Mays Al Moosawi
Hailing from Muscat, Oman, Mays Al Moosawi’s installations aim to break the taboos of sex and virginity while encouraging women to embrace their bodies in all their changing forms.
Currently studying for her Master’s degree in Fine Art at the Chelsea College of Art and Design, Al Moosawi’s practice is characterised by the unique, ethereal qualities she imbues in her female subjects. Her latest installation, ‘’She’s a mystery even to herself,’’ dissects not only the prevailing pressures of being a woman in her own culture but also pinpoints the universal struggle of conforming to society’s dictate on marriage.
Mays Al Moosawi.
To find out more about Mays Al Moosawi’s practice, please visit her website or Instagram.
Al Moosawi insists that a moment of spontaneity prompted her to spotlight women as a subject in her works. Whilst completing her Bachelor’s degree in animation, she found that she was drawn to the female form, particularly when arranged in reclining and resting poses. She explains that the process from the beginning was entirely organic and was so empowering that it forced her to explore what might be created off the canvas.
Patiently Waiting, 2020, Oman Digital illustration, 42 x 59 cm Edition of 5. Courtesy of the artist.
At first, Al Moosawi began developing 3D ceramic viewings of her female figures before her venture into installation art. It was as though the physicality of her painted women was brought to life through the solidity of sculpture. Her statuettes are reminiscent of prehistoric structures of the female body but with an avant-garde twist. Cast in vibrant colours, the figurine’s elongated limbs and postural mannerisms evoke a rhythmic gesture, as if they were alive and performing for their audience.
Bourguessa, 2022. Courtesy of the artist.
Bourguessa statuettes in the studio. Courtesy of the artist’s Instagram.
Moosawi’s inspiration is deeply rooted in her personal cultural history. In particular, she is interested in addressing topics such as the ongoing debate on marriage as a social construct and the taboos of sex and virginity through the lens of a woman. More specifically, She cites how her experiences of being raised in a modest and conservative country play a pivotal role in directing her creative practice. Back home, in the Omani culture, women are subjugated to specific cultural pressures and rules, including dictating when the right age to marry is or being repudiated of premarital sex. Consequently, Moosawi strives to create an artistic platform that is not only devoid of these judgments but inspires freedom for those still being relegated.
Her latest piece - ‘’she’s a mystery even to herself’’, reflects just that. Created as part of her university project at Chelsea College of Art and Design, the work beautifully encapsulates the narrative of a woman entrapped by her own defeating thoughts. Yet beneath it all lies the questions regarding liberation: away from societal values. The installation is a two-piece division, harmonising our visual connection. The bottom is a pile of mud on which a clay key sits, while the top half is a construction of a mirrored box. Inside is a sculpture of a seated nude woman, and a hanging lock with a hollow imprint of a heart is suspended from below. Moosawi confronts the viewers with questions about our own identity as a woman. In this piece she asks, does she even know her own self, or is it simply a made-up projection of normative social influence?
Moosawi is currently represented by Emergeast, a leading network championing mid-career artists from the Middle East and North Africa. Focused upon completing her MAFA degree at Chelsea College of Art and design, she continues to explore installation as a preferred medium further. Nevertheless, she aims to continue with her two-dimensional practice that relates to her former animation days.
Whats mine will find me, 2022. Acrylic and pastel. Courtesy of the artist.
Selected Exhibitions
2022
'Dreaming Tomorrow', Online Exhibition, Emergeast.
2021
NFT M.E. Exhibtion, Emergeast, Opensea.
2020
Reel Oman at R House, Riyadh, KSA.
2019
Christmas show, Matti Gallery.
Affordable Art Fair.
2018
Oman Art Fair, Oman.
Young Emerging Artists, Stal Gallery, Oman.
2017
Art in Mind, Brick Lane Gallery London, UK.
Tanisha Virendra
Contributing Writer, MADE IN BED