THE MARTYR'S HELMET
Martyr's Helmet marks UAE's Commemoration Day.
Iconic work by Jamal Habroush Al Suwaidi is a fitting tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
The approaching commemoration day provides a timely opportunity to highlight a very special piece of work by the Emirati artist Jamal Habroush Al Suwaidi, which was created to mark the first Martyr’s Day in the United Arab Emirates, held on November 30, 2015, in Abu-Dhabi.
Titled ‘Martyr’s Helmet’ and created in stainless steel, the work is reminiscent of traditional, military-style headwear, while bearing the immediately recognizable four colors of the country’s national flag.
Now one of the most important dates in the UAE’s calendar, Martyr’s Day was decreed a public holiday by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, to pay tribute to the Emiratis who have given their lives in the line of duty, either at home or abroad, in the military, humanitarian or civil service.
Al Suwaidi’s iconic work was the first made by an Emirati artist to mark Martyr’s Day and was exhibited as part of the inaugural programme of events in 2015. Created in a series of delicately curved lines which remind us of the artist’s passion for bringing calligraphy into his work, the helmet is evidently meticulously researched and immediately recognizable in shape. The piece is finished in the red, white, green, and black colors of the UAE flag, giving it an element of patriotic pride and recalling the country’s unique heritage.
Al Suwaidi said that while Commemoration Day is a national holiday, he wanted to ensure that like the dignified events held to mark it, the Martyr’s Helmet reflected the gravitas of the occasion and the sacrifices those being honoured had made.
“A helmet is symbolic in so many ways, providing protection in just the same way that our martyrs did when they laid down their lives for their country and its people,” he said. “This work is a lasting legacy to both the people that lost their lives while serving their country and also the occasion of Martyr’s Day itself, which in just five years has quite rightly become an important part of our heritage, ensuring that those who have been martyred will always be remembered.”