THE BIGGER PICTURE!

AMBITIOUS artist Mariam Haji Al Janahi has gone ‘extra large’ in a bid to fulfil her ambition to obtain a Master’s degree and pay for the endeavour through her own skills and talent.
Her two amazing monster masterpieces are on display in Bahrain hoping to attract buyers so that she can raise enough funds to finish her education in Europe.

The bright award-winning Bahraini described her work as autobiographical and she has used the Renaissance period to influence two colossal paintings which took over a month to produce, as well as preparatory sketches and an introductory video.

Mariam, 27, from Budaiya, said: "I have worked so hard and put all my time into producing these paintings and I really hope that someone will appreciate them and give me the opportunity to continue my education.

"My parents paid for me throughout my Bachelor’s degree studies and now I am determined to do it on my own."

Mariam, who won her first prize for drawing in a national competition at the age of eight, won a first place accolade at the Bahrain Fine Art Exhibition 2012 in January for her ‘Kill the Muse’ series of artworks.

After receiving the honour she decided to leave her mark in the world of art by creating two larger-than-life paintings, inspired by the Renaissance, a cultural movement based on classical models that spanned the period roughly from the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy. One measures 7x5 metres and is valued at BD15,000 and a second 5x4 metre piece is priced BD12,500.

They are currently displayed on the walls of Bin Matar House in Muharraq.

Already one of her smaller sketches has been snatched up for BD100 but Mariam is hopeful that her bigger paintings will cover the costs of her two-year master’s degree at Berlin University of the Arts studying art in the public context.

She said: "I need to leave a mark here in Bahrain. My art has to speak for me and when I came into the space in the Bin Matar House I was inspired.

"The process of this entire project revolved around a Renaissance-type of vibe and how the people in that period worked. I added a theme of lions as there were a lot of references to the classical beasts during that period, like Samson wrestling the lion, David and the lion and Hercules slaying the lion. All my ideas were connecting and coming together so I started the project.

"Technically, I’m a professional drawer, but I decided to focus on painting these two masterpieces."

The former student of The Indian School Bahrain is currently in Berlin looking into taking part in a language course patiently awaiting news that her work has attracted a buyer and describes the situation as an ‘emotional supernova’.

The painting project has received backing from the community since the start with Majaal, a warehouse management company, offering her free workspace and the Shaikh Ebrahim Centre helping with finance.

Mariam worked day and night in her studio leading up to the exhibition and she suffered physically for her art. It took such a toll on her that she ended up with tendonitis in her hands which required hospital treatment and casts and she needed, as a result, to hire an assistant, Bahraini graphic design student, Abdulla Naji, 22, to help her finish the project.

Mariam gained a diploma in art and design at Dundee College, Scotland, and later completed a Bachelor’s degree in fine arts with a major in drawing, at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia, before moving to Berlin on an artist’s residency.

She hopes she can further study ‘mortality’ at a master’s level in Berlin, with funds raised. The exhibition continues to run at Bin Matar House in Muharraq.