MAITHA DEMITHAN
Mother
Scanography
Edition 1/ 3
100 x 80 cm
This piece depicts motherhood; a mother as a hero. It shows a mother with her children close to her, holding them. In her hands are the tools of an artist, because these are the elements without which she cannot feel complete - these define her "job". In both, are the feedback cycles of creating and nurturing, immersion and engagement.
The role of motherhood could physically and mentally deter an artist from making art. It's a constant challenge to balance time and energy.
The process of scanography in itself is very time consuming, as the photo is taken during a time frame, unlike a camera which is fast and instant. The labour in lifting and moving the scanner, and then later in collaging the images is a reflection and a reminder of the constant challenge of the role of motherhood.
Maitha Demithan is an Emirati artist born in Dubai in 1989. Her work combines several mediums; photography, scanography, painting, drawing and photo transfers.
The first drawings she created were sketched in the sand which then formed her appreciation for colour, texture, line and shadow. Maitha's most successful exhibition was in 2009, 'Documentation' at Tashkeel where her first scanned self-portraits appeared. Later in 2009, she participated in "Across the Gulf", a group show that took part in the Brisbane Biennial. Other group shows include "Emerge" in Venice, "Emirati Vision" exhibition in Berlin and the "Biladi" exhibition at the UAE Pavilion, during the Shanghai Expo 2010.