Sonu Sultania paints emotional stories through her abstract art

Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

The Ras Al Khaimah Fine Arts Festival (RAKFAF) celebrates its 10th edition this year, under the theme ‘The Journey,’ a celebration of the annual event’s first decade and the first 50 years of the United Arab Emirates. The annual celebration of contemporary art reflects the journey of the Festival, the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah and the country, and encourages the community to consider their relationship with space, time and the self. The annual arts festival — established under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah — opened to the public on February 4 and will run till March 31.

Artists share their interpretations of what this theme means to them through the lens of ancestry, migration, national identity and personal growth.

The free-to-attend outdoor art, photography, and sculpture exhibition presents a diverse collection of artworks from over 150 artists, hailing from more than 45 countries. Alcohol Ink artist Sonu Sultania is one of the creatives participating in the Festival. She has been selected to exhibit two of her artworks, namely, “Infinity” and “Once Upon a Time”. She has been placed second in the Digital Arts category for her artwork “Infinity” – and has received wide appreciation from viewers. She said the artwork represents a story of love and its journey through good and bad times. Black and gold are entwined with each other in the painting. It creates a surreal landscape, with its depth depicting the life journey of togetherness towards infinity, and also its ups and downs. It is filled with lessons, hardships, heartaches, joys and special moments — but something that ultimately leads one to the destination.

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Sultania’s art is mostly inspired by nature, her travel photography and the people around her. She uses her Muse to create her compositions and weave her colour schemes, as well find subjects for the stories behind her works. During the current pandemic, with each one struggling in his or her way, it has been an opportunity for her to look back at her own life journey. Her memories have been transformed into pictures, giving her an idea to create visual stories out of them. Born and raised in Kolkata, India, it wasn’t until moving to Dubai in 2012, that Sultania decided to nurture her interest in visual art. She is an award-winning contemporary artist, with almost 10 years of experience. She recently received the UAE Golden Visa from Dubai Culture & Arts Authority. She specialises in creating surreal and contemporary alcohol ink paintings. The process behind her colourful ink paintings is very intricate and the result is therapeutic, since they blend meditation with artistic ideas.

 Award winning artist Sonu Sultania.

“It helps focus on my perceptions, imagination and feelings, to create something that explores and expresses my inner world as well as surroundings,” she says. In her paintings, visual storytelling is often associated with abstract landscapes which unfold in different shapes and forms, to convey her thoughts, feelings and emotions. Having lived in several countries, she uses travelling as an opportunity to explore and delve into the cultural influences and origins of the art produced in various communities, cities and countries. Sultania also gets her inspirations from her travel-photography and various philosophies which focus on nature, love, community development and “personal development through self-discipline and responsibility”.

She has participated in art exhibitions across the world, mostly in UAE, which includes the Ras Al Khaimah Art Festival, Tashkeel, Gallery Arabesque, Atlantis Hotel, DUCTAC, Abu Dhabi Art Hub, Art-Plus, Mercato, Mall of Emirates, Dubai Mall, DIFC and DIAC, besides hotels and galleries in the UAE.

She has been participating in Fabriano Italy’s International Watercolor Exhibition for the past three years and in World Art Dubai for the past five years.

She was awarded the Noon Artist Award 2019 for her photography work, Spring in Her Steps. She also won two competitions in 2018: ‘Dubai Through My Eyes’ conducted by World Art Dubai and ‘Cultural Diversity’ held at Antique Museum. Her work has been featured in Elevision Media’s “Emerging Artist Award” and  displayed across 1,100 screens all over UAE in 2019 and 2021. She has also been selected as one of the “Top 10 Emerging Artists” during World Art Dubai 2020 and 2021.

Among her private projects, she has been commissioned to create custom artworks for high-profile private clients in the UAE and abroad. She also conducts collaborative and private Alcohol Ink workshops, time to time. Her work has also been appreciated and featured in leading print media and TV channels in the UAE. The term Alcohol Ink has several meanings. On the one hand, it stands for the painting material used, i.e. the alcohol ink itself. On the other hand, it is also a term for the fluid painting technique used. It originated in America. Alcohol Inks are highly-saturated, dye based inks activated by isopropyl alcohol (the same alcohol that is in one’s medicine cabinet). Alcohol Ink paintings is a hip technique and now an absolute trend among creatives. “I am a visual storyteller and my work revolves around a fairytale, a journey or a life moment”, Sultania concludes. “I create dreamy, surreal landscapes and weave a story with my characters using minimalism, which connects with the viewers.”