ZAHIDAH ZEYTOUN MILLIE
| ARTIST | FOUNDER & CURATOR ‘MANGROVES FROM THE WATER’ EXHIBITIONS | RADIO SHOW HOST |
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
I am a multidisciplinary, thematic artist whose work moves across the subjects of life and death, humanity and nature. Important influences on my work are poetry, mythology, history, science and philosophy.
Moving from one project to an entirely different one is an exciting challenge. Once my work on the idea becomes tangible, the project quickly grabs a life of its own, moving me along in its wake. The joy of expressing myself with colour is what inspired me to become a painter and sculptor……..
THE GINI FATOUHA
An illustrated story with the title the Gini Fatouha is moving toward publication phase this year
June 2024
Mangroves From The Water – PHD Art Project, The Project Space Gallery, Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus
Announcement: Mangrove Art Exhibition
November 2023
The Hive Ocean Grove, Mangroves Art – Group Exhibition
FOR SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
GALLERIES
Glass Artwork
Since 2020, I developed a passion for working on glass and I’ve been attending glass workshops for almost a year. I find glass the best medium to represent the beauty of the mangrove roots, seeds and water. The medium is rich, like water, in how it reflects light and overlays of knowledge. These overlays help project a deconstruction of ideas.
Conversation with The Moonah Tree
In Conversation with the Moonah Tree I explore the beauty of this native tree which usually live by the margin of a lake and a little away from the mangroves.
This art work has been selected as one of the final selection for the Islamic Museum Art Prize 2020 (AMA) ”https://www.islamicmuseum.org.au/ama-2020-exhibition/
Mangroves from the Water 2012 – Ongoing Art Project
Mangroves from the Water (MFTW) started as an art campaign in the UAE in 2014 with a series of multimedia group art exhibitions over three years, and a 2017 Mangroves Festival. The art campaign continued globally from International Mangroves Day 26 July 2021, running till 18 August, in Geelong, Australia. Our latest exhibition was held at the National Mall in Washington DC during the Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2022. We had the honour to represent the UAE at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival from 21 June to 4 July.
The Self
This art work talks about my thoughts and feelings toward the daily destruction of the mangroves, which I witnessed daily while going kayaking or running in Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah. I had a period of time when I felt I was one of those mangroves trees especially when I painted or sketched them. I spent a long time with the mangroves and I feel I know them very well! I felt their pain too!
I faced waves of difficulty while working to protect the mangroves, and yet so much support, too.
For this art work I borrowed the myth of Daphne turning into a laurel tree! There is a certain satisfaction and a beauty, I feel, of becoming a tree! I wish I could be a tree!
The Self is located at the Sharjah American International School in Umm Al Quwain to be on display for one year, 2017-2018.
Coffee Morning 2016
The large size painting Coffee Morning represents my daily world amidst the expanse of the mangroves. The fish bowl, the sofa, pillow, the carpet are all features of my sitting room. The crab on the melting clock represents the time I have spent in the mangroves of Victoria and the UAE. The melting clock is a motif borrowed from Salvador Dali, while the crab is actually a familiar companion when I sketch from my kayak. Once whilst sketching a bird, I realised the presence of a small crab! I place written texts on the hair, the bird, the cup of coffee on the right hand side of the picture and on the sofa, the small vase with the daffodil flowers on the left hand side. On the sofa there are written texts on the world map upon the sofa. The texts are written in two languages: Arabic and English, based on selected poems and personal thoughts. The outline words which shape the flowers and vase are excerpts of William Wordsworth’s poetry about daffodil flowers.
ZAHIDAH 2012
My turning 40 and the death of my father encouraged me to look inside myself, being like Gilgamesh in a time of searching as he roamed, walking between lands searching for the meaning of life. I am treating my latest project, ‘Zahidah’, as a narrative, an opportunity to communicate how I have transformed over time. I am asking the viewer to associate particular events to a broad conception of events.
Symphony of the Myth of Life & Death.
The writing around the frame is examples of ancient Ugaritic letters from tablets of the ancient language first found at Ras Al Shamra (Ugarit, dated around 3500 BC), near my family’s town. I transliterated some Arabic letters to Ugaritic using them in the painting. It is fascinating that Arabic possesses the sounds of Ugaritic! The Epic Of Gilgamesh was of course first written in an earlier cuneiform Sumerian language.
MANGROVES FROM THE WATER
Artists working to save the natural environment of the local mangroves
Mangroves from the Water (MFTW) started as an art campaign in the UAE in 2014 with a series of multimedia group art exhibitions over three years, and a 2017 Mangroves Festival. The art campaign continued globally from International Mangroves Day 26 July 2021, running till 18 August, in Geelong, Australia. Our latest exhibition was held at the National Mall in Washington DC during the Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2022. We had the honour to represent the UAE at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival from 21 June to 4 July.
RADIO SHOW
Arabic and English radio program hosted by me
Every Tuesday evening at 8pm
THE PULSE
94.7 FM