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Isolation is a ‘gift’

2 Jun 2020

Amal Ezzat Soliman, an Egyptian artist living in Oman, cherishes isolation as she believes it gives her more time and space to meditate as well as explore different dimensions of her own potential. The current lockdown doesn’t quite disturb her a much as the uncertainty of what the future holds for her art does. “I don’t think being isolated is the end of the world, rather, I think it’s the beginning of a new era,” she says.

Amal, who has a Phd in fine arts, currently is a lecturer of Fine Arts at the Scientific College of Design. However, since the lockdown began, she had to continue her work online and set a time for herself to do all her artworks just as she used to do before.

“Isolation for me, as an artist, is not a big issue as it gives me more time to meditate, to read more and to do more art experiments. As an artist, I am trying to adapt to a world that’s removed from the world I’m trying to make art about. The challenge of day-to-day isolation seems less of a concern to me than the long-term question of what my art will become — or what will become of my art,” she says.

Amal, who considers art as the only means to express her thoughts and feelings, always tries to use new techniques and different styles, to explore her own potential.

“I don’t think being isolated is the end of the world, rather, I think it’s the beginning of a new era to discover ourselves, our talents and our hidden abilities. I encourage everyone, specially the youth, to make use of this time and consider it as a ‘gift’ for more success,” she says, adding, “It’s not easy to be far from your friends, family and loved ones or from the other activities we used to do. But with art, we can travel the world, express our love and feelings, and we’ve got this opportunity through this pandemic.”

Amal believes that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a change in everyone’s life and left people confused and stressed. However, she looks upon this period of the lockdown as a time for ushering change in routines and an opportunity for learning new skills. “I believe, isolation evokes creativity and circumstances, too, can cause one to be creative,” she asserts.

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