sign on the hand

The late Emirati artist Hassan Sharif, a pioneer of conceptual art in the region, spent his whole career examining form, time, and social action. By translating historical art texts and manifestos into Arabic, Sharif, who also served in the capacities of artist, educator, critic, and writer, helped introduce local audiences to contemporary art.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi is now featuring an exhibit of his paintings. Hassan Sharif's art has already been displayed at a number of important galleries and museums, including Musee des Beaux-Arts, Rennes.

Before Hassan died in 2016, I was able to get to know him and discussed some insights on how he discovered his creativity and love of art.

When Hassan was a child, his brother wounded him on the right hand. A sharp pencil punctured him that left a tiny black dot on it. Hassan believed that after that accident, he discovered his interest in writing and art. He felt that it activated the creative artist that is lying within that made him become a writer in modern art and conceptual artist.

The story of Hassan only suggests that sometimes what might seem to be tragedy or accident can turn into a blessing to discover the hidden potential of your absolute best. Situations happen but it can be a catalyst to something bigger and brighter. Instead of feeling upset about his brother, Hassan was very grateful with the incident that made him realised his true passion and purpose. He even felt that he was indebted to his brother. This only shows that there is always a reason why things happen in our lives.