Naima Karim, a Bangladeshi-Dutch artist suffering from a neurological disease in Daharan, Dammam, Saudi Arabia, used her love of nature to enthrall audiences at the Saudi Film Festival. Bangladeshi woman artist Naima Karim’s“The Anticipation of Rain” is a virtual reality experience complete exhibition that captivates the audience with the beauty and power of nature. Karim’s life took an unexpected turn when he was in his final year of studies. He became completely paralyzed in 1999 due to a neurological disorder. It took him a long time to recover. He spent most of his time in bed. During those days, he noticed how beautiful nature was around him and was inspired to get well and walk again.
Naima Karim said, “Every day I dreamed of running across a grassy field, and the beautiful sky above me was limitless. It was the most inspiring thing for me when I started painting again in 2015, after a long hiatus.” Growing up in Bangladesh, she has memories of childhood monsoons that she describes as dramatic and exciting.
In 2013, Karim and his family moved to Saudi Arabia where he began exhibiting his artwork. He held his first solo exhibition in 2016 at Daharan Art Gallery, Dammam. The VR experience immediately came to mind when he wanted to create something beyond the canvas. He wanted his audience to be completely immersed in the monsoon rain. During the Film Festival VR experience at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (ETHRA), the audience was given two pieces of scented paper to replicate the smell of rain as a special touch to fully immerse the senses. Creates the scent of humidity and rain with a perfumer, which immerses my audience even more in the monsoon rain. His “The Anticipation of Rain” was nominated for an award. ‘Expecting Rarin ‘ was born in Ethra and was first demoed at Ethra’s Plaza. After that, it was screened at various festivals worldwide. It is now part of the Saudi Film Festival as it was submitted by the Creative Solutions Program and was selected as part of the VR experience at the festival, he is currently working on his second VR project.
