On February 28th to March 1st, Summer Alireza held her exhibition “Encounters” at boutique Sabine Nada in Jeddah.Drawing inspiration from nature and Islam, while transmittingan inconspicuous yearning for yesteryear, SummerAlireza’s work reflects her profound connection and artistic acumen for the world surrounding her.
“What you may know as the Last Supper,” clarifies Summer on her recent artwork, “is in fact what has been titled as The First Supper,it is actually an interpretation of the latter in a modern Arabway.” Summer has a unique ability of taking somethingbanal and rendering it anew with her special je ne sais quoi.“The idea behind the painting came about while discussingvarious ways to portray the company’s [in the restaurantindustry] vision. It developed into a modern correlation ofthe Last Supper with an Arabic theme and feel.”
One stylistic element common to all her work is the natural infusion of Summer’s maverick nature in all her artisticinterpretations. If Andy Warhol were to paint the Kaba’a,it might look something like Summer’s exposé AbstractedMakkah. Vibrant colors elicit a sense of whimsical sphericalmovement and dimensional angularity, all the whileemitting a subtle silent serenity. Daring to portray Islam’smost recognizable icon, Summer wholeheartedly digestedher subject and shared something all modern Muslims whoattune to their artistic side can relate to; “I do tend to add asense of controversy to my work. But it’s up to the viewerto find that contentious twist in it, it’s not that obvious.”
Abstracted Makkah conjures a sense of juxtapose one usually doesn’t experience in Makkah; the area around theKaba’a is empty rather than compact with avid worshipersand the surrounding buildings are somewhat transparentcreating a feeling of openness and unity. “I try to explore asmuch as I can in painting; at this point I’m having fun withmy work, trying a variety of techniques and methods andseeing where I land and where it takes me.”
Summer’s overt sentiment for fun, is covertly under-toned in her subject matters. Burst of Nature explodes withconfetti of striking color, while the subject itself permeatesmany sacred meanings such as respect for heritage, questfor knowledge, and love of life.
Summer’s panache extends across all subjects fortunate to undergo her artistic rendering. Peering into her ‘toolkit,’filled with knives, sponges and scalpelesque objects, it’sobvious that even the most finite of details throughout her artistic process tend to experience the same vigor andspontaneity, even if just deciding upon her current creativeinstrument of choice. This attention to detail leads Summerto ponder, “You know, I don’t believe a work of art is everdone. It can always be better…always. It’s never finished.”
One of those incomplete works of art, though unapparent to the uninformed, has undergone the sponge, the scalpel,and had itself smothered with sand to give that glistento the ephemeral that is Tranquility at War. “History hasalways been a part of my work. I do enjoy the opportunityto capture the past as a work of art—it gives me a chance toput my own interpretation on history. You can see this in thepainting with horses of the battle of King Abdul Aziz, whereI chose to bring serenity and calm into a moment of war,through the use of color combined with texture.”
While musing upon the redundant question of what her work offers society, rhetorical indeed because clearly sheoffers so much, modestly Summer admits, “I don’t knowwhat my work could offer society, but I do hope my paintingscapture a reality people can identify with. Or even afantasy they relate to. As far as what my paintings can offer,I do wish to bring a smile to those who view my work.”Rest assured Summer, your effervescent colors touching onthe homegrown give art aficionados alike something to ru minate,something to touch, and something to smile about.