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Artist Weeam Spernick is attempting to bridge the gap between East and West through expressive pieces of art by drawing from her personal challenges with cultural identity.
The British / Bahraini 30-year-old from Riffa, who is an art and design teacher by day and a freelance artist by night, has collaborated with photographer Summer Ameen to examine the subject.
Weeam recently unveiled a series of four photographs from her Master of Arts illustration project which she is completing online via the Edinburgh Interactive Design Institute. She is set to graduate in November.
Weeam, said: “If I was to give my overall project a general title it would be ‘Culture and Identity’. The reason I am interested in this, is that, as a bi-racial/dual-nationality artist, I often find I don’t fit into many of the preconceived boxes created by society.
“Essentially this project is a process of self-discovery, to figure out who I am in the context of this culture, whilst also being a part of others.
“Labels and stereotypes are a big part of identity construction. Am I an artist, a daughter, a teacher, a Bahraini, British or even a chicken nugget? Everyone wears so many hats that it’s difficult to define one’s true identity and this has been my challenge for this project.
“I met with Summer to photograph the outcomes of my project in a sequence that in itself tells a story. She took the concept and elevated it into the incredible series of photographs that we featured at a Malja Bahrain exhibition.”
Weeam showcased her collaborative series along with 13 artists at the Red Bull Space in Amwaj Islands for its first anniversary celebrations.
The popular exhibit, entitled Definition, was curated by Ramah Al Husseini and the Malja team and featured paintings, drawings, installations, photography and writing.
Weeam, who has been drawing and sketching since she was a child, is thankful to art spaces such as Malja for giving artists like herself a chance to grow and meet other like-minded individuals.
She said: “It’s great to see the opportunities that they provide to lesser-known artists.
“I think anyone would agree that this kind of platform is integral to promoting the arts in Bahrain and creating a community of collaborative artists.”
Although she dabbled in art from an early age, she started to truly embrace painting during her later years studying at St Christopher’s School and during her university days at the Glasgow School of Art (GSA).
Her first exhibition was held in the Scottish city at the Pentagon Gallery in a show called Drawn Together. It celebrated the GSA graduates of 2009. She also exhibited in Malja for the first Call Out Exhibition.
Weeam is currently using her summer holiday to expand her photographer series and further develop her passion for art which she calls ‘eclectic’. She explained: “I definitely find my inspiration from other creative people. Stories, poetry, music and other visual mediums are such a source, driving me to explore and improve my own practice.
“I am a great believer in trying new things and experimenting with anything from inks and paints, paper cutting or photography, digital mediums and printmaking, to create a variety of illustrations and sometimes animations.
“In my development of the series, I have interesting technological additions planned, including the use of projections.”
