Juma Al Haj UAE, b. 1990
59 x 86 5/8 in
Loose Leaves: An Ode to Loyalty (أوراق مبعثرة: قصيدة للولاء) is a body of 8 large-scale paintings born in the wake of the passing of the family's patriarch, with whom the artist shared a profound connection. The abstracted texts serve as an interpretive reflection of the pages from Juma Al Haj's journal, chronicling the events following his demise. Spanning 14 pages, the journal meticulously details the moments surrounding his passing, segmented into various sections. While the artist maintains his signature technique of abstracted black text, this series represents a departure as it marks his first attempt at infusing colour into his work.
The addition of white text serves multiple purposes, embodying the artist's unexpressed thoughts and ideas he yearned to share with the departed. Events left unmemorialized are painted in black ink. And lastly, Al Haj’s "letters of light" encapsulate the emotional deluge that overwhelmed the artist as he embarked on the journey of journaling and creating this series of works.
Each artwork was conceived at different junctures, materialising as a therapeutic or grieving exercise whenever memories of the deceased surfaced. This temporal aspect is mirrored in the placement of the artworks - closer to one another initially and gradually spacing them further apart as time passes by. The series derives its name from the affectionate nickname given to the artist by the deceased, "Al Wafi," signifying "loyal" or "The Loyal." In developing this body of work, Al Haj regards it as a final testament of loyalty and love.