In Conversation With Artist Salman Al Najem
Hailing from Bahrain, artist Salman Al Najem takes us behind his new series Mihrab and his experience collaborating with art collecting platform Engage101
Artist Salman Al Najem launched his brand-new art series called Mihrab during Ramadan this year. The series, which was showcased online, explores dialogue and community-building, made for emerging collectors. For Engage101’s Ramadan showcase, a live-streamed opening and a critique session with Baharaini cultural pioneer Latifa Al Khalifa was held, touching on the topic of the ‘Gulf gaze’.
Here, we sit down with the creative force Salman himself to talk about his new collection, the journey of becoming an artist and his mesmerising artistic technique.
Walk us through your background. What prompted your interest in art?
As a child born in the nineties, I was nursed by Disney, Playstation and Pokémon. I developed a strong aesthetic affiliation with the characters. This resulted in me compulsively reimagining them in my drawings, and ever since, I found myself attracted to the idea of how cartoons, games or art are a way to create another world.
While playing video games, I was introduced to the concept of duality and opposition: character one versus the other. The tension that comes with this idea of combat or conflict is something I continue to play with, be it in my sketches or paintings. I have demonstrated this sense of duality and conflict in my artworks mainly as it is a reflection of my conscious and subconscious thoughts.
I often depict figures, ideologies, social or religious norms in conflict with one another. I conceptualise building my own court – setting players on opposite sides, exactly like a ‘dream match’ scenario, and trying to figure out who would emerge victorious. I tend to create a conversation around my work by playing with the generic roles of these characters and blurring the lines between good and evil.
What were the inspirations behind your new series Mihrab?
The main inspiration behind the Mihrab series is ‘worship’, which I seek to question through the work. I think that, with a concept as large as worship, the mere mention of the word activates a spectrum of thoughts, questions and emotions. I wanted to represent the paintings through the meaning of worship and the relationship between the spray-painted Mihrab background and cartoonish figures imposed onto it.
I was curious to know how the word can seep thoughts of the realm of God – where a concept can apply to celebrities or humans when we sometimes elevate them to divine status. While in correspondance to the holy month of Ramadan, the mosques are most full, hence, the topic of praying becomes the month’s main conversation.
Trying to convey this topic, I made my artworks depict a Mihrab – an architectural concave in mosques which points to the Qibla, which is a space within a space dedicated to the imam (leader of the prayer). I infuse most of my work with an undertone of humour, which can be found in the light-hearted depiction of the character situated in the Mihrab with the smiley faces.
Painting unconventional characters onto the Mihrab creates a curious instinct that raises enough questions to start a mental discourse within the viewer. The idea is to propose with love and respect that we are both unique and the same in our divinity.
Aiming to call upon the viewer to experience awe, wonder and to contemplate the overwhelming nature with human experiences – which could be boundless and unconditional love towards God.
How would you describe your artistic technique?
The artworks in the series are made by gesture-less spray paint. Using coloured spray paint, I have tried to give a nod to artists such as Mark Rothko, Josef Albers and Ghulam Rasool Santosh. The paintings also feature some other art techniques like spatialism, op-art and colour-field painting.
By using these techniques, I have aimed to create a lucid world that is not bound by this world’s rigidity. After creating the space, I superimpose figures, characters and people from real life, myth and history using emulsion (house paint) which is further detailed using colour pencil.
How has the collaboration with Engage101 been so far?
Working with Engage101 has been wonderful. I have been a follower of Engage101 since its inception eight months ago. This is the first time Engage101 will be projecting an artist from the broader Gulf, outside of the UAE. It is an art collecting and research platform founded by independent curator, Munira Al Sayegh and an art critic, Gaith Abdulla. They aim to continuously bridge the gap between the art world and the public.
The platform supports and collaborates with artists who are not represented by commercial galleries and offer opportunities outside of the commercial art ecosystem. Engage101 is an inspiring initiative that treasures the value of taking matters into one’s own hands.
As a grassroots movement, it aims to redistribute the balance of the art world, which is mostly run by established galleries and government-led efforts. Engage101 does create a pathway that can lead young art enthusiasts to enter what may seem a rather intimidating world.
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Images courtesy of the artist