in the works,” says Hakim. “Dancing Colours truly is one of the happiest pieces I’ve cre- ated and it is much loved by many.” The high-rise buildings in Dubai are one of the main inspirations for the artist, and in fact, her love for them has seen her work in the real estate industry for many years. “I consider the buildings as my babies,” she laughs. “Whenever I see them, especially the ones with colour at night, it brings me so much joy.” A painting which brings her love for the bustling city to life is Dubai Nights (2014), one which has never been exhibited for sale before. “It is my favourite piece because of how much affection I have for Dubai,” she expresses. “Be it day or night, Dubai will always have a piece of my heart.” Currently, Hakim’s name is behind several real estate companies based in Dubai. “Dubai is a city of happiness and it has had a lot of impact on my per- sonality,” admits the artist. “I always have a mindset of positivity and hope to spread that positivity and happiness with everyone through my paintings.” Also distinct about Hakim’s sig- nature style is that every piece con- tains a hidden message within, literally. “Every painting of mine has a secret behind it,” she reveals. “Then I paint over it. It could be a message or a drawing – it can be anything. A New Chapter also has something hidden inside, a message for the world which I can’t reveal just yet.” She adds, “sometimes, I like to portray the message through a simple medium – I don’t need to do much, I just let the painting do the talking.” If the artist had to share one, and only one message through her work? She pauses, smiling, “Love. That’s it.” Rowaida Hakim. Glamour. 2020. Acrylic and 24K gold leaf on canvas Rowaida Hakim. Happiness. 2020. Acrylic and copper leaf on canvas 52 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/culture/art Spring 2020 HBA_038_46-53_The Artist_Ruwaida_11231925.indd 5211/03/2020 06:01:12 PMThe ARTIST Rowaida Hakim. A detail of Dancing Colours. 2018. Acrylic gold leaf on canvas 53 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/culture/art Spring 2020 HBA_038_46-53_The Artist_Ruwaida_11231925.indd 5311/03/2020 06:01:21 PM54 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/culture/art Spring 2020 Kristel Bechara. Sophia’s Wisdom. 2018. Giclée print on premium cotton fabric canvas. 80x120cm; Facing page: Lion. 2018. From the series Ask A Woman. 100x150cm. Courtesy of the artist HBA_038_54-57_The Artist_Kristel Bechara_11230834.indd 5412/03/2020 01:51:14 PMShowcasing women in all their glory, grace and grit, award-winning artist Kristel Bechara uses her talent to address issues such as gender parity, beauty, boldness, the strength and struggle faced by women across all walks of life. Odelia Mathews speaks to the artist on her two most recent collections which celebrate women globally The ARTIST GRACE GLOR Y GRIT 55 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/culture/art Spring 2020 HBA_038_54-57_The Artist_Kristel Bechara_11230834.indd 5512/03/2020 01:51:20 PM56 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/culture/art Spring 2020 IIf the beauty of a woman had a silent language to express all of its thoughts, emotions, struggles, tri- umphs and sacrifi ces, then Lebanese artist Kristel Bechara could well be the author. An award-win- ning contemporary artist who is led by the joie de vivre of life often captured in her paintings, Kristel features women in all forms of glory and grace cele- brating feminism through her art in ways that go deeper than just beauty on the surface. “Our world is beautiful because it is diverse and full of contrast,” she says. Creating her very own niche in a world where artists strive to stand out, Kristel is clearly not one to produce aesthetically pretty art without a story behind it. For the Dubai-based painter and mother of two, she absorbs much from life and its surround- ings, keeping an eye out for anything that impacts her emotions only to translate it onto a canvas, replacing words and feelings with brush strokes that evoke the depths of emotion in every expres- sion. “Countless superwomen continue to inspire me in my life daily,” she says, men- tioning names that have been credited to bringing feminist art into the spotlight and paving the way for women to express their thoughts on sensitive issues such as patriar- chy, childbirth and other taboo subjects often frowned upon in the early forties right through to the seventies. “In art, Frida Kahlo, Margaret Keane, Miriam Schapiro and Judy Chicago played a big part in creat- ing an art scene for women,” expresses the artist. “They went through tremendous struggles to be taken seriously as female art- ists.” According to Kristel, these inspirational women created art that spoke without words or explanation by artistically explor- ing the role of women in history and cul- ture, childbirth, identity, emotions, death, patriarchy and the rights of women. “They made art accessible to a broad audience, which doesn’t require for someone to stand between the artist and the audience to explain it. That’s very out of step with the art world,” she adds. The power of such femi- nist art resonates strong even today as fash- ion house Dior recently unveiled its SS20 Haute Couture Show with a set designed by Judy Chicago where large appliquéd and embroi- dered banners posed a range of questions around the evolution of the role and power of women through the ages, starting with the question: what if women ruled the world? As a young woman who was most infl uenced by her late father, a surrealist artist and sculptor, Kristel has long been fascinated with the image of women and feminism in particular, with the female form being often the centre of attention in her works. Captured through her imagination to reveal differ- ent stories, each told through a pose, gesture or an expression – her most recent collections entitled INAMORATA and ASK A WOMAN are a testa- ment to her artistic talent. “I must have gotten his gift and I have been encouraged to express myself these diversities and develop and open our minds to tolerance and inclusion,” she explains. What is most evident in her two new collections is the very same thread of dialogue that begins the moment you stand face to face with her art. For example, the Ask a Woman Collection focuses on what women really think and feel about how they look and what they do. Within the series, Sophia’s Resolution (2019) showcases famed Italian fi lm actress Sophia Loren holding a colourful donut, hinting at the big ‘O’ captured by an expression that speaks of pure plea- sure, just before she devours it. “This oeuvre repre- sents a celebration of freedom from the disassociation of surreal beauty norms,” shares Kristel. “Everlasting beauty is happiness derived from being comfortable with yourself. Real beauty is when you are comfort- able and content in your own skin.” Whichever way the viewer connects to it, the dialogue begins the moment the emotion is translated. Similarly, Tres Joli Bigoudi (2018) shows a glamorous Angelina Jolie wearing her hair up in roll- ers and as simple as it looks, it tells of the way women achieved voluminous hair in the sixties when they slept in can-sized rollers every night. The message behind the painting is that you can get used to anything to achieve your objective and this shows the real strength of a woman to maintain her standards of beauty through her own eyes. “My dream is to be able to inspire people into actualising their full potential, and to be happy and content,” says Kristel. “INAMORATA is a series of paintings of iconic women that have inspired me at various points in my life whilst ASK A WOMAN is a collec- tion of empowering ideas that I strive to live by and project onto others around me starting with my kids, my art collec- tors and anyone who my paintings speak to. I feel both collections will be continu- ally expanding as I will always be infl u- enced by icons and gather powerful beliefs that inspire me to be a better per- son.” Recalling her most prized piece of work from within the collection, Kristel talks about She Is King (2019) – a piece that was commissioned by Standard Chartered Bank to raise awareness on gender pay inequality. For this, she was inspired to create a painting covering only 52.4 per cent of the canvas, representing the amount female artists are paid ver- sus men. “It has a special infl uence perhaps because it was the painting I did for ArtGap and is now proudly hanging in London’s Standard Chartered Bank’s HQ, in the epicentre of the world’s fi nancial markets,” she says. Following the success of this powerful piece of work, several artists began creating their own version of incomplete work and joined the dialogue. “In monetary value, art produced by women is priced on average 47.6 per cent less than art produced by men – so to raise awareness about the issue, we painted 47.6 per cent less where the canvas was left blank and priced our riced our and create art ever since I was a child,” she says. Expressing her desire to create art that celebrates feminism, she recalls her childhood and the impact of women on her work. “I was raised and grew up surrounded by strong women. These collections are a celebration to all women who continuously inspire our world. ASK A WOMAN portrays women from all walks of life and is inspired by a woman’s strengths, weaknesses, wit, laughter, joys and her tears. INAMORATA pays tribute to exceptional women from history and from modern times, revel- ling in their beauty, boldness and refusal to conform to displaced norms.” Known for her unique ability to mix artistic styles with fabric, photographic imagery with oil, acrylic and giclée printmaking mediums that merge fantasy with reality, thought with emotion and grace with grit, she takes her hobby to a new level of pro- fessionalism that celebrates the power of diversity. “My transition from an art hobbyist into a profes- sional artist started about 12 years ago when I moved to Dubai and started experimenting with a new style that combines my fondness of artistic styles into one medium; weaving in my love of fab- rics, graphic patterns and painting into a single dynamic and colourful artwork that expresses the beauty in diversity of various topics,” she explains. Using stencil-like drawings and sketching, com- bined with modern mixed media lines perfected in broad daylight in her studio on Sheikh Zayed Road, Kristel is not one who is limited in thought, style or expression. “I try my hardest to highlight this aspect through my artwork and show that our differences are what make us unique and divine; we should embrace Kristel Bechara. Fayruz. 2018. 100x100cm. Courtesy of the artist HBA_038_54-57_The Artist_Kristel Bechara_11230834.indd 5612/03/2020 01:51:26 PM57 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/culture/art Spring 2020 The ARTIST From left: Kristel Bechara. Speak no evil. Digital print. From the series: No Evil; Tres Joli Bigoudi. 2018. From the series: Ask A Woman. 80x120cm Below: Sleeper. 2018. From the series: Ask A Woman. 100x150cm IMA GES C OUR TES Y OF THE AR TIS T paintings at the full price.” The fact that such an unspoken matter was welcomed by artists all over the world, is a testament to Kristel’s ability to trans- late thoughts and emotions into captivating encoun- ters captured on canvas. The INAMORATA collection pays tribute to exceptional women from history and modern times with phenomenal names such as Mexican artist Frida Khalo, French screen goddess Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn, Fairouz, Madonna, Twiggy and Marilyn Monroe all prominently featuring their expressions of joy, pleasure, audacity, speaking vol- umes to the viewer. “These paintings are my personal contribution to the mighty feminism movement,” says Kristel, who has her work adorning walls in Paris, Amsterdam, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo, Delhi, Texas, New York, Sydney, Zurich, Istanbul and Vancouver, to name a few. Across the Middle East, her work is displayed in luxury furniture stores and fi ne dining restaurants across the UAE as well as in private homes. Art from her previous collections such as Earthly Grace (2018-19) which focuses on the movements of a ballerina to Superheroes (2018-19), which focuses on villains and heroes, with and with- out capes – all refl ect Kristel’s innate ability to trans- form every character, personality, emotion and expression into a refreshing escape from reality into a world where light and shadow play with fantasy and fortitude in a surreal version of life beyond the glass ceiling. atelierkristel.com HBA_038_54-57_The Artist_Kristel Bechara_11230834.indd 5712/03/2020 03:46:34 PMLINES S U U L L F O India-born contemporary artist Sujata Bajaj’s abstract works tell a story with just two elements: sharp lines and vivid colours. Ayesha Shehmir explores the art pieces and the evocative meanings hidden within them HBA_038_58-59_The Artist_Sujata Bajaj_11208972.indd 5811/03/2020 02:17:05 PM59 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/culture/art Spring 2020 The ARTIST ujata Bajaj was only six years of age when she held a paintbrush, not realising that becoming a professional painter would become a lifelong career. She grew up in a Gandhian family and in fact, her father, who passed away at the age of 101, was a freedom fi ghter during the Indian Independence movement and went to jail with Mahatma Gandhi. “Financially, my upbringing wasn’t a rich upbringing,” Bajaj tells me. “We were very simple, but in a sense, it was an amazingly rich upbringing because without knowing, I was surrounded by so many extraordinary people – whatever I am today, I think it is due to this unique childhood.” The then aspiring artist, who hails from Jaipur, was privileged to have complete freedom to decide what she wanted to pursue. “I had all the liberty to do what I wanted and how I wanted to lead my life with full support.” When she met her Norwegian then husband-to-be, her father asked her one thing: “‘Are you sure about your feelings and your decision?’ and I said yes. He didn’t ask me how much he earns, nothing like that. Once I said yes, he told me ‘we are all with you,’ which is very rare.” In her early years at school, Bajaj was immediately drawn to the art world. In her adolescent years, she obtained a Master of Fine Arts, Art and Painting at S.N.D.T. University in Pune and shortly after meeting renowned Indian painter S.H. Raza, she was inspired to pack her bags for Paris and continued her studies there. In 1988, Bajaj received a French government scholarship to study at l’Ecole nationale des Beaux-Arts de Paris. “Paris contributed immensely to my creative growth as an artist – I could only speak two words of French,” she laughs. “But when I landed there, it was like I had reached home, it all felt so comfortable. It was like love at fi rst sight. Even today, after thirty years, my affection for this city has not changed.” One of Bajaj’s biggest inspirations to date is the intensity of lines and the beauty and richness of colour seen in nature, namely fl amboyant reds, yellows and oranges. “I believe colours and lines are suffi cient to convey the emotions my work wants to express – you don’t necessarily need fi gures to be a storyteller,” she expresses. The artist also notes inspiration from Indian tribal art and texts from ancient Sanskrit documents such as the Bhagavad Gita, the Vedas and other spiritual manuscripts. Presently, she works mostly with three techniques: acrylic on canvas, fi bre glass sculptures and mixed media. The artist has showcased her work in various parts of the world including the U.S., India, Japan, Paris and Italy through solo exhibitions, group shows, museum collectives and renowned art fairs. Most recently, the abstract artist’s work, including her most recent canvases and sculptures, have been exhibited at Dubai-based La Galerie, marking her fi rst solo show in the region. The works serve to connect with the viewer, but only if the efforts are reciprocated. “It all depends on the person’s perception,” she explains. “How deeply the individual wants to get involved with the colours and lines, see them and feel them.” Featured at the Dubai exhibition, which was on view until 15 February 2020, were works including Spheres (2019) and Tension (2019) amongst others. During the exhibition the gallery showcased 14 unique pieces including ten abstract acrylic works on canvas. The show was accompanied by a book launch in Dubai at which Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan was present, commenting, “Sujata Bajaj’s endless imagination conjures those shared hopes and dreams through the use of gorgeous colours, arresting lines, and compelling shapes. Turning the pages in her breathtakingly beautiful book Ganapati, I am especially captivated by her choice of vibrant colours that freely and joyfully give life to her creations. It is as though she is revealing herself—her intellect, her imagination, her values. The revelations are wholly satisfying, but they can also lead a viewer to refl ect on the nature of art as well.” Her joyful works have inspired many – from the great Indian master S.H. Raza who stated, when Sujata was still at the École des Beaux-Arts, that she was “one of the best artists of her generation, someone with clear artistic concepts,” to the renowned French novelist Jean- Claude Carrière who has written, “in front of some of her paintings I would say that Sujata has invented the colour red. Or, maybe, reds.” Seeing Bajaj’s work makes it clear how important the lines and colours, gracefully balanced with texture, are in her life. At times, the artist knows exactly what she desires to bring to life through her art while at other times she has no clear perception. “Sometimes, I’d sit in front of my canvas for a week before I would start painting,” she admits. “[The work] needs to create a tension, a balance and formation of lines.” When Bajaj paints, she surrenders wholly to her subconscious mind and the viewer is invited to surrender to the result, a beautiful harmony of order and disorder, chaos and peace. “I hope I can give a drop of hope and aspiration or convey positive energy in some sense,” she expresses. An evocative symphony of stored memories, stories and perceptions, the works serve to provide eternal unity with the universe. sujatabajaj.com Clockwise from top: Sujata Bajaj. Équilibre. 2017. Acrylic on canvas 80x150; Sujata Bajaj in her studio; Équilibre 2018. Acrylic on canvas. 100cm; Facing page: Lumiere de vie 2013. Arcylic on canvas, 100x100cm; Courtesy of the artist HBA_038_58-59_The Artist_Sujata Bajaj_11208972.indd 5911/03/2020 02:17:11 PMNext >