Reminiscence: Grandiosity

If one word could ever sum up how a person feels in the United Arab Emirates, it would be grandiosity. This series is a pastel art exploration of my past, displaying the grandeur I felt as a child growing up in the United Arab Emirates. Ask any tourist who has visited Abu Dhabi about their trip, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque will undoubtedly come up in conversation.

This mosque exemplifies the UAE's tradition of displaying grandeur while adhering to Islamic art and architecture principles. Modernity and austerity, refinement and devotion, grandiosity and humility all come together in this potpourri. It is a son's statement of grief, a devotion to his father's efforts, and an expression of everything he has done for the UAE.

Growing up in Abu Dhabi, the passing away of Sheikh Zayed, the Founder and the 1st President of the UAE, on the 3rd of November 2004 created a ripple across the country, Men and women cried, some threw themselves to the ground while others stood in solemn silence, he was buried in this mosque which was under construction at the time, it took a total of 12 years to reach its completion, till date a Qaari sits near the grave of Sheikh Khalifa and recites the Quran at all times, praying that this recitation will bring peace to him in the afterlife. In 2013, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, announced that November 3 would be marked with Flag Day, a celebration of Sheikh Khalifa's accession by raising the country's flag. The day aims to remind everyone not just of the UAE's glowing memories of the past but also to consider the promise of an even brighter future.

Normally, city inhabitants do not visit historical / tourist places; nevertheless, I have visited this mosque on numerous times. I recall going there for the first time as a youngster with my parents, full of wonder and wonderment. The journey opened my eyes to the splendor and grandeur of the place. Though I wasn't an artist when I first visited the mosque, the sheer beauty of it struck such a deep chord in me that it inspired me to become the artist I am today. Life's defect is the monotony of repetition that comes with it; art, on the other hand, makes life a little bit more lively and delightful. Art is not confined to paintings of flowers and sunsets; it exists in many forms and is the source of inventiveness and ingenuity all around the world.

This Grand Mosque is a gleaming example of architecture and interior art, as it transports visitors into a medley of culture, grandiosity, and utter magnificence; similarly, the man enshrined in the Mosque was an artist who, through his art of leadership and sagacity, guided the United Arab Emirates to its current greatness. The mosque and the man to whom it is dedicated have long motivated me to add color to the canvas's dullness, and to heighten the beholder's experience of my art via its grandeur and wonder.