By Mai Al Abria — Being an artist isn’t just about putting pencils to paper or brush to canvas. Art can and does mean so much more than that to many people, Bushra Said al Zuhaimia shared. “To me, art is the oxygen where I can expel the negative energy out and transfer it into a positive one,” she continued. Bushra is an emerging artist in Oman who began her journey back when she was just a student of fine arts at Sultan Qaboos University. Her works are currently gaining popularity not only among her counterparts in the art world but also to many lovers of the arts.
She has participated not only on local exhibitions but international gatherings of artists as well.
“In Oman, I participated in most of the youth exhibitions held at OSFA. I also joined other exhibitions held in different other parts of the Sultanate. I represented Oman in the iIternational Cultural Festival for Decorations in Algeria and the Contemporary Omani Art Exhibition in Kuwait in 2015,” she shared.
“I had the opportunity to visit many museums and galleries which positively influenced my career in the art field,” she added. “Since joining the Omani Society for Fine Arts in 2007, I tended to join most of the workshops and exhibition of youth, the thing that promoted my skills and opened horizons for me in terms of getting new ideas or meeting with talented artists.”
As an artist, Bushra shared that it is important not only to know what’s going in the art world but to pay attention to styles and techniques used by other artists and then developing and nurturing your own style.
“Artists can adopt any style of art as long as they apply their own touches to their works,” Bushra said.
“There are many samples of artistic works that I love but one work that really touched me is by a European artist called ‘The Thankful poor people’. To me, the work carries many meanings and beautiful feelings of the poor to Allah who gave them life. I also love all my works but I feel that my picture ‘A face of a prisoner” is the closest to my heart,” she said.
From the Omani artists, Bushra said that she appreciates the works of artist Anwar Sonia.
“He is my model as he has this lively spirit and encouraging attitude to all growing Omani artists. He always taught us that life and art are one and the same thing. They are both the fruit of our creativity and unique set of gifts, talents, preferences, and tastes being focused and applied to make something,” she said.
Asked what kept her busy lately, she shared, “I started focusing on traditional African masks which I find simple. The masks have a cultural implications as African people used them in rituals and ceremonies. For my part, I imagine the masks to be the faces other human beings. Everybody has facial expressions that we won’t understand unless we coexist with them.”
Bushra also shared that “Art can be a message: of politics, of brutality or beauty. Art can be an escape, an idealization, or simply a means of play.”
“The environment of Oman has influenced the direction of my art. Purity and gentility are reflected in my pictures. This is my way of revealing that the Omani nature has a way of touching an artist’s feelings and gets the best out of him.”
Asked what she thinks about the future of art in Oman, Bushra said, “I believe that the artistic scene in the Sultanate is moving forward because of the talented youth who are always bringing new techniques and ideas to promote the Omani art. The insistence of youth to embody the Omani heritage and culture in most of their works prove their gratitude to this precious land.”
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