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The woman fighting for the arts amid conflict in Yemen By Saeed Al Batati

We meet one young Yemeni artist who’s working hard to change the perception of modern art in her conservative hometown, while struggling to raise funds for a flailing creative scene

Abeer Al Hadrami wants to bring her paintings to the world through international art events. Photh by Saeed Al Batati

We meet one young Yemeni artist who’s working hard to change the perception of modern art in her conservative hometown, while struggling to raise funds for a flailing creative scene

Abeer Al Hadrami wants to bring her paintings to the world through international art events. Photh by Saeed Al Batati

Abeer Mohammed Al Hadrami stores about 100 of her own paintings in her parent’s three-room apartment in the port city of Mukalla, the capital of Yemen’s south-­eastern province, Hadramout. You’ll find some inside or on top of cupboards, and even under her bed.

Al Hadrami’s favourite stands out among them. It’s a 50 centimetre by 70cm piece that highlights the issue of child marriage. In it, a grey-haired pregnant girl is depicted wearing a white wedding dress and carrying a small toy. An over-sized hand clutches her right shoulder. “This is the hand of the society or parents,” Al Hadrami explains. “I love this artwork too much.”

While promoting art in her home town, she also works in an administrative role with an international aid organisation, while her parents give her pocket money, too. She’s also sold a few of her beloved paintings. “I sold a collection of my paintings in Malaysia for $2,000 [Dh7,346]. I saved the money to buy a car,” she says. She also sold a painting for 1,000 Saudi Arabian riyals [Dh979] to a local art pundit. “By selling their work, artists can buy materials and pay to participate in international exhibitions, as well ashelping to arrange exhibitions ­locally,” she says.

Otherwise, it can be difficult for budding talents, she says, lamenting

The ongoing

Despite

Source: https://www.thenational.ae