RIYADH, 1 October 2004 — An artist by choice, a pacifist at heart and an interpreter by profession, Reem Al Firm uses paint and canvas to rail against the social injustice and violence around her.
It was when she was 18 that this Saudi artist bought her first canvas and focused on her painting. Since then, she has completed 25 paintings that follow a single theme, the yearning for peace and tranquillity in a world ravaged by war, deprivation and hunger.
“My father was my main source of inspiration,” she said. “‘This is my daughter, the artist,’ he would say.” His encouragement was the tonic she needed to study the works of Picasso and to delve into the realms of the surrealist artist Salvador Dali.
Reem also has a passion for reading. “As a child, I read the works of Samuel Beckett in Arabic and later I discovered how Dali was a self-taught artist. I had the gift of imagination and an irresistible urge to pour out my feelings on the canvas. Together, they launched me into the world of art.”
Reem is not just an artist. She is also a student of English literature. Her felicity with languages cut her out for a career as an interpreter when she has to communicate between Saudi patients and non-Arabic speaking doctors at King Faisal Hospital.
Her real love though is painting. It provides her with a medium through which she can launch a tirade in images against the objects of her anger.
One painting shows a veiled woman behind a fence with a colorful butterfly perched on her shoulder. The powerful image is, she said, “my way of giving vent to my feelings against the religious establishment in the Kingdom.”
The treatment of women here is un-Islamic, she contends. “Islam stands for justice and equality and accords equal rights to men and women. Unfortunately, such is not the case and we are being deprived of our legitimate rights.”
She sees that as the responsibility of the people in charge of the implementation of Shariah and regards it as having nothing to do with Islam. “Like the main character in Samuel Beckett, I am also waiting for Godot in the form of someone who will show up for our sake. But he has not materialized yet,” she declares.
Reem’s other paintings portray her views against terrorism and the lop-sided global economic order that the World Trade Organization is seeking to establish. To Reem, such an order is a mirage. Her surrealistic foray depicts a boy who in his desperation is trying to eat anything that he can lay his hands on. By contrast, she says, even domestic animals in the West become obese due to overeating.
This painting is a commentary on the negative impact of globalization. Reem takes a swipe against the champions of globalization who like to portray only the brighter side of globalization, while glossing over its darker side.
Typical of her sentiments is the painting, “Terrorism in Celebration.” Why did she choose such a title?
“It is a hyperbolic expression denoting the devilish deeds of desperadoes regardless of their religious and ideological background.”
Reem observes that by resorting to terrorism and calculated acts of violence, the enemies of mankind are also destroying the earth. The idea inspired her to embark on another major canvas, “Embracing Earth.”
“I got the idea from a commercial. I was fascinated by it, because we belong to this earth and unto it we have to return. It symbolizes our bonds with our own planet. It only makes us sad when we see its destruction in any form.”
Another painting depicting a similar idea is “Alliance Against Logic.” The painting conveys her message that every destructive act is a twisted version of logic. When killing assumes the dimensions of a sport, it defies every logic and reason. It, therefore, becomes incumbent upon us to forge an alliance against such illogical and irrational acts.
“I decided that as long as these illogical acts continue, I will sign myself off as Reem with one ‘e’ inverted to echo my protest against this unholy war and the contradictions between war and peace, love and hatred, wealth and poverty.”
Reem is planning to mount an exhibition of her paintings in the near future. Discussions are in an advanced stage with an embassy to organize her show. When it gets off the ground, Reem Al Firm, the interpreter, will again be seen in action.
This time though, her interpreting skills will be confined to translating her anger and frustration at what she sees as the constrictions and contradictions of modern society to an appreciative audience of connoisseurs.
