Ehab Abdulla is a Maldivian artist who transforms his experience of Malé’s urban chaos into vibrant paintings. Heavily influenced by American art and music of the 1960s and 70s, along with modern art and Neo-expressionism, his work reflects the interplay between periods of intense creative energy and quiet contemplation.
For Ehab, art serves as a mirror, a place to revisit and understand thoughts and feelings through the lens of time. Drawing inspiration from nature and finding solace in depicting the everyday mundane, his work transforms the ordinary into expressions of his inner world. Through his paintings, where colour plays a pivotal role in reflection, Ehab grapples with both the external chaos of Malé – its congestion, noise, and relentless urban energy – and his internal emotional landscape. The city serves as both his muse and refuge, its constant presence anchoring him through different creative states.
Born in 1981, Ehab lived and studied in Maldives, Sri Lanka, Australia and the UK. Ehab held his “In My Mind” exhibition at the National Art Gallery Malé, Maldives in 2019, marking his debut as a professional artist. Through his art, he seeks to find and express what he calls the “common-place” – moments of balance and stability in his creative journey.