BFA+MFA 2023

Shamma Almuraikhi

The Book of Giants

Painting and Printmaking

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Norse, Greek, and Egyptian mythologies have been my biggest inspiration and the main theme of my artworks. My work focuses on, and is inspired by, the Giants in norse mythology as a starting point for me to create my own narratives. As a Qatari artist, I'm interested in the similarities between Abrahamic beliefs and these wider known mythologies. These mythological stories all have a starting point (the start of world), one honored god (all father), and, the ending point (end of the world). I'm interested in how these stories from different cultures relate to my culture and this fascinated me and made me read, learn and inspired me to create artworks. 

My process involves using a variety of tools including digital drawing (ipad), and more traditional methods such as drawing and painting on paper, and sculpting with clay. I have developed a cartoon-like visual language, which helps me create and interpret stories in my own distinguished style. Making Books is another type of artwork that I have been practicing throughout the years. For my final thesis, I decided to create an installation of an unbound book - a book that tells the story of the Giants and their world. This concept of an unbound book allows the papers to be hung and displayed through a rotating device that was created to help the spectators engage better by looking at each page effortlessly.