We live in an Artificial World

Reflecting on the life we live, this time and age where everything is consumed and mass produced, we live in an artificial world, away from nature, forgetting the connection of how we became and why. We are as dispensable as tea bags, where companies would take an natural drink and produces it for millions, billions of human where every bag is identical in taste and flavor, and once it gives its color, flavor and juices away, we throw it… Or is that only Ahmed Mater’s vision of this world?

What’s Up: Give us a flashback from the very beginning, did you get any influence from your childhood?

Ahmed Mater: well I come from a small village in Aseer, an area called RIJal Alma, we have a tradition there where locals would brag and show pride in how their homes are painted and decorated from the out side, my mother used to create a lot of those designs, I remember my childhood watching her drawing line by line of each home, taking care of all the color mixtures and lines to match a certain design, I remember being exposed to colors, shapes, curves, and art from a very young age.

WU: When did you discover that you had something special? When did you get the moment of enlightenment?

A. Mater: I remember having something special from a young age, I noticed that at school, but the moment you’re asking about came when I was studying surgery, while performing discectomy I have noticed that I can move my hand without even looking, the whole anatomy was recorded in my mind and I can draw it with my eyes closed.

In 2003 the British Museum was acquiring pieces to add to their Middle-East and North Africa section, and they came across my work, so they bought it to feature it in the museum. I considered this as a great start to boost my career, and gave me confidence in my work from the get-go.

WU: What a career booster. (Laughing)

A. Mater: Yeah I even considered leaving my day job as a chronic disease doctor.

WU: When I visited your website, I noticed that there is a lot of focus on photography, why is that?

A. Mater: I have studied photography, I even started by using large format cameras, then I moved on to medium format, before going to 35 mm. I then developed the hobby of using X-ray machines to do photography. I remember working at the lab and taking shots of cells and organs , in some cases I would be experimenting or let’s say playing, but an artist always gets this urge to experiment and play, till something creative and beautiful comes out, and then he or she starts to hold on to this one thing and develop it over and over, I feel that in most cases the artwork is never finished, yet the artist keeps on visiting that project often till he feels he reached completion.

WU: I remember reading somewhere, that a creative work is never finished until you reach a point where you can’t look at it any more.

A. Mater: I think this is true, you do reach a point where you loose your spiritual connection to the work, and that’s where you know it is done, other wise you come back to it because the need to develop it and bring it to life is still there in you. You need to reach a level where you will feel an inner satisfaction towards the work.

WU: You have a great book called Aseer from The Sky, how was that project executed?

A. Mater: I was fascinated with intimate landscape photography, I started to correspond with Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, and when I met him, I explained my idea and what I wanted to do, he gave me all the support and permits to fly at any time needed over the county of Aseer.

WU: Tell me about the Yellow Cow?

A. Mater: (Pulling out the milk carton and the cheese disk-box)

Well this is part of contemporary pop art, but let me tell you the story behind this project, I wanted the yellow cow to be my mascot since it was used as an excuse in religion, I am going to use it as an excuse to blame it for anything going on in our lives these days, about all the commercialism and branding that is surrounding us.

WU: I can see all that in the colors, fonts, illustrations, and composition, even material and the way it feels to the touch, impressive.

A. Mater: I even had some boxes filled with real cheese in the Sharja biennially.

WU: Where can people find more, about your artwork and projects?

A. Mater: Well they can visit my website www.AhmedMater.com and once there they can find everything they might need to contact me or find where my work is exhibited next.

WU: One last question before we let you go, I noticed that you use X-rays in a lot of your work, why is that?

A. Mater: You see X-rays shows you the inside, it shows you the truth, we are all the same, there is no difference between all of us, we are all humans, no matter what race, or color. Furthermore the X-ray will give you the opportunity to explore from the inside and that is how we should start to explore, from the inside out.