Sitting with H.H. Sayyida Latifah Al Said, an artist of British and Omani heritage, at one of London’s vibrant cafés, and an interesting art conversation ensues as we sip cold beverages and enjoy delightful dessert. She is a talented, intelligent and a humble Omani royal, and I am truly touched by her thoughts – not only does she admire art and life, she appreciates everything around her, which is clearly translated in the artworks she produces. Each piece is a narrative of strong emotions, experiences, history and culture.
For H.H. Sayyida Latifah, art is a subject close to her heart; she has been involved in the art scene for a long time, but it is her recent participation in the ESOP exhibition in London, in July 2019, which revives and launches some new and existing themes produced by her. The ESOP (Essential School of Painting) show featured a group exhibition with some artists who she got to know and worked in a studio over the past year.
How would you define yourself as an individual?
‘Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.’ – Oscar Wilde
I have begun with this quote as it makes me smile and I feel it rings very true. In my life, I have tried to be true to myself and my ethics. I don’t want to ever copy another person and be labelled and kept in a specific box. We all have our own unique values and strengths as individuals, and as part of a wider community.
What inspires you?
I used to be inspired by making work that just looked pretty, like still-life and portraits of people. I then realised that I needed more content and a deeper engagement with my subject matter which led me to do a Master’s at the Royal College of Art in London. Those two years had a large impact on the way I do and think about my work; it was a wonderful experience. I began by studying world events and social issues within society, as I had hoped to make work that actually talks about the world we live in, and has some sort of positive impact on difficult topics that deal with life, death and human behaviour… Something that we all have to face on a daily basis.
Tell us about your involvement in the ESOP art exhibition.
The ESOP allowed me to be a part of a shared environment with other creative people; it was very fruitful and fun for my creative process, as sometimes working all alone can be very lonely, and I wanted the dialogue and new voices to feed into my practice. I created a series of paintings inspired by The Arabian Nights – it felt very cathartic to make these paintings and installation. Over the past year, my work has changed dramatically, and the use of kanga cloth and bright colours has taken over my image making.
What do you do when you are struggling to complete a piece of art?
That’s a good one… Sometimes it takes 30 minutes of doing something different, and at other times it takes a few days or weeks. I take a walk, listen to music, go dancing, go for a run, call a friend, watch a movie, take a trip somewhere local (doesn’t have to be far), cry, eat and then go right back to the studio and keep on going.
Tell us about your efforts to depict social and cultural issues in your work.
Human rights and injustice are a few of the things that I feel very strongly about. I don’t like intolerance, prejudice or violence. I believe there are different visual ways to talk about these subjects subtly, so that the viewer at first is drawn into the work through beautiful patterns and colours, but there is always a hidden depth lying underneath the surface.
Your favourite places in London…?
I love Kew gardens; it’s a beautiful haven of green. Central London is wonderful for walking around all day and getting lost in the city…maybe take a walk along the Southbank, visit the National theatre or Tate Gallery, and walk through Covent Garden and all the way to Soho and the British Museum. The English National Opera is a wonderful space to hear great music – all the live music venues are great any day of the week; you can find something good to listen to.
A piece of advice for our readers…
Never give up; be ethical, smile and remember to thank people.
* The Essential School of Painting (ESOP) hosted two ‘End of Year Shows’ – ‘Art Matters Part 1 and Part 2’ – at The Art Pavilion Mile End Park, from July 3rd to 14th. The shows were the culmination of work produced by enrolled students made over the last academic year, starting in autumn 2018. H.H. Sayyida Latifah Al Said was one of the students who was enrolled in a contemporary fine art course.
