Latifah Al-Said

I am a British/Omani artist interested in the themes of memory, loss, identity, war, the refugee crisis, human rights and the body. Current affairs and social issues in our society constantly thread there way through my creative practice. In my work I use drawing, painting, printmaking, film and animation to express my thoughts about these human problems. 

One of the main ways I try and understand the world we live in is through the handmade mark. Experimental mark making has always played an important role in my artistic practice, as it constantly challenges me to convey my thoughts and feelings about a variety of issues that resonate with me. Trauma, violence and mans inhumanity to man are conveyed and interrogated through each selected mark, proving to be an effective way of visually communicating the darker aspects of our society, that which we often try and sweep under the carpet. 

The body throughout history has been owned, bought, sold, mistreated and violated, and the images I make are an attempt to create awareness and remembrance of the numerous disposable people that continue to be abused throughout the world.

A year ago I traveled to the historic island of Zanzibar on the Gordon Peter Pickard travel bursary. This proved to be a very poignant experience as my paternal family has numerous links to the Island. I used the trip to research the history of the slave trade in East Africa. This consequently led me to delve into the area of modern day slavery and human trafficking.

I started by looking at Article 4 of the universal declaration of human rights, as I find it tragic and ironic that since its creation in 1948, across all borders, countries and races, still to this day we are greedily profiting from the sale and purchase of the human body.