"In The Beginning"
I was born in AL-Sawaber quarter of the AL-Sharq district in Kuwait in 1943 .My relation to the clay started when I was a young boy . I used to sit, silently watching the walls of our old house built of sea stone and clay. Something moved me to spread out my hand to the clay, and I did not realize then that my hand would always be extended to clay all my life.
I started to make forms looking like the shapes of birds, animals and fish. I used to lean my back to the wall and go into deep thought and imagination. I would finish my little status and put them under the sun, then watch them dry up moment after moment, hardly able to wait until they were dry, and then I would carry them happily to my friends who would look at them and admire them. shortly afterwards, we would brake this statues , then I would return once again to the world of clay .
In 1956, following the tripartite aggression against Egypt, I was a student at al sabaah school. The school administration, wishing to express it’s solidarity with the people of Egypt, decided to erect a work of art to commemorate the battle of port said and port fouad on the stage of the school. A few of my colleagues and I were entrusted with creating works of clay depicting soldiers ,women and children ,under the supervision of the art education teachers at the school .this art work was completed and turned out to be superb. I was very proud and happy when my name was broadcast through the school microphone and I came out to shake hands with the patron of the celebration, sheik Abdullah al jabber. That day ,I resaved the first artistic pries in my life –a ball –point pen ,which has remained a dear pries and close to my heart.
Subsequently I moved to other schools: Al-Maamoun , Al-Ghazali ,Shamiah intermediate and keefan secondary in all these schools, I was to be seen frequently at the drawing ateliers. During the period 1957-1959 I started to carve yellow bricks, using a knife and sandpaper. Most of my works depicted human faces at that time.
The Free Atelier:
At the beginning of 1960, I joined the free atelier; I liked the friendly atmosphere and was filled with enthusiasm to work there. I started to devote all my time after 1962 to working at the free atelier for the fine arts, where are spent the four following years, during which I participated in all the spring exhibitions, which used to be held every year at Al-Mubarakiah school. The common denominator in all the works which I performed during that period was that they centered around man, love and freedom. During that period I worked very hard and with great enthusiasm. I loved to depict silent nature, portraits of training and the gaining of the necessary experience to enter the enchanting world of art.
College of Fine Arts:
In 1966, I was sent to Egypt where I took the first real steps toward a specialized scientific education in the matter of my arts, when I joined the college of fine arts.
I loved the Egyptian museums, which I never stopped visiting throughout the period of my studies at the college. I studied all the contents of these museums, trying to learn more and more about their particular aspects.
The period of my studies at the college, from 1966 to 1970, was the most productive period in my life. I stayed long hours at the ateliers, and also worked long hours at my apartment. Throughout that period, my consistent obsession was man and art.
The period between my graduation from the college of fine arts in Cairo (1970) and my going to USA (1974) was a period of research and follow-up of all things relating to art in general, and modern art in particular. This was reflected in my oil paintings and sculptures.
The years of study in USA (1974-76) were characterized by the fast tempo of modern life in all aspect. In addition to my attending classes at the college, I used to visit various types of museums representing different art schools. I also attended many art exhibitions and visited numerous ateliers and galleries in various parts of the USA, showing the works of artists of all schools of art.
Man….”the obsession”:
The years of my studies in the USA were indeed a new phase in my life, and were separate from my previous and subsequent years. After my return to my beloved country in 1976, I had many ideas struggling in my mind. The major question was: what do you want?
I painted and carved for whole year, expressing that obsession which I had. I completed some major works, a number of minor works and numerous sketches. They all centered around (line and color). I called them “the curves”. During that period, I craved wood also and I completed such works as “before birth”, “after birth” and “motherhood”.
Yet that nagging question persisted:” what do you want?”
I turned to local heritage. I was attracted by the tent and the rug. Through them, I entered the world of art of Sadu, that creative art practiced by the Bedouin female weavers.
I spent some time studying the relation that exist between man, the woolen thread, colors, the fingers of the Bedouin women, the tent, the pillow case and the rug. I drew several paintings statues of metal sheet, bronze and wood as well as gypsum, all dealing with the subject of Bedouin life.
Yet that question persisted: “what do you want?”
This time unlike other times, the answer came to me as an explosion within me, and marked the beginning of the “boxes” phase in my carrier. Most of my “ box “ works tell the story of man ,moving with force destroying his chains seeking salvation and enjoyment of the light of life.
From that stage onward, man become my cause and my obsession: the oppressed and suffering human being in his consistent and unending search for freedom love and peace.