(Saju Nair- Dubai) I got an opportunity to meet and interact with one of the participating artists Ajna Soni Dalamal Sabnani who has flown to Dubai to attend this exhibition in addition to her participation in ‘Art Connects Women’ an event organized by ZEE arts. Ms. Ajna who was born in 1954 in Tangier, Morocco, discovered her passion for painting at the age of eight.

After dabbling in all mediums, the artist felt that oil was the medium that called out to her, the medium through which she could transfigure her imaginations onto a canvas. During a short interaction with us, the artist says “Oil has a depth and a certain soul which I can’t get from other mediums and this aspect allows me to further incorporate my specialized techniques more efficiently and that gives me the freedom to permit the creative flow of my imaginations onto the canvas which gives me a very pleasing sense of satisfaction.

The subjects chosen by me are normally based on mythological ventures which are connected to the Aryan, Egyptian and Greek civilizations, this subject is one that has inspired and fascinated me from my childhood days itself and thus, I find great happiness in creating works that are based on this concept. Even though I studied arts during my early life, I should say that my interest in art has given me the freedom to experiment with different subjects and that has really ignited the passion I possess for art in me. Today, I am happy to say that some of my paintings are a part of private and public collection in Sri Lanka, London, USA, and Europe and I was also fortunate to host multiple solo exhibitions in addition to numerous group exhibitions across the globe. I am still a student of art and now I am trying to learn more on Islamic geometric patterns that requires much focus and patience as these creations demands minute detailing and precise planning. I have been representing MOA for the past 20 years in England and it is indeed an honor for me to be in this beautiful city of Dubai and to be part of an event organized by MOA.