Visual Artist, Adriana Al-Hajj: Colours are a Place for Peace & Dreams, and I Reserve the Painful Paintings for Myself!

Having been moulded by hardship and honed by pain, Adriana Al-Hajj views other people’s happiness as a purpose and an objective. She believes that generations must continue to produce art, which is associated with giving, healing, and hope, to develop their talents and gain experience.

Interview by: Mohsen Hassan

Regardless of age, she has made it her mission to teach everyone the skills and methods of visual art, from three-year-olds to seventy-year-old men. She has learnt from her traumatic experiences that beauty can permeate both spoken and unsaid spaces, and that a short-lived picture can triumph over a fatal illness.

In this interview, Arabisk London discussed with Adriana Al-Hajj, a visual artist from Lebanon.

First, which has influenced others more: visual art or engineering and design? And who in your world inspires you the most?

In my opinion, there is a strong complementarity between visual art and engineering and design. My decision to work tirelessly in these two sectors together, out of love and enthusiasm, is a result of this complementarity.

Since art is so diverse, harmony between its many genres as well as with other people and lifestyle patterns is unavoidable and a reality. When I compare the two in terms of their influence on my personality, I can honestly say that visual art has the biggest impact and gives me the most comfort. It is the language through which I express myself and my emotions, and it is a translation of every stage of my life that I have experienced and will continue to experience.

This does not preclude engineering and design from having a place for giving and love, which is frequently seen in the designs that clients favour and where the harmony between these two disciplines—which are very important to me—is clearly visible.

Why do murals take up so much space in your artwork? Does this relate to your human and social surroundings in any way?

As I reflect on my artistic origins, I see that murals have played a significant role in the artistic endeavours that have absorbed me and have contributed significantly to my artistic and visual output for the past fifteen years, since I started painting murals. Because of its great cost and extensive material needs, this kind of painting was only available to the aristocracy at the time.

Additionally, it necessitated the artist’s physical stamina and ample time to finish it as best they could. One of my primary objectives was to make this kind of art more accessible to all social groups and homes, both in urban and rural settings, and to bring it closer to the general public.

I believe I have made significant progress in this framework since I have made this art accessible to all societal groups. The fact that murals inspire awe and peace while simultaneously expanding viewpoints, enlarging spaces, and adding depth to the landscape made this simpler for me. However, I am aware that murals also present an artistic challenge as the artist strives to overcome the isolation and loneliness of distant locations.

What are the pinnacles of your inventiveness and enthusiasm for fusing the visual arts with fashion?

When this mixing and interconnectedness initially appeared, the introduction of fashion into the visual arts symbolised a wave of rebirth. Later, it evolved into a stage of artistic expression founded on creativity and creation, fusing fabric and painting. I viewed my involvement in this wave as an excellent opportunity to gain more knowledge about the fashion industry, where I had access to new artistic aspects and met a lot of creative people.

The interaction of artists from various artistic traditions greatly influenced my exposure to fresh ideas and experiences that had not yet been explored. All things considered, this gave me a place for openness and heightened consciousness as well as a creative dimension to refine my skills and refresh my foundation in the visual arts and then relate it to other artistic genres, styles, and materials, both local and distant.

How pleased are you with your creative experience with fashion designer Naji Saadeh? Did this experience help you get behind the scenes of the acting and drama industries?

My encounter with my friend and international Lebanese designer Naji Saadeh has left me feeling absolutely delighted. He has a wealth of expertise as an artist and spent a considerable amount of time combining his professional job with his initial education in medicine before making an exciting transition to the fashion and design industries. In actuality, our partnership was crucial from an artistic standpoint at various points in time, as well as a humanitarian one.

In response to the August 4, 2020, explosion at the Beirut Port in Lebanon, we worked together on a unique artistic cooperation as part of a humanitarian appeal. To pay tribute to the victims of this terrible explosion, we painted an abaya. It was a poignant moment and one of the most challenging feelings, arising from suffering and loss.

Rabiaa Al-Zayat, a media figure from Lebanon, wore this outfit, which went on to sell for $87,000 during a two-day live auction on Al-Jadeed TV. The profits went towards helping the families of the martyrs and those injured in this explosion. In light of all of this, I am not only happy with my interaction with Naji Saadeh, but I am also grateful for our collaboration.

You run a studio where you instruct both young and old people in the fine arts. What effect has this studio had thus far? Does it draw any disability groups?

The attempt to communicate the joy of art to the talents of youngsters and younger generations makes this impact noteworthy. Working to foster the creative potential of these naive kids who are just beginning to realise their skills and talents is quite amazing.

In my opinion, this studio, Atelier Des Artistes, serves as a place for healing and art advocacy in addition to developing skills. Given that it draws a wide clientele with a range of physical and mental issues, there is no greater, more exquisite, or more constructive influence than the one this studio offers.

These young children benefit much from art in terms of healing, recovery, and self-acceptance. What a lovely effect.

How do you feel about the creative and aesthetic phenomenon of graffiti? What do you think about its contributions to politics and society outside of the realm of art?

One of the phenomena that accompanies cultures rife with sorrow, rage, and public dissatisfaction is graffiti. Since it aids in the healing and letting go of the negative feelings associated with its creators—both individuals and people—I view it as a beneficial occurrence from both an artistic and human standpoint. It is prevalent in areas affected by famine and conflict because it also serves to document historical periods and human events, giving voice to persistent problems in those areas.

As a result, this phenomenon requires a special interpretation that emphasises its therapeutic and reformative potential in addition to its artistic and human importance.

What did you discover and what shaped you under the guidance of your mentor and creative inspiration, Haidar Al-Hamawi?

In my opinion, one of the most significant Lebanese and international artists is the late, brilliant artist Haidar Al-Hamawi. It was a blessing to learn from such a great artist. In addition to teaching me how to paint, he taught me how to live. He taught me how love can be captured in a painting and how to have foresight.

He helped me swiftly pick up artistic skills that allowed me to practise visual art specifically and distinctively, which sets me apart from others. As a result, I now have a unique position among both male and female painters and visual artists.

For all of this, I owe this remarkable artist everything I have accomplished and will accomplish in terms of creative and professional maturity, as well as everything I have in my artistic and human life.

How would you rank the current state of artistic intergenerational communication in Lebanon?

Although I don’t have the time to completely understand every facet of the Lebanese art and visual arts scene, I generally try to fortify ties and create bridges across generations. According to this viewpoint, I am just as excited to teach drawing to a seventy-year-old as I am to teach it to a three-year-old.

Thus, I think it’s critical to share our artistic knowledge with others in various settings in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and all other Arab nations, as well as through symposiums, art workshops, and other events.

This is because, as artists, we grow in experience, develop our methods, and build greater artistic and human ties with one another and those around us. For us to grow and enhance our abilities, this is essential.

Do you think Lebanese visual artists have done a good job of depicting the country’s suffering and crises? What function does today’s Lebanese artist serve?

The artist, in my opinion, is a mirror of society, and there are undoubtedly many artists in Lebanon who have been able to convey the suffering of Lebanon and the tragedies of the Lebanese people via their artistic creations. They have also been able to use their brush and colours to defend Lebanon’s image and stand up to anyone who has attempted or is attempting to misrepresent our nation in the eyes of the civilised world.

Truly, many forms of art—including theatre, film, music, and others—have contributed to this; it is not just the visual arts and sketching. Generally speaking, Lebanese artists are highly capable of both creative and human influence and inspiration.

Therefore, despite wars, hardships, and crises, Lebanese artists have demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt and be tolerant, which has, quite frankly, allowed them to portray a beautiful Lebanon to the world.

At forty, you received a cancer diagnosis! After recuperating, the illness resurfaced. What artistic and human lessons did you learn from this traumatic event?

This was one of the most challenging experiences of my life, particularly because I went through two phases, each of which had a unique impact and result; thus, the effects were different each time. Consequently, following a challenging and agonising labour period, I now regard myself as born again and have started to view life in a new way. I had resisted undergoing severe therapy when the illness was still in its early stages.

Under the care of a private hospital in Germany, I decided to use alternative therapies on my own by sticking to a safe vitamin regimen and a special diet. At the time, most of these treatments were experimental. I was able to do this during the initial phase, and two years later, I was totally healed of the illness.

Unfortunately, though—and I say this from a personal, more than a medical standpoint—six months after getting the COVID-19 testing and immunisations, I experienced another episode of the illness. This made it very tough for me as a woman and a person to have to go through severe treatments and have a tumour removed in the second stage of the disease.

In contrast, I now contend that the illness is a state of consciousness that inspires tenacity, tolerance, and transformation rather than a basis. Without a doubt, one of the main reasons I recovered from my illness was art. Now, the anguish I went through has been turned into positive energy to support many others going through similar experiences by creating art, painting, and boosting recovery confidence.

Was this traumatic medical experience the catalyst for your later interest in using the visual arts—such as painting and drawing—for character analysis and psychological and therapeutic rehabilitation?

Undoubtedly, my disease experience helped me realise the significant influence art has on moral and emotional rehabilitation and recovery. Thus, following my recuperation, I advocated for the use of arts like painting and drawing to help patients in what can be called “art therapy.”

Through my research and the credentials I earned, I was able to educate and reaffirm to others the value of art in healing. Indeed, this helped fresh artistic viewpoints to arise within the experiences and energies of visual and artistic giving.

My message has, therefore, always been to emphasise the value of art in both treating illness and spreading awareness, as well as the fact that life’s experiences—no matter how challenging or arduous—shape our paths and make us resilient, healthy individuals who are capable of surviving. Art continues to be a cornerstone of healing and recovery under all conditions.

What symbols did you notice in your readings of children’s and adolescents’ drawings in your creative studio and on field trips throughout Lebanon that showed psychological and pathological distress?

Unquestionably, the creative workshops I led with the kids after a traumatic event they had endured during my experience with the young journalist Ryan Hayek, which involved visiting the schools where the displaced had sought refuge during the recent war in Lebanon, revealed a type of drawing that expressed many contradictory things that were shrouded in fear and panic from the war and living in different places far from their homes and their usual daily reality.

I saw a lot of suffering along with a lot of hope, but I also saw a genuine representation of the depth of these kids’ anguish and suffering in these impromptu sketches. We are all aware that during times of war or crisis, such campaigns, drawings, and welcoming environments serve as a form of therapy, rehabilitation, and psychological support.

To identify cases that need immediate, quick, and independent therapeutic intervention—particularly when the child is unable to communicate through speech or drawing—psychological experts accompanied us during our campaign. Overall, I believe that the majority of the trips we made throughout this campaign served as the best example of how drawing and the visual arts can be used to expose suffering. Additionally, assist in conquering it.

What small details serve as the foundation for your colour philosophy in your murals and paintings? And how many of your ideas are communicated to the audience through colour?

Even though I firmly believe that art cannot be explained and that it is very difficult for an artist to explain their work, as said by the famous Lebanese singer and artist Mansour Rahbani, I always want to use my paintings to promote comfort and tranquilly.

So that my feelings of agony, misery, or anxiety do not show in my paintings, I make every effort to avoid painting anything at these times. After all, I’m more interested in using my art to make people happy than I am in using it to express anguish or sorrow. I want my paintings to bring peace and pleasure to the people who own them and display them on their walls or in their homes.

This is not to say that I don’t paint about misery; I do, but I reserve the painful and suffering paintings for myself. This might be my guiding principle: colour should be a place of peace, comfort, and dreams rather than suffering.

Do you think that modern visual artists face a significant challenge from artificial intelligence technologies? How should each visual artist respond to this?

Undoubtedly, the visual arts are facing a significant challenge today due to the numerous crises our societies are going through, as well as cultural and technological advancements like artificial intelligence. Some people now consider them to be nothing more than a luxury, especially considering how simple it is to access the countless styles of paintings and visual drawings produced by this horrifying technology.

Nonetheless, I think that genuine visual arts will continue to capture a large amount of people’s interest, particularly those who recognise the importance of art and its function in life, as well as those who think that a painting’s worth and depth increase with the passing of time.

Visual art will continue to be a purely human art form with its own audiences and fans, despite the difficulties posed by copying, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies of the present and future. Art has never entirely disappeared, even when new technology has emerged at various times. What is drawn using a passive technique and what is drawn with human emotion differ significantly.

In your opinion, how do Lebanese women participate in the Lebanese event?

It is not because I am a Lebanese woman that I like and value Lebanese women, but rather because I am aware of their strength. Given all that they have seen—immense pain, suffering, and intense feelings tinged with the agony of war and loss—how could they not be?

Perhaps these ladies are unique, strong, resilient, and unbreakable because of the losses they have endured. Therefore, I think that because Lebanese women have experienced so much, they are exceptional examples of awareness that genuinely make a difference and bring about change. As a result, they bring kindness, beauty, and the arts to their environment wherever they go.

In closing, how much do you interact with visual art pioneers both domestically and abroad? What do you hope to achieve artistically in the years to come?

Nowadays, communication is undoubtedly a component of progress. So, we Arab and Lebanese artists desperately need to communicate, get closer, and work together. Whether through seminars, exhibitions, or field trips, I am personally very keen to stay in regular touch with my artistic, visual, and cultural surroundings in general, despite my hectic schedule and the fact that I am a mother of two children.

This is to share tips, insights, and methods while learning about various artistic experiences and the countless varieties of art.

Eventually, my artistic and personal goals will always remain receptive to new and wide possibilities. My greatest goal is to reach as many people as possible with my art and make a difference in their lives, regardless of their location.

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