CONVERSATION WITH FATMA LOOTAH: Art Shaped by Moments of Spontaneous Creative Explosions

Born in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, she studied art at the Academy of Arts in Baghdad and at the American University in Washington DC. Since 1984 she has settled in Verona, Italy, where she has held many joint and personal exhibitions. She has also performed live shows in many artistic festivals in some European and Arab countries. Lootah who moved to Italy more than 20 years ago sees herself as a “bridge” between arts in the West and in the Oriental world. ““My Emirati heritage and my culture are clearly reflected in my creations and my artwork,” she said.

Q1: Let’s start at the very beginning. All of us, who have been following your works, have read that Emirati Heritage, as well as being born and raised in Dubai during the early formative years of your life, have had a strong impact on your artworks and aesthetic sensibilities. However, we would like to know how it all began. When and how did you discover your passion and aptitude for art? What would you consider as a turning point in your career as an artist?

A1: I started my art journey at a very young age. I did not have much practice or training back then. However, I felt a strong inner push to explore art. Of course in art you need, what we call in Italy, ‘mestiere’ (mastery of craft). But at the same time, more than the craft, I have always felt that it is this inner push that fuels the spirit or soul of art.

So, after I started experimenting with small drawings and paintings, I had this unquenchable thirst to go and study art. So, at the tender age of 16, I left for Baghdad. It is at the University of Baghdad that I really owned my craft. This is where I learned the fundamentals like, “What does a line mean? What more can it mean? What else can be done with it?”. As I said, the craft is important, especially in the beginning, but craft alone is not enough. The inner fire is also very important. After completing my studies at Baghdad, I left for the States. The university that I studied in the United States of America had an extremely flexible structure. More than classes and training they focused on practice. They had an open studio from nine in the morning till five in the evening. So, I would just go there and do and do and do. This is where I first discovered the beginning of Fatma Lootah, the artist.

Q2: For someone who shies away from labels, you have been adorned with quite a few of them. Critics have described you as a bohemian,eccentric & controversial artist. Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation calls you “UAE’s only cultural ambassador”. You are irrefutably one of the most popular female artists, from the UAE, whose artworks have been featured extensively on international platforms, including the New York’s Times Square. Given the same, how would you describe your artistic journey so far?

A2: Well, those who assign labels to me have not done so to my face. I believe that art in its truest and natural form is so simple and beautiful, that it does not need any labels or definitions. When I create, I don’t necessarily create just for myself. Yes, my art is my meditation. I do cherish the peace and silence as well as the meditative experience in art. However, my art is primarily for other people and not for me alone.Perhaps it is because we do not have a pronounced history of art in this region, I feel that we have had a slightly strained relationship with visual art. It was not always evident or at the forefront in our culture. While I am influenced by the rich culture, tradition and beauty of the desert, my aim has been to bring art and beauty to the people of the Emirates. I remember when I held my first Art Show in the Emirates.  It was an exhibition of abstract paintings. And I remember that not more than 10 people visited that show. So the challenge has been, ‘How to make art accessible and relatable?’ If no one sees or witnesses your work, then it’s just you painting or creating for yourself. I feel that drawing inspiration from the desert and the natural surroundings can make it easier for the audience to understand and relate to the artworks.

There is also a strong element of Art Education in my practice. How to make people understand that they need to sit down, take time and look at an artwork to fully experience it and get the most out of it. When an artist creates an artwork, it is the manifestation of the explosion of the creative energy that has been gestating inside him or her. And in order for the viewers to experience this creative energy, to its full extent, they have to invest time and really look at the paintings. So, yes, a major part of my art journey has been focused on how to help people understand what art means to me, and also what art means in general.

Q3: Simon Sinek once wrote, “It is not logic or facts but our hopes and dreams, our hearts and our guts, that drive us to try new things.” You have been an artist who has always experimented and refused to be boxed-in or defined by a single style. From your work with performance arts during the 1980s to the celebrated abstract paintings, and most recently, the figurative style that features in your latest works, you have a rich body of work that spans across a wide array of styles. Although all your works have a distinctive ‘Fatma Lootah flavour’, you appear to be constantly reinventing yourself as an artist.  Could you please share what inspires and drives you, as an artist?

A3: Many artists feel like they are special or different. I, however, believe that art is a gift from God.  I am grateful that I can create. Through my art, I always express the gratitude that I have towards all those who have supported me. For me, my art practice is not a means to show off my skill or talent. Instead, for me, it is the way I show my gratitude to all, starting with my master. I usually enter my studio with no preconceived notions. As I have often said, I strongly feel that it is the soul that paints or creates, not the head. I then just start working with the canvas and colours that I find in my studio, giving myself fully to the experience without trying to think about what lines or shapes will come out. It is always the moment that shapes the painting for me. This is why I always say that it is not about what you think should be on the canvas, it is about what your soul wants.

Q4: After HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum visited one of your exhibitions in 2010, he gifted you a house since he felt that you should have somewhere to work on home soil. In what ways have the Emirates and the art scene here influenced you and your artworks?

A4: The Art Scene here is extremely varied and complicated. Honestly, I have not exhibited extensively here in the country.  All the same, the region is extremely close to my heart, and I have been trying to do the best to serve it. 

Also, I wish and hope to give back to the land that has given me so much. It has given me my sense of beauty. The colours that I use in my paintings are inspired by its natural landscape. The desert has always been a place of mysticism and inner quest. It is where people go to find answers about the soul. And I draw inspiration from its majestic beauty and power. Therefore, I focus more on being grateful for all its gifts and strive to give back beauty to the people of the Emirates.

“My Emirati heritage and my culture are clearly reflected in my creations and my artwork” - FATMA LOOTAH