Lebanese mother seeks solace in art
15.6.2013 By Nohad Topalian in Beirut
Human cells take the form of brightly coloured flowers, trees and nature in artist Dalal Farah Baird's recent exhibition, "Cell-ebrating Resilience", at the Exode Gallery in Beirut's Ashrafieh.
Baird drew her inspiration for the exhibition's 25 paintings from her daughter Nalia, who died at age 23.
Following this devastating loss, Baird decided to channel her energy into positive and creative pursuits and began to paint cells, which form the essence of human life.
Baird spoke with Al-Shorfa about her exhibition and its message.
Al-Shorfa: Tell us how you chose the title of your exhibition.
Dalal Farah Baird: There is a play on words in the title of my exhibition, "Cell-ebrating Resilience". The first word, "cell" refers to human cells, and I added the rest so the title means to celebrate self-adaptation, which is what I try to do in my life after losing my 23-year-old daughter, Nalia. After I lost her, I decided to direct my energy towards constructive and creative things, with painting at the top of the list.
Al-Shorfa: How does your art relate to the death of your daughter?
Baird: I am a mother of two girls, Amanda and Nalia who, from a young age, suffered from epilepsy. She was studying at a university in England and was 23 years old, full of life and energy. She was preparing for a film assignment at college when she suffered from a severe seizure, which resulted in her death. Her sudden death created a certain energy in me. At the time, I was faced with two options: either I curse my luck, or direct my energy towards creative things, after going through the pain and hell of losing her. So I decided to head towards art, since I previously dabbled in painting and Nalia would always encourage me to do so.
Al-Shorfa: Why did you focus on cells?
Baird: There is a story behind these cells. One day, someone gave me a picture of cells under the microscope and I saw it from an artistic perspective -- as if it were a painting with a range of colours. Because I do not have a scientific background, I started reading about cells and I discovered they are affected by our thoughts and we interact with them. If ideas are positive, they are reflected in our cells and affect our health. Then I realised there is another world inside of us -- without us knowing it -- and that we do not take an interest in our own cells. For this reason, I shed light on cells in an artistic manner.
Al-Shorfa: Tell us about your techniques.
Baird: I use a lot of dots and circles, which I develop into drawings that resemble vases, flowers and trees using oils, acrylics and mixed media. I cannot claim to have certain techniques because I do not approach art from an academic background.
Al-Shorfa: What is the message behind your paintings?
Baird: My message says that we come from a single source, and for this reason, this message is directed towards the Arab countries that tend to label people. I am trying to say we are from the same source, which is cells, and if we believe that, we will stop fighting each other and instead favour understanding, love and co-operation.
Al-Shorfa: Will you continue to paint cells?
Baird: They are the main feature of my paintings.
Al-Shorfa: You have a blog known as "Dalalism". What is the story behind that?
Baird: When I was in Sydney, my colleagues would write down the ideas I expressed and called it "Dalalism". This prompted me to launch a Facebook page on which I write my thoughts and ideas. The idea behind this documentation is instead of asking: "How are you today?" we should ask: "How are your cells doing today?"
15.6.2013 By Nohad Topalian in Beirut
Human cells take the form of brightly coloured flowers, trees and nature in artist Dalal Farah Baird's recent exhibition, "Cell-ebrating Resilience", at the Exode Gallery in Beirut's Ashrafieh.
Baird drew her inspiration for the exhibition's 25 paintings from her daughter Nalia, who died at age 23.
Following this devastating loss, Baird decided to channel her energy into positive and creative pursuits and began to paint cells, which form the essence of human life.
Baird spoke with Al-Shorfa about her exhibition and its message.
Al-Shorfa: Tell us how you chose the title of your exhibition.
Dalal Farah Baird: There is a play on words in the title of my exhibition, "Cell-ebrating Resilience". The first word, "cell" refers to human cells, and I added the rest so the title means to celebrate self-adaptation, which is what I try to do in my life after losing my 23-year-old daughter, Nalia. After I lost her, I decided to direct my energy towards constructive and creative things, with painting at the top of the list.
Al-Shorfa: How does your art relate to the death of your daughter?
Baird: I am a mother of two girls, Amanda and Nalia who, from a young age, suffered from epilepsy. She was studying at a university in England and was 23 years old, full of life and energy. She was preparing for a film assignment at college when she suffered from a severe seizure, which resulted in her death. Her sudden death created a certain energy in me. At the time, I was faced with two options: either I curse my luck, or direct my energy towards creative things, after going through the pain and hell of losing her. So I decided to head towards art, since I previously dabbled in painting and Nalia would always encourage me to do so.
Al-Shorfa: Why did you focus on cells?
Baird: There is a story behind these cells. One day, someone gave me a picture of cells under the microscope and I saw it from an artistic perspective -- as if it were a painting with a range of colours. Because I do not have a scientific background, I started reading about cells and I discovered they are affected by our thoughts and we interact with them. If ideas are positive, they are reflected in our cells and affect our health. Then I realised there is another world inside of us -- without us knowing it -- and that we do not take an interest in our own cells. For this reason, I shed light on cells in an artistic manner.
Al-Shorfa: Tell us about your techniques.
Baird: I use a lot of dots and circles, which I develop into drawings that resemble vases, flowers and trees using oils, acrylics and mixed media. I cannot claim to have certain techniques because I do not approach art from an academic background.
Al-Shorfa: What is the message behind your paintings?
Baird: My message says that we come from a single source, and for this reason, this message is directed towards the Arab countries that tend to label people. I am trying to say we are from the same source, which is cells, and if we believe that, we will stop fighting each other and instead favour understanding, love and co-operation.
Al-Shorfa: Will you continue to paint cells?
Baird: They are the main feature of my paintings.
Al-Shorfa: You have a blog known as "Dalalism". What is the story behind that?
Baird: When I was in Sydney, my colleagues would write down the ideas I expressed and called it "Dalalism". This prompted me to launch a Facebook page on which I write my thoughts and ideas. The idea behind this documentation is instead of asking: "How are you today?" we should ask: "How are your cells doing today?"