Young sculptor calls for wider appreciation of art form

AMMAN — When it comes to sculpture, there is no fixed formula to creating art pieces, Jordanian sculptor Lojain Nahhas said, explaining that the themes adopted by sculptors cover a wide range that can be interpreted by the public in countless ways.

The 24-year-old sculptor holds a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, specialised in sculpture. 

“Every artist does his or her work with an initial idea or image in mind, with a certain motive and aim. In my opinion, I believe that the theme or idea of the piece should not be given to the public, nor should an explanation be provided for it,” Nahhas said.

“It’s all about how the viewer receives the artwork. It’s sometimes a blurry image to the receiver. However, I believe he or she should be part of this artwork, interpret, react and have some kind of emotion towards it,” she added.

For Nahhas, if a sculpture or an art piece had a defined story, it would limit the myriad of ideas and themes that the piece could transmit. 

“It would make you think of only one idea, but the artwork should open your eyes to more ideas and widen your horizons,” she explained.

As a young artist, she said one of the problems sculptors face in Jordan is that the education of sculpting is only limited to one major taught at the University of Jordan, which contributes to having little exposure to the Jordanian art scene.

She added that art galleries were introduced in Jordan in the 1950s, when people were not yet familiar with the idea of paintings and drawings on walls.

“It took people time to appreciate the artwork as paintings. But sculpture is newer to the art scene; it is still being introduced to the Jordanian art scene,” Nahhas explained

“Our role as sculptors is to introduce this genre of art and to help the audience interact with these pieces of art. People find paintings easier to understand,” the sculptor added.

She said one of the main challenges of being a sculptor in Jordan is also the lack of centres dedicated to sculpting and that artists depend on private classes given by sculptors to those interested, which limits the exposure of the genre. 

“Sculpture is an art form that has its own challenges. When you start sculpting, you learn how to overcome major challenges. I think there are always some steps forward, not to stop nor to surrender,” Nahhas told The Jordan Times.