Exploring corners
to leave thinking. That is my main goal when I create something. Every piece I create, I want it to evoke some kind of emotions. I don’t want them to just walk in, take a picture and leave. I want them to stand, stare, think, and question.
AT: What is your process of creating an artwork?
NT: All of my artworks, the series and pieces I create, talk about a current social issue. I like to express my point of view on different aspects of society through my work. In my previous exhibition, Fulfilment, I looked at capitalism and how people are chasing the new dream and what they think is going to satisfy them. In Islam, we believe that we were created on earth for two things, one is to pray and get in touch with our religious side, and the other, to evolve and build the world. But people nowadays are running after the wrong things, the materialistic pursuit of cars, houses, and brands. So I tried to make people question whether they will actually be fulfilled by these acquisitive trappings because you keep lusting for more, the new and seemingly better and so keep running after it.
But for me, Al Yaqeen was the more personal, I was going through this. I lived through every stage of these chapters so I translated my emotions into my work. The concepts and stages develop when something arises or a thought crosses my mind. I don’t talk a lot and choose my words very carefully. Now that I’ve found photography and a visual language, I don’t need to talk at all. I can just let my work speak for me.
AT: How is this last exhibition a departure from your previous work in terms of style?
NT: Al Yaqeen was more minimal in terms of content and much more straightforward. I let the images speak for themselves. I always identify as a visual artist, not as a photographer because I do a lot of installations and I play a lot with other components in visual media in terms of videography, composing sounds and playing with lights. My earlier exhibition, Fulfilment, had all of this, it had a lot of colours and the fabrics were custom-made and it was shot in Asia so the backgrounds were very busy, it was more of a live experience and I worked heavily with lights while the last one had just images, I didn’t embellish it with anything else.
AT: What are the challenges you face as a young artist? What are the common difficulties work?
NT: It is really hard to get my voice out there as a young artist, people always dismiss you for being young. But I have a point of view and I want to express it out loud. I have realised that my work speaks to the youth in Kuwait which is something that took me by surprise. It wasn’t intentional at all.
Most of the crowd at my exhibitions is made up of the youth and I recall, during Fulfilment, a girl cried and told me that I was giving them hope. That is something that I never thought would happen. I am really glad that I am speaking to the younger crowds and that they are actually seeing some hope being painted through me, that’s amazing! I was just doing something to express and let out what I have inside but I never knew that it would actually impact people.
Another difficulty I face as an artist in Kuwait is that I don’t have a lot of places to get things done. Production is very limited so it is very frustrating. As an artist and as a designer we are not advanced at all in this field. Although it is a struggle to get the right place, I don’t want to get used to doing things outside, so I do it here.
AT: Are young people in Kuwait responsive and reactive to art?
NT: Yes, I have to admit they are, and especially nowadays. There is growing engagement and attendance from the youth. They would stay at the last exhibition an hour or two just doing photoshoots and being creative. I see them hungry for art and engaging with it.
I did an installation after Fulfilment – it was a mirror box with the word ‘ana’ inside that reflects infinitely and the box is a mirror inside and outside, so it could disappear if you put it somewhere. Entering this dark space was quite like the confession room of a church with one spotlight shining on you and a sound I created on a loop of people defining themselves. This really resonated with those who went in as they had the opportunity to reflect about who they are. A guy cried inside there and that was also one of the moments that I realised that I am very happy doing what I’m doing. There are hard times when you feel it’s not worth it because there is a lack of support from certain corners but when I see the young coming in and being moved by my work, it really is worth it. At the end of the day, I am doing this to help Kuwait grow.
AT: What influences and inspires your you encounter?
NT: I am inspired by everything, my everyday life and Kuwait. But I would say that as far as individuals influences are concerned, my brother Yousef, is my main influence. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t think I’d be here today. He was my main supporter, my main inspiration. There are a lot of people that I look up to but most of my work is inspired by music. When I hear a song and it gets me thinking, that’s when I start visualising. AT: Have you explored other mediums? NT: I do a lot of installations where I play with lights — neon, LED, all sorts. I play around with videography and I love to experiment with it. In terms of audio, I mix and compose a lot and I even like to build stuff with concrete and construction materials.
AT: What do you think of the state of art education in Kuwait?
NT: I am a public school student and I would say that unfortunately the arts in public schools of Kuwait isn’t up to standard at all. I studied graphic design and my professors were good. Some of them were very interested in me and really saw potential in me and pushed for me to be something.
But design programmes in Kuwait are lacking in terms of facilities. Often you don’t have studios and printers to work with, the offering can be very basic.
AT: As an emerging artist, how do you view the Kuwait art scene?
NT: We do have an active art scene in Kuwait but it is not as big or as vibrant as it should be. Unfortunately, the general society is not that aware of what’s happening and I think it needs more light to bring it back to life. The younger crowds are hungry for it and they are supportive so I guess we need to support more emerging artists.
I don’t see much variety in terms of content but there are some really great artists. I look up to Amira Behbehani, she was the one who gave me my first chance, she is such an amazing person. I also love Ghadah Al Kandari’s work, it is pretty cool. The photographer Faisal Al Bisher is amazing and he is like my mentor. These are a few among a host of brilliant artists that we have in Kuwait. AT: What’s next for Najd Al Taher? NT: I want to continue creating and put my work out there. For me, building and investing in my country is the number one thing. I want to help make a change, help evolve this country.