Maryam Al Zadjali (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: ) is an

Omani Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

painter, whose work is inspired by Omani traditions and Islamic artistic practices. In 2008 she was appointed Director of the Omani Society for Fine Arts (OSFA).

Career

Al Zadjali began her career as an artist in the 1980s. Throughout her career she has been inspired by Omani traditional motifs and Islamic artistic styles. She graduated from

RMIT University The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (abbreviated as RMIT University) is a public research university located in the city of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia., section 4(b) Established in 1887 by Francis Ormond, it is the seventh-o ...

with an MA in Art Administration in 2003. She had previously studied for an undergraduate degree in Philosophy and Psychology. She was appointed Director of the Omani Society for Fine Arts (OSFA) in 2008, and under her leadership the organisation has expanded its programme of activities with the ambition of placing Oman's artistic heritage on a global stage. In 2012 she was one of eight Arab artists to present work at the "Women in Art" event at the Federico Socondo Association in

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

, Italy. In 2019 she presented with an artwork by Kavitha Ramakrishna, which depicts an Omani

khanjar A khanjar is a traditional dagger originating from the Sultanate of Oman, although it has since spread to the rest of the Middle East, South Asia and the Balkans. Worn by men for ceremonial occasions, it is a short curved blade shaped like t ...

in the Tanjore-style of painting. The same year, under the supervision of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, al Zadjali began a project at the village of Imti, entitled “To Immortalise the Archaeological Moment in Art”. The project encourages

archaeological tourism Archaeotourism or Archaeological tourism is a form of cultural tourism, which aims to promote public interest in archaeology while conserving historical sites. Activities Archaeological tourism can include all products associated with public ...

to the village, through the installation of artistic interventions such as wall-paintings. In 2021, al Zadjali exhibited as part of a digital exhibition hosted by Kuwaiti National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature (NCCAL). Her works are held in public collections, including that of the Syrian Ministry of Culture.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zadjali, Maryam Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Omani women 21st-century painters RMIT University alumni 21st-century Omani people Omani artists 21st-century women painters 20th-century Omani women 20th-century Omani people 20th-century women painters 20th-century painters