Summer Alireza
Figurative painting is not the obvious choice for a graduate from London’s avant-garde Saint Martins College of Art and Design. Your typical alumnus designs a wacky space shuttle or weird dresses with fish dangling for the neckline; or like Alexander McQueen or John Galliano become prominent fashion designers.
But Saudi-born Summer Alireza has chosen to follow her own path of experimentation with painting mingled with a good dose of design. “I aspire for organic design and architecture,” she explains, while commenting on the importance of fluidity which also applies to the way she designed her own studio. “I consider myself to be a very amateur artist,” she modestly adds, yet talks about her art as a professional would, working with acrylics, silk screens and even collages that include pieces of clothing and jewellery in her paintings.
Unlike design, “my approach [to painting] is broader. I feel it’s an endless journey and the possibilities are limitless.” So when it comes to inspiration, she tries to keep it broad. Colour, feelings and location all sway her in a particular direction. For instance, depending on where she is, she tries to integrate the surrounding culture. “Oriental art certainly influences me when I’m painting in the Middle East. On the other hand, when I’m in California, I might focus on landscapes.” She also likes to paint animals in movement “to capture their primal traits,” she says.
Such topics might put Alireza at odds with an art world that is gradually turning its back on ‘easel painting’, in favour of installation art or photography. “The advancement of technology is, in a way, a double-edged sword. It has shifted art in a certain direction, not necessarily bad either. Yet it has also made people move away from using basic skills and tools, such as drawing and painting by hand.”
Carrying the torch hasn’t put Alireza out of favour with the public. Last spring, in the new Jeddah tea store Chai&Ba, she exhibited thirty paintings in a collection called ‘Impression of Arabia.’ She has since been busy working on commissioned paintings. Another project awaits her this autumn, which will engage a much wider audience. ‘Doodle for a Cause’ is a multiple location show for a non-profit organization where people are invited to doodle on specific topics, such as a favourite childhood memory. The proceeds from the art sales will go to different philanthropic organisations. “The topic ‘great sporting moments’ will hopefully sponsor a women Saudi Olympics team for 2010,” says Alireza.
Summer Alireza’s project can be viewed on HYPERLINK "http://www.doodleforacause.com" www.doodleforacause.com.
Sally Khoury
For Sally Khoury, women come in different sizes and colours but they all share a captivating beauty. The 25-year-old Lebanese painter has made the Arab woman, and more specifically the confident Beiruti, the focal point of her art. “It’s the glamorous, posh, sexy woman who stares at you straight in the eye, daring you to disagree with her beauty,” says Khoury on the subjects she paints almost obsessively.
Khoury might be inspired by the glamorous girls that stroll down Beirut’s streets, yet her images of doe-eyed women, with small bodies are also reminiscent of Manga characters prevalent in Japanese comic strips that have become a worldwide cult phenomenon. Add the colours and glitz that are more of a Middle Eastern staple and the result are amazons on canvas, waving their pink or purple hair and pursing their luscious red lips.
While Khoury undoubtedly flirts with the idea of kitsch, the sheer size and richness of her work – some of her canvases are larger than life size – indicate that the painter also embraces it. She has been greatly inspired by the Pop Art movement of the 1960s made famous by icon Andy Warhol which exposed the concept of kitsch and artificiality using recycled and ready-made objects from modern society. Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe and Liz Taylor series come to mind. And sure enough, Khoury’s work questions, to a certain degree, the perception of women in pop culture. “I like to play with the image of beauty that is being portrayed in magazines and even in this country,” she admits.
The recurrent theme, though, is grounded in Arab culture. “The women I take inspiration from are mainly Arab. I would hate to think that the women from this region are only portrayed as docile, traditional, subservient or oppressed. Women here are very strong, self-assured, exuberant and sensual,” she says.
Since graduating in Fine Arts from the Lebanese American University, Khoury has also been experimenting with more abstract themes in her work. At college, encouraged by her professors, she learned to “let go” as she puts it and produce pieces with more freedom. “Right now,” says the young artist, “I enjoy being able to try new things in my artwork, like adding different textures, and combining realistic and abstract styles.” Experimentation, is made all the easier by the use of acrylic paint because, as she explains, “It dries faster than oil paint and it can be applied in layers, so a mistake is easily covered up with a new idea.”
Khoury is currently working on a new theme for her women series. Her work is on show at the Surface Libre Gallery in Lebanon.
www.sallykpaintings.com
