Tempo: Tell us a little bit about yourself. Who is the lady behind the title of Creative Director of ADISS and how did you get started in this field?
Salwa Zeidan: Well… I started as an artist 25 years ago. I have been living here, in Abu Dhabi since many years! Indeed, I was the first one to open an art gallery in Abu Dhabi in 1994. Five years before that I used to organize art exhibitions in hotels.
I love this city and I respect its people as I believe that what they are doing now is amazing and surprising at times where the whole world is going into coma (artistically). I want to develop the art scene by introducing something that doesn’t exist, which is public sculpture. I have lots of knowledge about art and sculpture, and through my international relations with artists and sculptors I was able to direct this symposium in the best way possible.
T: As a self-taught artist, what difficulties did you face initially? How did they groom you as an artist?
SZ: I believe that real art is not the one we teach in schools or universities. Real art is innate and we are bound to follow its energy, and listen to its whispers. It is not very difficult to become a good artist when we have it inside of us. It is definitely impossible to obtain when we fake it and try to become an artist when we don’t have the urge or talent. I have managed to use the difficulties as a tool to grow and evolve and that’s how I grew and I am still growing because in art we have to stay alive and nurture our self to keep bringing and introducing new art all the time as long as we are alive.
T: Why in your opinion, is an event like ADISS necessary at this point in time during Abu Dhabi’s cultural development?
SZ: Public art is part of the development itself. Abu Dhabi lacks this important element called public sculptures. I was lucky to come up and introduce ADISS to Sheikh Nahyan and Zayed University. They were the right people who knew its importance and acted on it immediately.
T: We think it’s fabulous that sculptures from the symposium shall be permanently placed outdoors for the public to appreciate and enjoy. Was the idea opposed initially? How important was it for you to gain approval for placement of the artwork outside?
SZ: The Municipality was the first strategic partner to see the importance of this initiative and immediately adopted a very positive way of helping us into bringing it about, they did an excellent job and helped a lot in many that were otherwise impossible to achieve. They own the public space so their participation in ADISS is extremely important and they did deliver their part in such a professional way. Even artists were impressed with the high level or organization on the site. The Municipality did a wonderful job in developing the site and the helper’s accommodation in such short period of time. The placement of the artworks was very simple because the municipality was involved from day one and they will be the main custodians of the works once they are complete and will take on the task of permanently placing them across the city of Abu Dhabi.
T: On what criterion were 17 renowned artists from all over the world chosen? Were you personally involved in their selection? What inspired you about their work to deem them essential for cultivating the minds of young local artists from this region?
SZ: Before we answer this question we have to know that symposium sculptors are different than other sculptors, in many ways. To start a sculpture from scratch and finish it in one month is a great responsibility that many artists simply do not take on. And so, we are left with few of them that have the standard we are looking for. One of the major criteria was that each participant has to have taken part in at least 7 international symposiums, and talented with non-figurative sculptures. We tried select a diverse group of artists from various corners of the globe and managed to secure a list from most major countries. By the time we complete the five to ten year contract we will surely have worked in artists from every single country in the world!
We will definitely influence the region with all these sculptures that will be placed all over the city, as we are looking at placing sculptures in locations where the public can walk around them, enjoy them and interact with them – that is what public art is really about for only when public art become a part of one’s daily life can they truly get influenced by it. This also mandates that we be extremely selective with regards to the type of art we chose so that this influence be of a positive and joyful nature.
T: What does Salwa Zeidan look for in ‘good art’?
SZ: It is a very simple answer: good art makes you feel good and makes you wonder how it came about and speaks to yourself. It touches your thoughts and questions the minds, it should be very well done and have a curtain vision or idea. It has to be strong enough to stop you and tell you a story. Encountering good art has to be a pleasant experience for both the eye and the mind.
T: On a more personal note, as a modern-day Lebanese professional businesswoman, how do you manage time between family, friends and work?
SZ: To tell you the truth, art takes you away from many things including friends and family. It is time consuming, and it needs a lot of attention, otherwise it won’t be interesting art.
My life as an artist has been hard, because I’m married and I have family that needs lots of attention. To be able to be good at both levels, I had to ask too much of myself, and this has been the difficult part. I don’t want to compromise one to the other. My route to becoming a successful artist was rather a Herculean task, but it was great experience on all levels that eventually got me to be who I am today, and that is why I feel I have truly earned the titled to be the director of this symposium.
T: What is your message to struggling artists in Abu Dhabi?
SZ: Transform the struggles into positive energy that will help you grow and evolve, to follow your hearts and intuition all the way, to be perseverant to overcome all the difficulties that come your way and to see the difficulties as the source of determination to get to their highest potentials. That is the only way to do great things.
You have to recognize that you are lucky to be living in a vibrant city where many people dream to live today.
