‘To My Father’

On Wednesday evening, a crowd in the hundreds gathered on the ground floor of Desert Designs (www.desertdesigns.com) on King Abdullah Street in Alkhobar. Much of the tribal art had been taken down from the walls of the showroom and instead paintings were hung bearing titles such as “Musical Equations,” “Square Root,” “Problem Solved’ and “Exam Next Monday.” To the casual observer it looked much like the opening of an art exhibit anywhere in the world. But in reality, Wednesday night was a memorial to and a celebration of the life of an inspired teacher, Dr. Abdul Rahim Farhat. Those who knew him best and those who wished they’d known him better, gathered to speak of him with love and admiration.

It would be a lie to write that sorrow was not a part of the evening, but even on the face of his beloved oldest child, there were more smiles than tears. Dr. Nada Farhat (www.nadafarhat.com) created and organized the show, “To My Father,” as one means of coming to terms with the terrible grief she felt after the death of her father in a traffic accident last year. His brother opened the exhibit with a short eulogy.

“I see in Dr. Nada’s art that she is drawing a prescription for the soul just as she usually writes prescriptions for the body,” said Yousef Farhat. “My brother was a mathematician. He always tried to show that math is more than just pure science. It is also a science full of art and creativity. All his life he had an enormous interest in being a teacher. He loved math and he wanted his students to see math as more than numbers and equations. Dr. Abdul Rahim had so much energy and so many talents. He enjoyed doing mechanical work on cars. He was interested in art, science and politics. He was devoted to his family, too. My brother helped me enormously at certain times in my life. I loved him dearly and even now it is difficult for me to speak of his passing.”

Dr. Abdul Rahim received his first degrees from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Dhahran. He went on to the United States for his doctoral degree and eventually returned to pass on his love for mathematics to other students at his alma-mater, becoming an assistant professor at KFUPM. His passing left behind his wife and five children, the youngest, Faisal, 12 years old.

“The large number of people who have come to the opening has been wonderful for my family,” said Dr. Nada. “The show of appreciation for my father is gratifying. It makes me happy to see that he is still loved and in the memories and prayers of so many. Losing a loved one in itself is horrible. But losing a loved one suddenly is the worst thing that can ever happen to anyone. When this happens there is a lot of unfinished business. There are so many things that need to be said and so many things to do together that will never be done.”

She continued, “After the tragedy, going through his belongings and sorting through all the papers in his office, I just couldn’t take all those things and put them in boxes and forget him. It was quite awful to contemplate. Looking at his notes I was inspired to take them and instead of allowing them to become nothing, I wanted to transform them into something that would help keep the memory of my father fresh. It was an agonizing period because I didn’t want to make something sad. I wanted to make something beautiful and motivating. So I incorporated portions of his notes, his writing and his class work into my art. So now his thoughts have taken physical form and I hope that many people will treasure them always.”

Dr. Nada pointed out that while her father was a well-loved teacher of so many students at the university, his teaching wasn’t confined to the classroom.

“My father was my mentor. His knowledge was passed on to so many, and he was especially encouraging to us, his children. He always wanted us to excel in whatever interested us,” she said. “I’ve had three solo shows and my artwork hangs in many public places such as hospitals, government buildings and offices. I am a physician in my career but my father was always pleased to see me continue my art. It is very painful that I am not going to go home tonight and talk about the opening of this exhibit with him.”

Our conversation stopped for a moment as Dr. Nada composed herself. Then she explained that creating the exhibition had been like having a conversation with her father that went on for months. His notes joined with her artwork to create a non-verbal language, which made her feel like she could communicate with her father, even though he was not physically present.

“It was very difficult working on these pieces because it was very emotional,” Dr. Nada explained. “This was a remedy for me to help me heal from his loss. There was grief involved in creating the art. It was actually traumatic when I would rip out a piece from one of his pages of notes to make it a part of one of my paintings, but this was a part of the creation of something new.”

Her eyes grew bright and she held her handkerchief tightly, “The truth about life is that nothing lasts. I do believe though that where there is an end, there is the possibility of a new beginning. I view my art as containing fragmented memories of him. This artwork will go from my hands to someone else’s hands. I hope that something of my memories of my father will be passed on, too.”