Unprecedented exhibition – Zaahirah Muthy: an artistic journey from Dubai to Mauritius

“A Chronicle Voyage” is the title of Zaahirah Muthy’s exhibition, which runs from this Friday until September 20, 2024 at The Hybrid, Telfair, Moka. Founder of Zee Arts, initiator of the Mauritius International Arts Fair and Arts Connect Women, as well as curator of more than 35 exhibitions around the world, she presents her journey through this seventh solo exhibition.

About forty works line the walls of The Hybrid, in Telfair, Moka. “This exhibition highlights 16 works made in Dubai, five in France and the rest in Mauritius. It is particularly significant because it traces my artistic journey, highlighting the strong and precious moments. It is a real journey through my artistic evolution,” confides Zaahirah Muthy.

The exhibition illustrates the artist’s trials, triumphs and precious moments through vibrant colours, such as yellow, red, blue and pink. Zaahirah Muthy also uses recycled paper, collages and mixed media to enrich her work.

“There are representations of my childhood bedroom and my travels, among other things,” she explains. It has been 13 years since she left Mauritius to settle in Dubai. Born in Port-Louis, she began painting at a very young age.

“I remember in my room the walls were white and I started drawing on them. Luckily, my parents never told me anything about it. This allowed me to express my art freely and follow this path,” says Zaahirah Muthy.

During secondary school, she distinguished herself by obtaining first place in her school, Muslim Girls, in the School Certificate in Arts examinations. After secondary school, she was drawn to social work and joined the Idriss Goomany Centre, where she worked for 10 years before joining the Trust Fund for the Social Integration of Vulnerable Groups (TFSIVG).

“My journey in the social sector was extremely beneficial for me. It was a real life lesson. However, I continued to paint on the side,” she recalls. In 2006, she held her first solo exhibition. The following year, she obtained a diploma in the “Artist Program” through a distance learning course from Thomson Education Direct, based in the United States.

In 2011, Zaahirah Muthy moved to Dubai, where success soon followed. She founded the Zee Arts association, a platform to promote young painters from the Middle East. At the same time, she launched Arts Connects Women, an initiative that brings together female artists from around the world. The seventh edition of this event took place last March at the One & Only Royal Mirage in Dubai, and brought together 112 women from 112 countries.

Zaahirah Muthy also established the SDGs through Arts project, a socially engaged arts initiative dedicated to raising awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To date, 17 countries are participating in this initiative. In addition, she organizes the annual Mauritius International Art Fair (MIAF), an international multidisciplinary contemporary art festival.

Zaahirah Muthy has also curated numerous exhibitions in the Emirates and around the world. She has notably worked on World Art Dubai, a group exhibition in the United Arab Emirates, as well as the Tatinis Art Fair in Singapore. She has also supervised events such as Art Shopping and the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris, the Tbilisi Symposium in Georgia, Little Picasso and the Beirut Art Fair in Lebanon, as well as the Istanbul Art Fair.