Curiosity is the driving force that keeps me creating art. It is the product of my desire to understand my relationship with the world and beyond. For instance, I made a painting of a giant mechanical hermit crab, sheltered by a shell made of buildings, holding on to a nail with its claws, balancing on a pearl inside a clam which floats on the ocean, passing near the melting arctic icebergs, titled ‘The Balancing Act’. It is the product of my understanding that sea level rise due to global warming could threaten the existence of my country, Maldives. I paint in order to avoid such long and confusing descriptions of my imagination as well as to add a visual dimension to my opinions for the viewers to interpret on their own. It can mean something entirely different to someone else, according to personal experiences of the viewer. Most of my works are a surrealistic play of visual elements based on the problems we face, generally based on environmental, political and social aspects.
The environmental art series ‘Ocean Junk’ is one example of how our lives resonate with what we throw away. Using waste objects, they take form of actual living species of fish. Just like the scientific illustrations, they stand alone on a White sheet, with a name that describes it. The idea is to inform the public the importance of managing our Waste responsibly.
Although I work mainly with oils, acrylics, watercolors and charcoal, I love to experiment With different mediums in order to achieve the feeling I want the viewer to have. I believe the role of an artist is important in any society – to question and create dialogue on matters that need attention.
