“The best way for me to describe the art scene in Yemen is to say that it is both invisible and alive,” says Ibi Ibrahim, the founder of Romooz, a foundation launched in reaction to the eruption of war in Yemen in March 2018. Working to promote art and culture from the country during a time when media attention focuses on humanitarian crises and conflict, the foundation has hosted artist residencies, literature workshops and exhibitions both inside and outside of Yemen.
While Yemen did have an art scene before the war, it was not as established as those in neighbouring countries. With the outbreak of conflict, the art-buying social classes left the country, along with the international organisations sponsoring exhibitions, leaving the artists they supported behind.
The Romooz Foundation provides an alternative education during a time when there is no art academy in the country, bringing in established curators and educators online. “It’s to show the self-taught artist that your artwork doesn’t need to be an object of war,” says Ibrahim. “Your artwork can be an idea and this is how you can present that idea.”
The Romooz team consists of five young Yemenis, and while the art community is small, they have received positive feedback. Before the war, exhibitions were invite-only but Romooz has made art open to everyone.
