Artist Metha Alsaeedi’s Message To Emerging Creatives
From her muses to her view on the art scene in the region, The Art Gallery at NYU Abu Dhabi’s first Emirati Kawader Fellow, Metha Alsaeedi, reveals her story
What are your first memories of interacting with art?
My earliest memory of interacting with art is printing a colouring page using the PC game of the movie, A Bug’s Life, when I was around two years old. This experience provided the core of my personal statement for my university application.
In hindsight, technology has always been an enabler of art for me. It’s an important part of the process of creation and research. Technology also helped me explore Arabic poetry in depth at a young age.
Growing up, I have memories of engaging with Arabic poetry with my family. Lines of poetry were woven into everyday conversations, which fuelled my imagination throughout my childhood. My parents used to quiz me on lines of poetry from Mutannabi’s or Al Muallaqat (The Seven Odes).
How did this interest develop and who encouraged it?
My interest in art developed greatly due to the support and freedom of exploration my family encouraged. My mother, Amal Saeed, has been very supportive of my artistic inclinations. Thanks to her encouragement, I approached my studies with an open mind for the arts. I took history and writing classes in my freshman year at NYUAD, which included significant components on art history and art theory, as well as international trips that included visits to museums in Florence and Berlin.
There, I visited the Uffizi and the Käthe Kollwitz museums. I observed the powerful role art played in these societies and in artists’ lives, and I learned new ways of thinking analytically about art.
This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my first-year mentor, Angy Hilgendorf (Associate Director, Academic Enrichment Program), and the support of the Academic Enrichment Program at NYUAD. It was then that I recognised my ability to contribute to the arts of the UAE with passion and dedication.
How did your studies progress more formally as a student?
My studies progressed more formally as a student thanks to the mentorship and support of the faculty of Art and Art History at NYUAD. I took courses in art history and art practice, and pursued my first internship as an undergraduate student with the NYUAD Art Gallery. As my studies progressed, I began to take more art history courses, starting with a course taught by Professor Salwa Mikdadi.
Taking this first course with her then led to me taking all three of the art history courses she offered at the time. Being an exceptional teacher, she set an amazing example as an Arab woman. She truly cares about her students’ professional development, and generously gives them access to the resources and networks needed to succeed as an art professional. I also delved deeper into the history of contemporary and modern Arab art and felt inspired to learn from an Arab like myself, with a perspective that I could relate to, and with a shared appreciation for Arabic poetry as a form of art.
I am grateful for my capstone mentor, Professor Sandra Peters, and her wise support and kindness. She encouraged me to explore and amplify my own artistic voice with confidence. I am also thankful to have Professor Tarek Al Ghoussein’s support and insights since I took my first course in Art Practice with him in 2016, until today.
Looking back, I am thankful for every person, every professor, every student whose kindness and support crossed my path at any point. To succeed in the art world is to build bridges and to stay connected and support one another.
Tell us about your artwork?
The process of my artwork stems from a place of urgency to process the past in relation to the present and the future. It also stems from the innate need to connect fractured memories, in order to make sense of my relationship to poetry, language, and art.
It also enables me to establish a common ground that manifests itself as a materialisation of language and poetry in various mediums, to be experienced by Arabs and non-Arabs alike. My capstone project, Nathir, is a good example of this process. The exhibition is a culmination of eight months of studio art practice, examining language as art material.
Who inspires you today?
I am inspired by the wise leadership of the UAE, who showed us dreams can become reality and how limitless dedicated humans can be. I am also inspired by my late father, Naser Alsaeedi, who played an important role in nurturing my love for poetry, and also taught me to learn from the stories of others. Every person you meet has a story worth telling, and recognising the core of our humanness and our shared human experiences in spite of our varying differences inspires me every day.
In my current role and since interning with The NYUAD Art Gallery, I learn from Alaa Edris. Her dedication to knowledge production in Arabic and diversifying Arabic art literature, as well as her dedication to art education is inspiring. Her ability to maintain a flourishing artistic career while a leading successful professional life sets an example for any artist and young professional, including myself.
What is your view of how the UAE and the regional art scene has developed?
Al Ain Museum was the first museum in the UAE and the only Abu Dhabi museum I was familiar with growing up, one that was founded and especially cared for by the late founding father of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed.
The UAE today has become one of the best places in the world for art and artists, with many museums and cultural attractions, hosting a wide array of exhibitions, and engaging their community with programming as well as educational outreach initiatives. Most importantly, cultural spaces serve as a platform for inspiring the youth. A couple of years before the advent of the nearby Louvre Abu Dhabi and its outreach initiatives, the NYUAD Art Gallery played a key role in introducing the model of the academic museum for the first time in our region, right on the campus where I studied.
A highlight has been the gallery generating content, telling the stories of some of the first Emirati conceptual artists and their artistic community, through the exhibition But We Cannot See Them: Tracing a UAE Art Community, 1988-2008. I personally found the exhibition very inspiring, both as an artist and as an aspiring art professional interning at the art gallery at the time. It has been exciting to see multiple museums and cultural spaces continue to open up and to inspire dialogue, with many more yet to come, such as the Sheikh Zayed National Museum and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Tell us about your work at the UAE National Pavilion, the Venice Biennale, and Expo 2020’s Al Wasl Opera.
At the Louvre Abu Dhabi, I supported the museum’s opening and some of its educational initiatives and governmental events. When I worked at the UAE National Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2019, I welcomed thousands of visitors into our pavilion and helped manage the exhibition’s daily operations. With Expo 2020, I feel deeply honoured to have worked on the Al Wasl Opera, a UAE opera telling the story of unity and connectivity across a thousand years of culture, and supported the Opera’s educational outreach initiatives and publications.
You are The NYUAD Art Gallery’s inaugural Kawader Fellow in Museum Studies. Why did they choose you?
My academic and professional backgrounds as well as my career objectives aligned greatly with the gallery’s vision for the inaugural Kawader Fellow in Museum Studies. As an undergrad student, I interned at the gallery as a Curatorial Assistant and a Gallery Assistant, which gave me a general familiarity with the space and department.
The Art Gallery’s team set an excellent example for an emerging art professional. The amazing exhibitions they hosted right on campus inspired my imagination and critical thinking in art.
What does the role entail?
The role entails supporting the bilingual research of The Art Gallery and its content, publications, as well as exhibition didactics and collaterals, working closely with the Assistant Director of Publications and Education, Alaa Edris. I collaborate with the team on conceptualising, preparing, and producing programmes that present exhibition research content. I also work closely with the curatorial production team to enable a range of exhibition projects to succeed, including ones in The Art Gallery, the Project Space, and the Christo Award.
What are your ambitions for the future?
I hope to continue my contributions to the UAE through my work with The NYUAD Art Gallery, and to research and develop a strategy to further expand The NYUAD Art Gallery’s engagement with Arabic-speaking audiences, whether it be through publications, programming, or educational outreach.
I am very keen to give back to the UAE and its community, including its children and youth. Art education is a great catalyst for inspiration, and I hope for art in the UAE to inspire everyone.
What is your message to young emerging artists in the UAE and region?
My message to young emerging artists is to listen to their hearts to create values and daily habits to make them healthy, happy, and fulfilled. Adopt a daily writing habit even if it is for less than ten minutes and read more to learn about oneself and one’s relationship to life around them.
Finally, I would encourage them to talk to people with openness and kindness, and to create meaningful connections to their community and environments.
For more information, visit www.nyuad.com
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