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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Tanya Shamil: Challenging societal issues through art

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Sparking discussions on topics considered to be ‘taboo’ and controversial, 18-year-old Omani artist and screenwriter Tanya Shamil is opening doors for people of our society to become more empathetic and accepting of one another.


Tanya began her Instagram account called ‘The Gluten Club’ as a random art account back in 2017. As her ideas developed, she began creating art that conveyed different societal issues in the style of pop art.


“It wasn’t much of a conscious decision, I just happened to be interested in things that were happening and I wanted to respond to that,” said Tanya.


In her art, she explores themes such as inequality, mental health, women in the Middle East, and much more. These subjects are generally not discussed publicly in our community and considered contentious. Naturally, Tanya felt some reluctance about addressing them in her work.

“The thing with sharing art is that once you put it out into the world, it’s going to be interpreted in thousands of different ways, sometimes people will perceive it in a way you intended, and sometimes it’s taken way out of context,” said Tanya.


“The only thing I could do about it is to remind myself of my intentions and purpose; which is to trigger important conversations and hopefully change people’s approach on taboo issues.”


The goal behind Tanya’s artwork is to open the minds of our people and encourage them to view matters from a different perspective. The power of art and its ability to do so should not be underestimated.


“I strongly believe that if everyone saw an art piece or a movie that reflects each other’s life, we would be more understanding of one another,” shared Tanya.


She expressed that each piece of her art has its own purpose and goal. “Sometimes it’s to start a conversation, sometimes to question things that confuse me, or even to make fun of patriarchal ideals.”


Tanya pointed out that she purposely does not post very often on The Gluten Club, with the intention of allowing the audience to mull over and absorb her viewpoints.


“The account isn’t there to mass-produce and constantly shove new ideas down people’s throats, but rather to create an impact through the rumination of those ideas.”

In terms of the public’s reactions to her work, Tanya has received a mixture of positive and negative comments, which was expected.


“I’ve gotten a lot of support and encouraging messages from people telling me that they feel seen, or talk to me about their experience and what they’ve been through,”


Tanya shared that her favourite piece that she’s done is one where an Arab man is questioning “where’s the Hijab?” in the style of a comic panel. It conveys the patriarchy and hypocrisy that exists within our society in a simple, yet humorous manner.


“There are some reactions that don’t agree with the content of my art, but then again you need two perspectives to have a conversation,” Tanya remarked.


She commented that she doesn’t make judgements personally, however she does take into account constructive criticisms regarding how she should bring forward issues in the future.


Tanya expanded her capabilities and began exploring screenwriting after she was inspired by the screenplay of the movie ‘Birdman’ and realised it was something attainable.


“Watching films allowed me to open up to different perspectives, cultures, and knowledge. That being said; it made me realise that I’ve never seen myself truly reflected on screen in terms of identity or experience,” Tanya mentioned.


Irritated with the extremist and/or oppressed ways Hollywood perceives and depicts the Middle East, Tanya wanted to take matters into her own hands to create stories reflecting our region.


“I’m tired of seeing superficial characters. I want to explore who we are instead of what we are.”


To keep up with Tanya, follow @theglutenclub on Instagram.


By Mouj Hijazi


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