Rima Musa - Imagery in dialogue

Ingredients used for my personal statement include:

Half a kilo of minced fashion
400g of Italy
2 tablespoons of Lebanon
140ml of unconventional forms of art
4 cubes of hard work
1 teaspoon of Photography
300g of plain excitement, unsifted
a handful of guts

I am a person you encounter accidentally at a random bus stop, someone you probably wouldn’t have thought of interacting with unless you were overcome with curiosity as to why I carry a gigantic vintage Polaroid with me everywhere I go. I am an individual who takes her time to get to know her surroundings. I believe that every "no" has the potential of transforming itself into a different form of a " yes" and many a times I have come to find that persistence comes hand in hand with many unexpected inspiring incidents in ones' life, in particular that of my own.

Over the years, my family has instilled in me certain values, one of them being that learning is something we are meant to do since day one. It is an attribute that had led me to acquire a degree in fashion design, a glorious way to commence my educational journey where I was also invited to attend an internship at the prestigious Elie Saab design studio in Beirut at the heart of an oriental jewel of a city in 2007. At 20, having lived in Lebanon for three years, I was determined to pursue other dreams, and relocate to Europe, specifically to the charming city of Florence in Italy, where I indulged in a love for all things Italian in addition to attending a one year Photography programme reflecting specifically upon the powers of visual aesthetic and composition. It was also a chance for me to take part in a project during the month of July, 2009 amidst the majestic red sand dunes of the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan, photographically documenting all aspects of Bedouin life, and explaining their oral traditions to a team of international journalists; Arabic being another language I speak fluently having learnt it through my family.

My next destination was my hometown of Athens where I grew up, also the magnificent place where I discovered a new found passion for derelict and abandoned spaces. Travelling back and forth between Cyprus and Greece during that time frame, was a perfect chance for me to document a series of structures where silence acted as the main protagonists amongst the stories of these homes and the people who once lived there. It was in that period of time that I had also started to appreciate all things minimal. I embraced the concept of impermanence, where things could be seen, without having to be physically presented to the observer who is watching. A nostalgia had been awakened in me for a space that was free of material things, a stool in the corner would suffice, anything else would have taken away from the symbolism that nature and time had injected into the cores of those very walls. I have been fortunate to be invited by members of the Cyprus Photographic Society in Limassol to exhibit these works this coming October and have been overwhelmed by the support I have received from my family and friends. This exhibition will feature mainly works that I have photographed covering topics such as Portraits, Fashion, Spaces and Polaroids.

As an approach to a more fluctuated state of being where I could combine different experiences that have encompassed my vision of the world in addition to developing the ability to express myself more thoroughly both visually and verbally, I attended two short courses at CSM during the summer term earlier this year, the first being in Art Direction and the second in Creative Writing. My passion for experimentation has brought me to apply for a degree in postgraduate studies [ MA in Applied Imagination] as I aspire to become a Creative Director in the future. I am finally ready to take up a whole new challenge that will allow me to take a step closer to being able to define in depth, who I am as a creative and what I like to do. It will also be a great new addition to my growing list of ingredients for future personal statements that I aspire to write.

Rima Musa

The exhibition will be inaugurated by Dr. Vassos Lyssarides on Wednesday, September 29, 2010, at 19:30.

Opening Hours
10.00 - 13.00
17.00 - 20.00