Mariam Haji

Mariam Haji (born 21 January 1985) is a Bahraini multi-disciplinary fine artist who currently lives and works in Helsinki, Finland. She is the founder of the ‘Here I Am’ collective which is focused on Performance Art. Since 2010, Haji has resided and worked in her studio in Bahrain and also serves as a member of the Bahrain contemporary art society, as well as the Bahrain Art society. 
Haji's work is also regarded as a national treasure in Bahrain; "Victory" is a permanent public display within the National Theater of Bahrain, and her work is also part of the National Museum of Bahrain's permanent art collection. Other works by Mariam Haji have been gathered by the People's Republic of China's Ministry of Culture for their Arab artist's repository.
==Early life and education==
Haji was born on 21 January 1985. After graduating from high school, Haji went to Dundee College, where she did a year-long Introductory Course in Art and Design. She then applied for a Visual Arts Diploma at TAFE, RMIT University. In 2006, Haji enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program at the same university, receiving a Fine Arts degree with a specialization in Drawing. 
==Career==
Haji moved to Melbourne after completing her degree. She was sponsored to serve as the Middle East Project Manager for Metasenta Projects, under the direction of Artist and Founding Director Dr. Irene Barberis, and in collaboration with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and the London School of Art in the United Kingdom. She was also supported to serve as a Project Officer for the Brisbane Arc Biennial with Art Workers Alliance during her time in Australia.
In 2019 she also founded Roihu Studios, a space specializing in Art and Dance with a focus on creating a safe place of expression for immigrant communities in Helsinki, but due to the worldwide pandemic, she had to shut it down. She has been asked to lead several international artist talks in addition to her studio work. Some of these include the Mathaf Arab Museum Of Modern Art in Doha, Qatar; the Ministry of the People's Republic of China in Beijing, China; Macgregor State High School, Brisbane, Australia and the Corner College in Zurich, Switzerland.
In 2021, Haji represented Bahrain at Finland's most prestigious major art event, 'Mänttä Art Festival.' She also represented Bahrain at the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013 and won Bahrain's 38th National Fine Art Competition for her "Muse" series, becoming the youngest female artist to receive an honorary troffe from Bahrain's Prime Minister, Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, in 2012.
Haji frequently collaborated with fine artist Merri Hietala on impromptu workshops, performances, and traveling artworks. Meirami Art, their group, was founded in 2008 and ended in 2016 to showcase art that exists outside of traditional gallery settings. Some of their installations, which were first displayed on Melbourne's streets, were then taken to Bahrain, Australia, Dubai and Helsinki. One of their latest pieces, based on the concept of a Mammoth, was recently presented at the New Zealand Scott Base in Antarctica.
==Style==
Haji works with different mediums including drawing, painting, video, and performance. Her works are often a reflection of ideas such as mortality, the human condition and feminism. Haji considers herself an autobiographical artist since she draws inspiration from real-life occurrences in her own life. Her work raises serious questions about death, religion, the female, and gender. These issues are further explored in her present practice in the context of generational disparities and how abrupt changes in the Arabian Gulf are altering Bahraini culture. Mariam's ambition for the future is to create thought-provoking and challenging artworks. She aspires to expand the process of questioning inside herself and her culture, as well as give a platform for new perspectives in Finland as well as the Gulf region.
==Personal life==
Haji married a Finnish man in 2017 and since then has been living in Helsinki.
==Exhibitions==
===Solo Exhibitions:===
* 2019: ‘Taking a chance on Love’, Le Pave D’orsay, Paris, France
* 2016: ‘Hummus Reflections’, Third Space Gallery, Helsinki, Finland
* 2012: 'Premonition', Bin Mattar House Museum, Muharraq, Bahrain
* 2009: ‘Army of Mariam’,Spring of Culture Festival, El Bareh Gallery, Bahrain
* 2008: ‘The Unlovely’, First Site Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
===Selected Group Exhibitions:===
* 2022: Food is Culture festival, Bahrain Authority of Culture and Antiquities, Bahrain
* 2022: ‘As we gaze upon her’ Banat collective, Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
* 2021: ‘To Err is Human’, Mänttä XXV Art Festival, FI
* 2021: ‘Becoming a Target’, Myymälä2 Gallery, Helsinki, Finland
* 2020: ‘Becoming a Target’, Casa della Musica di Cervignano del Friuli, Italy
* 2019: ‘Square’ STOA cultural center, Helsinki, Finland
* 2018: ‘Rasi637’ Kouta Gallery - Kouvola Art Museum Poikilo, Kouvola, Finland
* 2018: ‘KHAHLIL GIBRAN: A Guide for Our Times’, Sotheby's, London, UK
* 2018: ‘Liberty’ Gallery Krutz, Porvoo, Finland
* 2017: ‘Femme’ Exhibition on Bahraini female artists, UNESCO, Paris
* 2016: ‘RCA secret’, Royal College Of Art, London, UK
* 2015: ‘Göteborg poetry festival’, Sweden
* 2015: ‘Women On Walls – WOW Unchained’ American University Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
* 2015: ‘Postlude Vol.1: The Post Oriental Odyssey, The Mine Gallery, Dubai, UAE
* 2015: ‘41st Annual Fine Art Exhibition Bahrain’, Bahrain National Theater, Bahrain
* 2014: ‘She Views Her Self’, Gallery 6 Mandeln, Paris, France
* 2014: ‘Women On Walls’ Ras Al Ain Gallery, Amman, Jordan
* 2012: 'Bahrain 38th Annual Fine Art Exhibition', Bahrain National Museum, Bahrain 2012
* 2011: ‘Spaces and the in-between’, Riwaq gallery, Bahrain 2010
* 2010: ‘Dekakeen’ Manama Souq, Spring of Culture Festival, Bahrain
* 2010: ‘The View from Here – 19 Perspectives on feminism’, Next Wave Festival, Melbourne, Australia
* 2010: ‘As the Land Expands’, Riwaq Gallery, Bahrain
* 2009: ‘Scattered in a Monument’ Elham Arts Festival, Bahrain National Museum, Bahrain
* 2008: ‘Humming a New Dysphonia’ Blind Side Gallery, Melbourne, Australia 
==Awards and art biennials==
* 2012: First Prize in the 38th Bahrain Annual Fine Art Award, Bahrain National Museum, Bahrain
* 2008: Prize Finalist of ‘6 Degrees’ for ‘Human Landscape: The Cult of Personality’ Frankston Art Center, Melbourne, Australia
* 2013: ‘A world of your own’ Kingdom of Bahrain Pavilion, Venice Biennale, Curator Melissa Enders Bhatia, Venice, Italy
* 2009: ‘Across the Gulf’ Curator Dr. Irene Barberis, Brisbane Arc Biennial, Australia
==References==
==External links==
* Official Website
* Mariam Haji on Linkedin
Category:1985 births
Category:Visual arts
Category:Bahraini artists
Category:Bahraini people
Category:RMIT University alumni