Art is truly a gateway to discovering who you are. For a 34-year-old, Ahmed Hakeem this is true.
Ahmed Hakeem, unlike the usual roster of artists, has a mild intellectual disability, which results in slower growth in all areas of conceptual development including social and daily living skills.
But, he has found a way to overcome this and express his core personality, which is of an artist. His art helps him to forget the difficulties he faces as a person and shares his creativity and beauty through art. With the pandemic giving millions of people the right opportunity to explore their hobbies and passion, Hakeem tapped into his creative side and took up painting. He quickly gravitated towards abstract art and cubic art.
His paintings were displayed, at Markaz Al-Oun Bazaar, a help center and non-profit organization that helps people with intellectual disabilities. In the future, he wants to have his gallery.
As Hakeem puts it, finding jobs is difficult for individuals with disabilities. He says “You need to know about the challenges that I am having with the community in general. Most people with disabilities are usually unemployed and don’t have access to powerful governmental aid, but their families have to enroll them in special clubs, and this can be financially stressful to the parents, so there is a lack of community and activities for us,”
For Ahmed Hakeem, his passion for art has allowed him to share who he is with the people around him, and has impressed people with his take on abstract art.
