Emirati artist recalls the journey of UAE art scene
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00:00The stunning transformation in the UAE's art scene is probably best explained through
00:08the eyes of one of the UAE's most treasured artists, Abdel Kader al-Reis.
00:13Born in 1951, al-Reis is one of the first Emirati artists to emerge on the international
00:17art scene.
00:18He was only 17 when his first painting was sold in 1968.
00:21I remember during the 70s, especially when I finished my high school in Kuwait, I came
00:28back.
00:29If you want, for example, art material, it was difficult to find.
00:35I think it was one place, they have only just a few colors, a few things, but most of the
00:42material wasn't available.
00:44Of course, no galleries, and also no bookshop to buy art books and art magazines.
00:52Drawn to art from childhood, al-Reis took every opportunity to express himself through
00:56art.
00:57With his art studio, one of the two located in his home, it is hard to imagine the scene
01:01al-Reis describes of the old days.
01:03You can't compare it between now and 70 or 71 or 72.
01:12For example, I came back when I was learning in Kuwait.
01:19I tried to finish high school in the Emirates, in Dubai, and then I go back to Kuwait to
01:27continue and then come back again.
01:29Why?
01:30Because here, really, there is nothing.
01:34As he grew up, the lack of opportunities in the art scene saw al-Reis give up his beloved
01:37passion of art for a more dependable job at the then Ministry of Labor.
01:41It was in the mid-80s that the self-taught artist returned to the art scene after much
01:44encouragement from his wife.
01:46In the 1990s, there was the development of the Sharjah Art Museum, which was instrumental
01:50for artists of the time.
01:51They were working very good to support art and who's like to learn art and they have
02:00also a small studio for learning.
02:04Although the scene was changing for the better, there were still challenges for artists.
02:08What kept al-Reis going was the continuous support from the country's leaders.
02:11Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, really, he and his wife, Sheikh Salama, was the reason which
02:20they made me continue to work, especially in the beginning of 1980s.
02:28I stopped for years, 12 years, and then when I came back to paint and do art and I do exhibitions
02:41in Abu Dhabi, she was supporting.
02:46She collected a lot of my pieces from the beginning, from that time, and alhamdulillah,
02:54really, and also Sheikh Mohammed in his office, they have a lot of my artwork.
03:00And all of this, it was from the beginning of 1990.
03:05I remember two years before when I was in the exhibition, Sheikh Mohammed asked me,
03:13how many time you take when you finish this kind of painting?
03:19And I know what he was asking this question.
03:25I answered him, that's only 36 years only.
03:31And he said, oh, because without that 36 years experience, you can't do it.
03:39Abdul Qader al-Rais is a firm believer that the unification of the UAE has helped foster
03:44the growing art scene in the country.
03:46The unity of Emirates, or we call it the Tehad, this is something really make different in
03:56the life of people and also the level of everything, everything has become better and better.
04:05And artists like him have paved the way for the youth of today to help set the UAE as
04:09a rising star in the global art community.
04:12Logan Fish for Gulf News.