Jordanian exhibition honours pioneering women artists

By Saleh Zaitoon in Amman
For Al-Shorfa.com
2010-03-25

[SALEH ZEITOON] Bassam Alian, director of the Jordan Association of Fine Arts, spoke at the tribute ceremony.

Amman held the first art exhibition featuring works by women considered at the forefront of fine art in Jordan from March 12-15.

The event was part of a celebration hosted by the Jordan Association of Fine Arts spanning several days in conjunction with International Women's Day.

In addition to the exhibition, festivities included a series of lectures by art critics on the experiences of women artists.

The exhibition included works by pioneering artists such as Suha Shoman, Hind Nasser, Rula Shukairy, Nawal Al-Abdullah, Riham Ghassib, Widad Al-Ourfeh Lee, Rajaha Al-Qudsi, Sama Al-Agha, Ghada Dhadla, Samia Al-Zaru, Tamam Al-Akhal, Princess Wijdan Ali, sculptor Mona Al-Saudi and late artist Fakhr Al-Nissa.

Bassam Alian, managing director of the association said, "The association, after being revitalized, has sought since last year to activate the fine arts movement in Jordan, holding exhibitions honouring women [in conjunction] with the celebration of International Women's Day," referring to the 2009 exhibition titled "N and the Arts," held in co-operation with the Greater Amman Municipality.

He added, "This year we decided to honour women pioneers of fine art on International Women's Day for what they have achieved in establishing women's place in fine art in Jordan through their creative capacities, becoming a role model for female artists. Many of them are now present on the art scene."

Alian said the idea is to hold the celebration annually, noting the association's efforts to attract young female artists.

Artist Hind Nasser expressed support for the initiative, which brought together all the leading women artists of the generation. Speaking with Al-Shorfa, she expressed hope that this would benefit the public and the younger generation of female artists in Jordan.

Dr. Mazen Asfour, an art critic and professor of art at the University of Jordan, told Al-Shorfa, "What mainly characterizes Jordanian women artists is their occupation with national and ethnic concerns, the use of their brush to paint about the future prospects of Palestine and Jordan, and the way they experience their colours with creative, expressive and impressionistic abstraction and with a sensitive use of colour transcending political and social events."

Art critic Mohammad Al-Amri noted other attributes of artists participating in the exhibition, in particular the use of Arabic calligraphy in many of their work. Some of the works feature historical and cultural heritage sites and their spiritual energies and engineering characteristics.

Al-Amri, in a lecture focusing on the experiences of Suha Shoman, Hind Nasser, Rula Shukairy, Riham Ghassib and Nawal Al-Abdullah, said their style was similar to other female artists in the first generation in their use of colour and divine composition, giving their work a feminine and masculine spiritual aesthetic.

Critic Ghazi Al-Theibi focused on the experience of artist Tamam Al-Akhal, which is replete with feminine references—whether through portrayal of a woman, a tree, a horse or a village. He pointed out that Al-Akhal's celebration of colour conveys moving symbolism through artwork, reflecting the artist's ability to deliver a strong visual impact.

Dr. Arafat Al-Naim lectured on the experience of late artist Princess Fakhr Al-Nissa, noting "substantive components, stylistic elements and techniques expressing the spirit of the times in blending East and West," reflecting the experience of the artist, who spent a long period of her life in the West.

Critic Hussein Nashwan discussed Suha Shoman's work, saying she was able to honour two spaces in her creative life—the first being the memory of family and childhood in Palestine, which later turned into a political space through the screen (i.e., video art). She also attached emotional, aesthetic meaning to Petra, where she lived, and it had the greatest impact on her contemplations.

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