Untitled 

Oil on canvas, 50 cm x 90 cm (20 in x 35 in) 

In her recent series of paintings, Abu Roomi depicts herself carrying carpets and fabrics or standing in front of them. In some compositions the textiles extend beyond the canvas, while in others they take the form of an unbearable load on her back. In this particular work, chosen as a response to Maroun Tomb’s An Interior– a female figure is reclined atop the carpets with her back to the viewer. Abu Roomi plays with different perspectives that creates movement for the viewer’s gaze and a sense of disorientation in the space as a contrast to the stillness and seeming serenity of the figure. The lying woman merges with the pile of carpets that in turn merges with the background, blurring any clear-cut distinction between the surfaces. This blurring of the subject and the background is a recurring motif in Abu Roomi’s work, where she straddles private and public in the domestic and social spheres. 

Fatima Abu Roomi grew up in Tamra in Western Galilee and studied art at Oranim College before working as a sculpture studio assistant. Abu Roomi presented her first solo exhibition, Personal Story at Umm al-Fahm Art Gallery in 2011. Her paintings possess a haunting beauty, filled with rich coloring and ornate textures, representing both resistance and revelation. Although she often depicts faces, they never reveal a smile. This is representative of Abu Roomi’s resistance towards the oppression of Arab women and their status in society. With her exacting aesthetics, sensitive palette, rich textures and an expert hand, Abu Roomi forces the viewer to witness sorrow and joy; bitterness and sweetness; fiction and reality.