In a room of no more than 30 square meters, located on the last floor of a building in the heart of the city of Mukalla (the capital of Hadramout governorate), which contains a number of holders of paintings, colors and white papers, about 1000 local artists frequented visited the art galleries are held between its walls for young and old, in addition to courses for teaching drawing, sculpture, embroidery and other artistic activities.
"Art Gallery" represents the only outlet for plastic artists in Hadramout Governorate, and the place that embraces the arts and maintains their continuity in this city.
Behind this studio is a success story of a girl who has never stopped dreaming, working and striving to achieve her goal and mission in life, which is to restore people's faith in art, and to reoccupy its appropriate place in society and in the details of the lives of its members.
Journey of a thousand miles
Abeer Mohammad Al-Hadrami, a Hadrami plastic artist, graduated from the College of Art Education in 2014. Like many, Abeer found herself in a state of despair and confusion after graduation because there is no place for artists in society, and because of the lack of job opportunities available to them in this field.
Abeer told "Khuyut": "Although there is a great void for art in our lives in general, society's lacks the belief in the importance of its presence which led to a lack of job opportunities for graduates of art departments in general."
She adds that there is a massive and systematic disregard for art, starting with the suspension of art education classes in schools at all levels, and considering the art education class as "extra time" that any other teacher can fill or borrow to complete his curriculum, for example. These places were supposed to be filled with graduates of art education and fine arts to play their important role in developing students' talents, and give them a free space to express themselves.
The negative view of society was the second and most difficult of these challenges, in light of the questions you faced and were facing about the feasibility of what you are doing! And that it is better for her to look for a real job opportunity to earn from it and not drain it permanently, on the pretext that "art does not provide a living."
All these reasons prompted Abeer to search for other jobs that do not match her skills and experience, but she never gave up her passion for painting and art, and she continued to practice it with faith and perseverance.
In many times, she turned to administrative work, but she did not stop practicing her hobby in drawing, as she considers part of her and her composition, and expresses herself in life.
During this period, she participated in many local art fairs, and opened a small project to sell paintings via "Instagram", and other events and activities that link - as she says - with the things she loves.
Art Rendezvous Studio
The studio was opened in November 2020, with effort and self-financing without support of any external party. Abeer - the owner of the project, says: “The idea has been chasing her for more than four years, and she hoped to be able to establish an integrated art center that includes arts of all kinds such as painting, sculpture, theater and music, but such a project required a large capital, greater than her personal ability, in addition to the lack of supporters, which prompted her to abandon this idea and be satisfied with the establishment of the studio.
After many promises and disappointments, Abeer realized - according to her - the need to start and work on her own. She was completely convinced that there is a genuine need for the arts in every human being in general, and that there is a great vacuum in satisfying this need in the country in general.
Therefore, she started running the studio and carried out many events, exhibitions and art courses, such as courses for teaching graffiti, oil painting, teaching drawing for children, and others.
Abeer continues by saying: "The studio now operates itself from the course fees, I pay rent, electricity bills and other costs, and the very important thing for me is that this studio stays active, even at the lowest possible costs."
Three challenges
Abeer's qualitative artistic project went through many difficulties and challenges, especially at the beginning of its formation and launch.
Abeer sums up what she went through, as three challenges; At the forefront is the basic financing of the project, especially rents, and the need to pay in Saudi riyals not in the local currency, which is currently imposed by landlords. Additionally, finding a suitable place in the city center so that everyone can reach it required a large amount of money, and the search journey was long, but finally she found the right place.
The second challenge represented in the negative social perception towards art and was the most critical of these challenges, in light of the questions you asked and questioning about the feasibility of what you are doing! And that it is better for her to look for a real job opportunity to gain from it and not to drain it permanently, arguing that “art does not provide a living,” and that the current state of war and the difficult economic situation the country is experiencing has made talking about art “a luxury and a extravagance.”
The third challenge, which I never expected, is the lack of interaction of the artists themselves, and their lack of commitment to their art; Many of them express enthusiasm to participate in exhibitions and courses, but they surprise us by withdrawing at the last moment!
Colors of peace
Due to the importance of art in peace building, as art is a reflection of the joys, sorrows, struggles and ideas that people live through, and it is the human space to express himself and communicate what he feels; Therefore, the artist, especially in countries that live in a state of conflict, shall focus on relevant peacemaking issues and its dissemination in society, but this can only be achieved when the artist himself is aware of his role and the importance and inevitability of his cause.
“Colors of Peace” is the latest program that the Art Studio recently adopted and implemented, with funding from the German Goethe Institute, and within the project of the Yemeni Cultural Network; where a group of artists were trained on the basics of peacemaking and how to create arts that support a peaceful orientation and renounce violence and extremism. Through the project, the artists got acquainted with the appropriate tools, such as colors and symbols that support their idea, and the most important paintings that talk about peace throughout history.
In this regard, Abeer says that art, like other professions, aims to convey a specific message, but the strength of art lies in its enormous ability to spread, influence and reach the largest segment of people; For example, the artist may paint a mural that rejects violence in a city street, so that the old and the young, the violent, the responsible and the ordinary person can see it. Therefore, it is a profound message that impacts people's feelings smoothly and gradually and makes them more humane and rejects extremism and violence. Painting is the essence of art, its magic and its uniqueness.
