Muhawwil (Transformer)

A widely exhibited Kuwaiti artist, much of Monira Al Qadiri’s artworks are initiated by her site-specific social observations. Her regard for the commonly unremarkable often presents insights into the shifts and contrasts of social modes.

The sidelined and overlooked architecture of city service facilities feature as the catalyst for her piece Muhawwil (Transformer).

The electrical transformer station (Muhawwil) is an inconspicuous local neighborhood landmark that is common in Kuwait and throughout the Gulf countries. They are housed in small concrete and brick buildings in towns and cities.

Until relatively recently in Kuwait, these buildings were seen as loitering spots for truants seeking shade from the midday sun and as a location for acts of small mischief by young people.

Their walls were regularly covered in graffiti which gave some of these buildings and locations negative reputations. In a country where the dominant mode of transport is the car, the buildings were often unnoticed by drivers passing by, but were an important part of the local geography for many pedestrians who used them as
local waypoints.

In Muhawwil, Monira reflects on the recent trend of local Islamic charity houses partnering with neighborhood Co-ops to take on the responsibility of turning these buildings into beacons of morality by using rudimentary art to call for piety and decency. 

In her research of this phenomenon, Monira has documented more than 120 of these buildings and their naive art, and by mapping their locations, and gathering information on them, is adding another layer of information on the city and its surroundings and changing cultures. These service buildings are taking on an alternative social responsibility role, becoming a colorful means of sanitizing what were once seen as sites of immorality and delinquency.