Bahraini visual storyteller Maryam Alsaeed has reimagined the coastal village of Malkiya in the style of Parisian artist Claude Monet, the founder of Impressionism.
When the 23-year-old artist took photos during a recent family trip to Malkiya, she didn’t imagine that the editing process and her connection with the place would lead her down the rabbit holes of one of the most influential art movements of the 19th century.
“I wasn’t thinking about Monet or the idea of transforming the photographs into paintings while taking the images,” she told GulfWeekly.
“Those ideas came later during the editing process. As I experimented, I found myself asking ‘What if?’ and following that curiosity visually.
“The series became less about documenting a place and more about exploring how memory, atmosphere and emotion shift through different artistic mediums.”
Taken along the Malkiya seashore at sunset over the span of an evening,
the photographs are beautiful in their simplicity – capturing slices of
life as people go about their evening.
Although art was the first
expressive medium that Maryam experimented with, she has been
reconnecting with painting, both as a hobby and to further enhance her
graphic design and video editing work.
“I’m deeply passionate about raw and authentic visual storytelling,” she explained.
“Art
has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, beginning with
drawing, then later poetry, which became the first medium that helped me
understand and express myself more clearly.
“What inspired this
series was not necessarily a planned concept, but rather a moment of
genuine connection with my surroundings and with my artistic instincts
at the time.
“I have also been reconnecting with painting and engaging more deeply with that side of myself creatively.
“I
think that naturally found its way into the images without me
consciously intending it to. The process felt intuitive rather than
calculated.”
Of the series, her favourite is one depicting siblings at sea, in deep harmony with the environment around them.
“Even though they were far away, I still remember their expressions clearly,” she added.
“They
didn’t seem excited or overly emotional. There was a quiet stillness to
them that felt almost overwhelming in its own way.
“It felt as
though being surrounded by the sea allowed them to simply exist
together, without needing to show emotions or react to anything around
them.
“What stayed with me was that sense of calm and emotional suspension.
“While
editing the image, I wanted to preserve and slightly exaggerate that
feeling, which is reflected in my choice of colours and atmosphere.
“I
leaned into tones that felt more dramatic and dreamlike, not to change
the moment, but to visually express the emotional weight I felt while
looking at.
“This series feels less like a finished project and more
like the beginning of a way of seeing. I think we often move through
life too quickly, passing by places and moments without fully perceiving
them, and over time that can distance us from our ability to truly feel
or notice the depth within ordinary things.”
Curiosity, reflection
and artistic exchange have always been core parts of Maryam’s ethos,
which she has brought into all her projects including an education
platform she brought to life as a member of the Bahrain Film Society.
The
idea behind Halqah (Arabic: ‘circle’ or ‘ring’ referring to a gathering
of people) was to create a space where creatives can come together for
open yet thoughtful discussions about their craft, experiences, and
artistic perspectives,” she explained.
“Rather than approaching
creativity in a purely formal or technical way, Halqah focuses on honest
dialogue and the exchange of ideas between artists and filmmakers.
“The
first episode, which brought together two directors in conversation,
was successfully filmed and released across different platforms this
month.”
For more details, follow @maryam_alsaeed7 on Instagram.
