Emirati artist recalls the journey of UAE art scene

Gulf News

Legendary Emirati artist Abdul Qader Al Rais is one of the first Emirati artists to emerge on the international art scene. He was only 17 when his first painting sold in 1968. He shares his story about following his passion back when there was almost no support for his craft in the region, who inspired him to continue with his dream and how the uniting of the Emirates helped to foster new growth in the UEA's art community.  See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv

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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-Rais.

00:13Born in 1951, al-Rais 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-Rais 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-Rais 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-Rais 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-Rais 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, because I stopped

02:29for years to work fields and then when I came back to paint and do art and I do exhibitions

02:41in Abu Dhabi, she was supporting and she collected a lot of my pieces from the beginning, from

02:50that time, and alhamdulillah, really, and also Sheikh Mohammed in his office, we have

02:59a lot of my artwork and all of this, it was from the beginning of 1990s.

03:05I remember two years before when I was in the exhibition and 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, I answered him that it'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.

03:45The unity of Emirates, or we call it Ittihad, 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.

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