Pushing boundaries: Unveiling Kuwait’s artistic visionaries
Is there a hidden community filled with creatives in Kuwait? The art scene in Kuwait is rich with many contemporary artists who have made headlines and inspired many young creatives. They’ve learned to preserve our culture while spreading it globally. Artists now turn to social media to help make connections and grow their statuses. Modern artists in Kuwait have adapted to these practices and learned how to utilize them. Kuwait Times spoke with Jassem Al-Sane, a young artist attending the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) as a fine arts major.
Jassem said he found inspiration for his art from his personal background. He states he is “very drawn to the collective cultural experiences and histories we hold as Kuwaiti people and parts of society that are silenced”. The young artist has created pieces made of mixed materials such as silicone and vinyl. He has created pieces that memorialize the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. The artwork is political yet beautiful in the sense that people are left wanting to know more about this hyper-realistic figure in front of them.
Beyond his incredible artwork, Jassem said that being an artist in Kuwait comes with both benefits and drawbacks. Art that isn’t “marketable” doesn’t seem to do well, even if it is beautiful. Jassem finds that the issue in Kuwait is that “the artistic scene is heavily reliant on capital and sales”. Seemingly, it is hard to break through as an artist without relying on the market. A piece of advice from Jassem would be to “encourage parents to make it normalized to be able to pursue art as a career instead of ‘just a hobby’.”
Jassem is not the only Kuwaiti artist making his mark. Doss, a well-known artist with over 12,000 followers on Instagram, has been creating jaw-dropping graffiti art. The artist just finished his own workshops in the Netherlands. When asked about finding like-minded creatives in Kuwait, he said “the power of social media is there to help”. Like Jassem, Doss speaks of how there is a lack of marketing with certain art, and it is best to seek artwork in galleries.
Doss creates graffiti in a very modern style, but his inspiration stems from his own traditions and culture. Statues and traditional artists seem to inspire Doss’ work. Modern artists like Doss have been able to revive cultural themes in their own modern art with current artistic styles. As a graffiti artist, Doss has struggled as his unique art form requires different art forms and ideas than other artists. Doss pushes the boundaries of what people expect art to be. The world is truly his canvas.
Artists like Jassem and Doss, using unconventional art forms, create art globally and successfully. Many of Kuwait’s citizens should be realizing their potential as culture-rich creatives. The sky is the limit for Kuwait’s arts.