Manal Dowayan does not just shoot a picture when she looks through her viewfinder. She shares her culture, her heritage and her ideals with the rest of the world. She chooses her subjects very carefully in order to depict something that is very Saudi; her images are of subjective identities and acceptances and yet her portrayals have a distinctively universal appeal. Her photographs exposed in black and white can at once be identified as an ethnic delineation or a pandemic viewpoint.
In her own words she is totally “Saudi.” Born and bred in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, her development as a photographer has been brought about more from within than without. The encouragement and support that she has received from her family and friends has been enormous. Manal feels that, if children are to develop and excel in any skill, both parents have to play their roles in nurturing the child. She feels extremely lucky to have parents who did just that.
Manal has been recognized for her work both nationally and internationally and has been an Ambassador for Art for her country. She is not making statements through her art or using it to send messages to her audience; what she photographs has more to do with her own experiences than with any other concerns. “Each picture is something that happened to me or something that I had an issue with.” Her roots are her Saudi culture and family values; they are an intrinsic and integral part of her identity. Her approach to whatever she has to depict is from that standpoint. “People interpret my photographs according to their own pre-conceptions. I really enjoy listening to their comments, because to me that is what Art is. It starts a thought process, which transcends culture, race, gender and religion; it brings people together and breaks down barriers.”
She chooses to exhibit only her black and white prints, because she says, “Colors can be distracting. Black and white images have a simple approach and are visually very strong. I like developing my own photographs, to get the depth and intensity I am looking for. I like to take pictures, but the craft of developing images in the darkroom is something very important to me. I can control the processes involved in printing and defining images.” Results of her focus and dedication are apparent in her images. The contrasts in her photographs (not just of black and white), but of women doing jobs that men do or of hennaed and bejeweled hands writing thoughtful words, can either be a celebration of a women’s intellect or a desire of acceptance in a patriarchal society.
So what inspires Manal? How does she manage to create such thought provoking images? “My role models, people who I grew up with, my family and people I admired.” Manal says she feels extremely lucky to be affiliated with people in leadership roles who are not jaded or aloof. “Everyday I find inspiration; I could be watching someone on television and get inspired by someone’s point of view; I could be talking to some young Saudi girls and find that they are really smart and intuitive.” Her images are mostly of women dressed in Saudi attire but performing tasks which are generally not associated with them. “I find so many Saudi women who head businesses, empowered women and intelligent women who have so much to contribute to the society.” Her triumphant moment came when Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah ascended the throne and in his first speech stated clearly “Women are contributors to this country.” She was touched by those words. To Manal the future does look bright and hopeful and that is what inspires her.
How far can she go with her manifestations of lifestyles, ideas and ideals on her own? There is very little being done to patronize artists locally. Most of the commissions that she has are from people abroad. “What we need are homegrown foundations to help promote art and artists. The Ministry of Culture is working very hard but that is not enough. We need foundations, private ones that can sustain arts and crafts.” She feels that organizing competitions benefits only those who win awards; the task ahead should be to give grants or scholarships to would-be artists so that a vivid artistic culture evolves in Saudi Arabia. Her advice to young artists is to “work diligently, seek perfection and do not get discouraged.”
As far as she herself is concerned, Manal wants to continue learning her craft. She wants to perfect her technique by experimenting on her own or by taking courses. She does not want to be pigeonholed or labeled, and she won’t be; she has the intellect and foresight to evolve in any direction that she wants.