Childhood Passion Becomes A Career
Creative talent abounds in the UAE. Prize-winning artist Hamdan Buti Al Shamsi is an Emirati who is actively pursuing his love of art on both a personal and professional level, as he tells Tempo’s Ian Mason.
Some people have artistic talent, and others don’t. For those in the latter category, it can be quite intimidating to meet someone like Hamdan Buti Al Shamsi who is a self-taught photographer, graphic designer and amateur writer.
Childhood interest
Born in Al Ain, Hamdan’s interest started at an early age.
“As a child, I was fond of art, sketching and colouring books,” remembers Hamdan. “My mother used to call me ‘Qurtas’ (sheets of papers) because every time we walked into a grocery shop, my only goal was to get to the colouring books.”
“Unfortunately art was ignored in school. I would have loved it if I was taught different aspects of art as a child as this would have had a stronger impact on my technique as an adult.”
“While growing up, I tried to keep the artist in me alive and active while everyone around me thought that being an artist was pointless. The only way I overcame this was through the drive and ambition I had.”
Recent commissions
Hamdan has turned his childhood passion into a fascinating career. He is now a school teacher and also conducts graphic design and photography courses. He has participated in a number of group exhibitions around the UAE and been asked to produce artworks for a number of notable organizations.
“I was commissioned by Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage to digitally paint five walls for Al Qattara Art Centre which is the first art centre in Al Ain City. Recently I have been commissioned by Emaar Properties to create artworks for The Loft Towers residential complex and Boulevard Plaza.”
Artistic inspirations
Hamdan was selected as one of 40 designers to display and sell their products in the DXB Store, a non-profit space spread across three venues – Art Dubai in Madinat Jumeirah, Sikka in Bastakiya and Design Days Dubai in Downtown Dubai – that showcases limited edition objects designed and made in the UAE.
“Most of my work is inspired by mankind,” Hamdan explains. “I try to portray and express the existence of mankind in our continuance of life and struggle to define ourselves, our beliefs, concerns, hopes and thoughts. My artworks are reflections of subconscious and conscious experiences and interpreting them visually.”
“I tend to use the medium that would suit the idea of the artwork I am planning to create. My work sometimes is defined by creating a collaboration of digital painting with Arabic calligraphy and old photographs or my own photographs.”
“Recently I started to get more involved in creating collage pieces with mixed media which brings back a lot of childhood memories for me. As a child collages were just for my notebooks covers but now it’s on higher level and there is a message to share.”
More support
Despite the creative freedom being an artist offers, Hamdan says that there are some significant challenges with deciding when to make it a full-time career.
“I see that most artists with full time jobs have a major issue with creating art and pursuing their art, due to the lack of time and the obligations towards work. It would be great if artists were supported by organizations that could play an effective role in empowering the cultural scene in the region.”
ADVICE FOR NEW ARTISTS
“My message to every artist is to keep experimenting and experiencing art. It’s an ocean so don’t settle for just a few drops. Also, always respect your fellow artists and try to learn from them and their experiences.”
“Amy Lowell once said, “Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in,” and that is my motto too.”
By Ian Mason
