Each has its own pros and cons. I like oils because of the pigmentation and the feel. But the drying time is too long and totally impractical, if one does not have a few months at hand to dry the painting. Acrylics are great for the quick drying time and ease of mixing. I like to work with water colours and charcoal too. I have been working with digital tech for a couple of decades and find it very productive. It is also my medium of choice on a lazy day when I have either run out of supplies or am resting from diving into wet paint.

Most tangible subjects belong to the physical world. But what fascinates me is the intangible, the mysterious and the infinitely beautiful. Beauty of the divine is intangible; we can feel its essence but cannot quantify it or confine it within a tangible space. Through my work, I attempt to connect the viewer to the truth of their own selves, while striving to be in that precise zone myself.

The exhibition has 48 art works and half of these are in super large size. Scale provides me the volume and space for movements and events to take place. Large scale is challenging and provides me an opportunity to interact with the viewer on a human scale. And I love working on a canvas that I can walk through, as if it was a giant door opening into another realm.

I take whatever interests me, even if it is outside my comfort zone. My two decades in advertising helps me understand a client’s needs and taste, and translate those into artworks that provide huge satisfaction to both the client and me. I have done luxury hotel projects, grand villas for both local and international clients, and have done a diverse body of work.

In the past two years two major art fairs — Art Abu Dhabi and World Art Dubai — have been added to the art calendar in addition to the long-standing Art Dubai and Sharjah biennale. Many new galleries have opened up too. There is an increased awareness about art. The UAE is a great venue because of the unique diversity of nationalities that comprise the population here.

After two intense years of practice, he held his first solo exhibition in 2004, followed by two more exhibitions in 2008 and 2009. He continued working on the subject of the ‘99 Names of Allah’, which culminated with the publication of his book on the subject and an extensive solo exhibition at the World Trade Centre, Abu Dhabi, in 2013. At the beginning of 2015, he held another exhibition called ‘Ruminiscence’ at Z Gallery, Four Points by Sheraton, Dubai, introducing a new series of works based on the love poetry of Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi.

He made his first oil painting at the age of 10, a 3 x 3 feet work on wooden board which almost took him two months to complete during summer holidays. It was inspired by an abstract painting he had seen of the cubist period and was called ‘The King and her Maids’. Following post graduate studies in communication and design, he worked for 20 years in advertising, all the while pursuing his creative passions, namely, photography, films, writing, and art. It was in 2003 he started painting full time, in the UAE. Two years later, he started selling his art and set up a studio for himself in Sharjah International Airport Free Zone.

MONDA Gallery owner Etienne van den Peereboom, says: “It is a great pleasure and honour to organise this exhibition with Art Noor, at a time where his work from the past 14 years reaches incredible significance amidst current international developments, and at the same time offers non-Muslim residents of the UAE an easy and fascinating entry point to the Muslim faith. His artworks are universal and captivating in many ways”. Though undoubtedly inspired by the calligraphic constructions of the Names of Allah, Art Noor decided he would honour them through the spirit of abstract expressionism or “lyrical abstraction”. His reason: the Creator is unexplainable and can only be discerned.

“Spontaneity and movement is what drives my work”, he says, “and it usually evolves into something meaningful with the inspiration of the moment. Many times in the past my work has been interpreted as emotionally charged melodies. “I love improvising at the moment, and do not follow the deterministic school of painting. I usually begin with anything – a line, a dot, a stain – or something experimental, like…how about mixing coal with white paint? How about using compressed air instead of brushes? Or some object that I found lying around and I decide to use it for making the texture…But when I do it – I might like it or not. Depending on the outcome, I keep taking next steps and the work keeps evolving. So it is usually a process of discovery for me as well”.

He experiments with various styles and techniques and uses, for example, both wash and hard brushstrokes. But the spiritual dimensions of his work are self-evident, whatever the medium or technique. His works are also noted for bold strokes and energy, fused with colour harmonies. Art Noor has discovered that colour and vivacity, key features of modern abstraction, when coupled with arresting elements of Arabic calligraphy, can give rise to images which radiate raw movement and dynamism. He fuses modern expressionistic abstraction with calligraphic forms to create aesthetic imagery of the divine. Inspired by traditional calligraphic shapes of the divine Names, he builds contemporary interpretations on canvas, with layer upon layer of acrylic, oil, ink and metallic pigments.

One can see many genres of art – calligraphy, pop, figurative, and abstract, among others – in his work. Sometimes, in the heat of passion, as in ‘Ruminiscence’, he makes his creations dance like dervishes. You could call them performance art in still life.

“He has the ability to condense immense subjects like ‘Nothingness’, ‘Love’, ‘The Prism of the World’ (Ruminiscence) into a few metres, feet or inches. Of course, he is still a Seeker. Even after many rigorous years of work and meditation, he is still on his Journey. This humility is a shining aspect of his work, as it is of his person.” Muhammad Yusuf- Gulf Today

First is the Ramadan inspired LED show that he designed and produced for Burj Khalifa depicting the divine names, which was chosen to be played on the façade of the world’s tallest tower many times in the evening. The ‘99’ LED show begins every evening at 7.45pm, and is repeated many times.

A combination of artistic interpretation coupled with a spiritual concept, this show is being received with overwhelming response by both live and online audience. Testimony to this is the fact that the video of the show has crossed two million views and still counting.

Next is Noor’s annual exhibition, comprising 99 paintings on the 99 names of Allah being hosted by Dubai Mall, in their newly opened designer extension, the Fashion Avenue.

In addition, Dubai Mall has been giving the free gift of his little black 99 book, available through their information centre.

I was in advertising before I changed my career path and became a full time painter. Technology is just the enabler of ideas. Creativity is what drives technology, though it might get influenced by it. I look at any complex technical situation as a challenge and then figure out a way to deal with it. Many aspects of multimedia projects have become a lot easier by more efficient software and hardware than ever before.

Totally overwhelmed and mesmerised. It was almost like a storm of emotions because, some of the artworks featured in the show were done 15 years ago. And I have memories associated with each of them. There is a story of evolution of most of the artworks and I remember each vividly. And then to see them on a giant canvas like Burj Khalifa is not an everyday experience. Also the subject being so sacred and highly revered, the feedback is very real and from the heart. I could hear people recite the names as they appeared, with devotion and passion.

And this wavelength makes a big difference. Once something like this goes to centre stage, it acquires a life of its own, which is much bigger and grander than even what the artist thought of, either before or after doing it.

It’s the first time that I have all the 99 names in one exhibition on such a scale and size. And the exposure is very high in a place like Dubai Mall which attracts high traffic.

Between the last exhibition and this one, the scale of my paintings has gone through a wider movement. I mean size wise. For the first time I did commissioned works in sizes as big as 5 metres x 2 metres. And also much smaller works of 30 inches x 30 inches. I am experimenting with newer media and canvases. Some of my largest works have not yet found a big enough venue. Also I am working on creating more digital works and installations for international exhibitions.

Noor’s annual exhibition, comprising 99 paintings on the 99 names of Allah being hosted by Dubai Mall, in their newly opened designer extension, the Fashion Avenue. In addition, Dubai Mall has been giving the free gift of his little black 99 book, available through their information centre.

Earlier, I was confined to a square metre of canvas. Today it varies from a square foot to a hundred square feet. I painted in acrylics in my earlier years. But then during the past years I have incorporated oils and other self-invented formulations which resulted from my experiments. I love to paint exclusively in oils mixed with powdered pigments. Also, my works have evolved to have sculptural quality in the textures, as I enjoy building them. This is probably because of the unrealised sculptor within me.

I have four paintings, which would be hardest to part with, once they are sold. The first is the painting ‘I Am You’ that evolved out of fantasy of a mushroom cloud made not from atomic explosion but the love for fellow humans. The connected whirling dervishes in silhouettes are in varied but harmonious colours. The second is the purple, blue, and pearl coloured ‘Bismillah irrahman irrahim.’ It took me almost a year to complete this work, in stages. It is the centrepiece of the exhibition and probably the most popular. ‘The centre of the heart’ was realised very spontaneously and has a small heart which looks almost pulsating. The fourth is the ‘Love Story’ which is iconic of a series that it sparked off.

My creativity is derived from varied sources, many of them unexpected and random. I am a scuba diver and the memory of diving experience lives long in my memory. The underwater colour palette is surreal and can’t be experienced on the land. Sometimes, limitation also becomes the inspiration. If you have only a piece of coal at hand and some red colour, you don’t need to decide on the colour palette. But it’s the mistakes and accidents, which sometimes spur me to make the best of the collateral damage. It thrills me to see a mistake or a spill transform into a beauty spot or a profound philosophical statement. Unlike life, art creates no regrets. Mistakes are opportunities to lead you to places you never thought existed.

Art has become an inseparable part me. I want to exhibit in fairs like Art Basel, in Switzerland and in Florida. I want to create a collection of large-sized sculptural murals in metal. Also on cards is a documentary which I began writing last year and hope to release next year.

Each piece is a potent depiction of poetry and love. But in terms of emotional content, I spent the maximum time with ‘I don’t exist.’ Yet another painting, ‘My soul is from elsewhere’ is a very inspired work, philosophically deep. ‘Be drunk in love’ is bound to be everybody’s favourite because of the colours. The ‘Mini series of five’ is a small painting, albeit with a big message.

Signature styles are more of a marketing need and not so much an artistic prerequisite. I remember reading a quote of Picasso in response to a question about what he was painting. The acclaimed painter quipped, “If I knew, I don’t need to paint it!!” I can relate to this completely. But I do agree that if a painting has nothing to say and only looks beautiful, it is beauty without brains, hence my signature style can be called “soulful,” if that can indeed be called a style.

My skill and patience have undergone a massive evolution and I can now work ten hours at a stretch and enjoy the journey without the preconceived notions about the outcome. I have learnt to trust my intuitive self a lot more. Becoming technically proficient has its advantages, in being able to translate the thoughts and feelings into strokes and colour.

The need to discover, explore and experiment is hugely embedded in my temperament and somewhere in this voyage, I keep bumping into inspirations. Paperwork and number crunching, which is the business side of art, is something I abhor and wish they would disappear.

Signed Giclee prints by the artist would be the best way to have a piece of the artist and the art and almost anyone can afford these. The quality of these prints is phenomenal thanks to modern imaging technology. The prints are inexpensive and are supposed to last hundreds of years.

faith or sect. Most of my patrons are non Muslims and appreciate the work, because it evokes the feelings and communicates to them (so I am told).

A: George Seurat first developed this technique in the nineteenth century and was used by Vincent Van Gogh in his works. Instead of blending the colours, the image is created using the dots or small strokes. I used this technique in my work titled Shukran Khalifa, because it was built slowly over many weeks and it was done live so visitors could see the painting evolve gradually over the weeks.

A: In August 2013 received an email from Patrick Bell, General Manager of World Trade Center Abu Dhabi, inviting me to display my work there. I came to see the location and was impressed by architecture of Norman Foster and the historical relevance of the spot. Setting up the exhibition was not an easy task, given the distance of three hours from my studio at Sharjah Airport International Free Zone to Abu Dhabi and I had to do the installation at night, when there were no shoppers. However, it was done over a couple of months and it was worth the effort. The display was widely appreciated because of the energy it brought to the souk.