Identity through culture

With this final piece, I aimed to juxtapose the older, more traditional aspects of Dubai and its people’s culture, with the modern day explosion of new technologies and buildings that may or may not be valued by the Arabic people that witnessed the transition from traditional Arabic culture to a more westernised emirate. My painting is that of a woman that cherishes the traditional values of her Arabic heritage, and so I used the national woman’s dress – the Abaya – to symbolise her conservative nature and unwillingness to transition into Dubai’s fast paced life style. I then added various brown Mehndi henna designs to the black Abaya, as Henna is an aspect of traditional Arabic culture and has been around for years. I used actual Henna for my designs, as this stays true to the culture I am depicting, and it encompasses a human sense not usually associated with a canvas – smell. This has added another dimension to my piece, and I feel that this is particularly successful. I again symbolised the woman’s traditional values through the use of the muted colours black, white and grey when adding contours and depth to her eyes and nose. I personally am in favour of the development of Dubai, and so my choice of colours is biased, as one might argue that tradition could be conveyed through the use of bright colours, and the new Dubai in dull colours; however, I wanted to convey how the woman might be falling victim to Dubai’s new cultural identity, as she is still set in her ways. Finally, in order to depict the fast developing society in which this woman lives, I painted the reflection of one of Dubai’s most recognisable buildings in her eyes – The Burj Al Arab.  I had originally wanted the eyes to be green, however, this had no relevant symbolism to this final piece, and the blue has turned out just as effectively. I particularly like that from afar, the reflection in the eyes isn’t immediately obvious, and it is this that really draws the viewer in and causes them to examine and hopefully admire the piece. Through the eyes, I feel the prospect of the future has been depicted, and the inevitable has been established – the woman must learn to accept her new surroundings if she is to be happy and experience the vibrancy of the world in which lives. I would have liked to have made one continuous pattern of henna across the whole Abaya, however, this was extremely time consuming and difficult to do, as it also meant that there was no place for my hand to rest whilst I squeezed out the henna.