Telling tales

UK-based Saudi author Leena Al Nasser unveiled her book in Manama earlier this month and is now showcasing illustrations from it at an exhibition, shining a bright spotlight on ‘imaginative thinking and creativity’.

The book, An Imaginary Place Called Home, which is a collection of visual narratives, was launched on January 9 at Al Riwaq Art Space, where the namesake art display will be open for viewing until February 9.

The visuals have been created by Syrian illustrator Haider Al Haibie, with Leena providing the concept and the artist bringing her words alive using ink and watercolours.

The images at the exhibition tackle several themes, with some taking inspiration from historical events such as the industrial revolution, and others being created from scratch.

“For our story entitled Colour, we had to create the characters, script and concept,” Haider, 28, told GulfWeekly.

“I don’t use references in my art, it’s all imagination, which is why we think it’s is a pure piece of creation,” he added.

“Drawing from visual memory means that instead of looking at the picture or scene and drawing it, I go out and look at things, and then draw them in the way I can remember,” he explained.

Leena, 34, met Haider four years ago through her aunt, who is a professor in the Faculty of Fine Arts and Architecture at Latakia University in Syria. She showed her niece some of her students’ works and Haider’s ‘imaginative’ style caught Leena’s attention.

According to the art and culture consultant, who is currently pursuing a master’s degree in fine arts at London’s Goldsmiths University, the only way the two could communicate for the collaboration was through texts and voice notes because of the war in Syria.

Leena and Haider mailed back and forth all the artwork, which is explained in ‘The Story of Minzlee’, displayed at the exhibition.

Leena’s book was first unveiled in the United Kingdom in October 2023 and has now found its way to the Arab region with the launch at Al Riwaq earlier this month.

She chose Bahrain as she believes that Al Riwaq gallery is a ‘nurturing place for art’ and has been enamoured by its history since its establishment in 1998.

“Writing, for me, was a visual process,” she said.

“The ideas came from me collecting scraps and little pieces of drawings from old books, and I started making up stories with the limited material and creating collages.

“At first, I was just playing, I had these hilarious, ridiculous stories mixed with history because I was reading a lot at the time as well, but then I realised that there was something to this, and that’s when things started coming together.”

While Leena’s vision was clear, Haider explained that they needed to ‘dress them up’, giving each story a different visual style, some more cartoonish and others more realistic.

“Everyone can enjoy the book - a child can open it and enjoy the story and visuals, and an adult can have a better understanding of the underlying meaning,” art educator Haider added.

Speaking of further mutual collaborations, Leena said she would love to transform one of her interactive artworks into an illustrated story with Haider.

Her installation entitled Her Majesty: Velvet Woman is designed as a pink tent that takes the shape of a veiled woman, luring visitors to enter and read her story.

“It’s my passion to tell stories of women throughout history and to creatively display them,” she added.

The book is available online and at Al Riwaq.