Abdul Qader Al Rais
b. 1951, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Abdul Qader’s works reflect the natural and built environments of the UAE, especially of his home in the old Bastakiya area of Dubai. He depicts local scenery, such as the architecture of the traditional house elements including the ‘barjeel’ wind towers, doors and forts along with ‘abra’ boats and the coastlines of Dubai. Abdul Qader’s work has connected with the local UAE community for his preservation of the traditional UAE environment, mirroring the meticulous craftsmen of woodworkers and painters of ships and houses. While he uses a darker palette in his earlier works, he experimented with with light gradations and abstracted imagery of realistic settings and with calligraphy. More recently he used fingerprints as his signature as a way to authenticate his works after many artists began to copy his techniques.
