Oman art society

SalamiyahProject Overview

Visual artist Shatha Al Hsani presented Salamiyah as the final project of the Academic Foundations of Fine Arts Workshop, under the supervision of art critic Ahmed Al Jabri. The project reflects her artistic practice of integrating hyperrealism, conceptual art, and digital media into a unified visual experience that explores the relationship between literature, identity, and technology.

Workshop & Academic Context

The Academic Foundations of Fine Arts Workshop focused on establishing strong academic principles in visual art while allowing participants the freedom to select the medium through which they would present their final projects.

While several participants chose sculpture and three-dimensional installations, Al Hsani elected to present her work through Augmented Reality (AR), reflecting her ongoing artistic interest in expanding the boundaries of traditional painting through contemporary digital media.

Concept

The project draws inspiration from Salamiyah, a poem by Syrian poet Mohammad Al-Maghout, written as an elegy to his hometown, reflecting its suffering, transformation, and the passage of time.

Rather than creating a literal visual interpretation of the poem, Al Hsani offers an independent conceptual reading. She reimagines Salamiyah as an isolated planet suspended within an endless darkness, carrying its historic architecture as both a symbol of cultural memory and the weight of civilization itself.

A carefully constructed symbolic language unfolds throughout the composition. The raven represents destruction and colonial oppression, while white birds evoke exile, displacement, and the search for belonging. The stars are transformed into delicate human hands reaching from the distance in an attempt to preserve what remains, while the water beneath becomes an ocean of tears absorbing fragments of history and collective memory.

Through this visual vocabulary, the poem is transformed into an autonomous artistic narrative that preserves its emotional essence while presenting a contemporary interpretation through the language of visual art.

Artistic Statement

Salamiyah is not intended as an illustration of poetry, but as a meditation on its emotional and philosophical dimensions.

The work explores the tension between resilience and abandonment, the burden of history and the uncertainty of the present, and the fragile coexistence of despair and hope. By translating literature into symbolic imagery, the project creates a dialogue between poetic language and contemporary visual expression.

Augmented Reality Experience

The experience of Salamiyah extends beyond the physical canvas through Augmented Reality, transforming the artwork into an immersive, interactive environment.

Rather than functioning as an additional technological feature, the digital layer forms an integral part of the conceptual structure of the work, allowing the visual narrative to continue beyond the limits of the painted surface and inviting viewers to engage with the artwork from a new perspective.

Digital Development

As part of her multidisciplinary artistic practice, Shatha Al Hsani expanded her research into 3D Modelling, Digital Sculpting, Animation, and Augmented Reality, exploring their potential as contemporary artistic media capable of extending the language of traditional painting.

Salamiyah became the first project through which this vision was realised. Al Hsani independently developed the three-dimensional model, created the interactive digital experience, and integrated it with the painting, allowing digital media to function as a natural extension of the artwork rather than a separate technological component.

Exhibition

Salamiyah was exhibited as part of the final exhibition of the Academic Foundations of Fine Arts Workshop, presenting an interdisciplinary experience that united literature, painting, and digital media within a single work.

The project represents an important stage in the evolution of Shatha Al Hsani’s artistic practice, reflecting her ongoing commitment to combining academic craftsmanship, conceptual research, and emerging technologies while maintaining a strong humanistic and cultural foundation.

Curatorial Note

Salamiyah represents one of the defining foundations of Shatha Al Hsani’s artistic practice. Her work begins with research, interpretation, and conceptual development before identifying the medium best suited to communicate the idea—whether through painting, literature, or digital media.Through this project, Al Hsani demonstrates that technology is not an alternative to art, but an extension of it. By integrating academic technique with conceptual inquiry and digital innovation, Salamiyah proposes a contemporary artistic language that preserves the emotional depth of traditional painting while expanding its possibilities through immersive visual experience.