Abdal Rahman Al Ma’aini
About the work
Abdul Rahman Al Ma’aini’s works are fields of visual signals painted with accuracy and precision. Perhaps related to the historic science of alchemy – mystical, a form of the old ‘Heratic’ script or the magical ‘Hermetic’ symbolism – his painting is an impulse rooted in a special personal system that is at once ancient and contemporary. Possibly its source can be traced to the depths of the subconscious, or a collection of symbols, shapes, colours and marks that have remained in Abdul Rahman’s memory since childhood, carved in the fabric of what he knows. Maybe it has been inspired by the fast-paced life of the modern city, its endless stream of sounds, the giant moving billboards in the crowded streets, and the malls and shops. Or it could be the byproduct of the movie or TV scenes or the advertisements that fill the daily papers we receive so quickly from all parts of the world.
© From a text by Hassan Sharif. Catalogue of Sharjah Biennial 8, 2007.
© Photos: Haupt & Binder, Universes in Universe
Part 1 of the photo tour through Sharjah Biennial 8, 4 April - 4 June 2007. Biennial Director: Hoor Al Qasimi. Artistic Director: Jack Persekian. Curators: Mohammed Kazem, Eva Scharrer, Jonathan Watkins. 79 artists and groups.