Saving Endangered Wildlife Through Fine Art by Sherif Hakeem
July 31 – August 29, 2023
The MAIN
24266 Main St, Santa Clarita, CA 91321
The MAIN is thrilled to announce a captivating and thought-provoking exhibition by artist Sherif Hakeem, titled “Saving Endangered Wildlife Through Fine Art.” The exhibition will run from July 31 to August 29, 2023, showcasing Hakeem’s exquisite hyper-realistic fine art portraits of vulnerable and endangered species.
Sherif Hakeem, widely recognized for his exceptional artistic talent, has dedicated this exhibition to raising awareness about the critical importance of wildlife conservation. Through his artwork, Hakeem brings attention to the fragility of our planet’s most vulnerable creatures and underscores the urgency of protecting their habitats.
The exhibition will feature a remarkable collection of hyper-realistic fine art portraits, each capturing the essence and beauty of endangered wildlife. Hakeem’s meticulous attention to detail and masterful technique transport viewers into the world of these magnificent creatures, creating an immersive experience that leaves a lasting impact.
To celebrate the opening of the exhibition, The MAIN will host a special reception on August 17 from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm. This reception coincides with Newhall’s SENSES Block Party, offering a unique opportunity for art enthusiasts, nature lovers, and the community at large to come together and experience the power of art in raising awareness for wildlife preservation.
For more information about the exhibition and upcoming art opportunities with the City of Santa Clarita, please contact Stephanie Jacinto at sjacinto@santa-clarita.com.
Q&A with Sherif Hakeem
What motivates you to create?
What motivates me to create is twofold. Firstly, it is innate in wanting to hone and sharpen my skills to create better artwork. Secondly, it is because of the aforementioned reason that I employ to create some of the most hyper-realistic drawings to give life to the animals I strive to save.
Tell me about your favorite medium.
My favorite medium I use is white and black charcoal. I have used graphite before, but I feel my artwork has a more realistic and vintage punch with white/black charcoal and that we understand each other in our relationship to creating such hyper-realistic artwork.
How has your art changed since you first started creating it?
My artwork has changed drastically since I started to create in its detail, quality and most importantly, its purpose. Even though I have always geared toward realism no matter what I drew, it took years of putting pencil to paper to achieve the level of detail and artistry in my artwork and through the refining of my artwork, the purpose of my artwork took on a more urgent and fulfilling change, one that I’ve chosen to focus on and one that can potentially save wildlife through art.
My favorite piece of artwork is an artwork that actually has been selected to be shortlisted to be exhibited in the very prestigious annual “David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation” Exhibit in London and that piece is titled, ” My Brother, My Protector.” I created this piece to highlight the God-given relationship between my brother and I. In short, the title only scratches the surface but speaks volumes in that my brother, being seven years my senior, has been my real-life superhero and the portrait visually displays the younger lion nuzzle in the neck of his older brother as the latter watches and protects him from any impending danger.
My dream project is one where I can work with conservations, sanctuaries and wildlife organizations in creating artwork of wildlife and auctioning them off to the highest bidder in order to bring in a wider audience with a chance for a higher financial drawing and give them a percentage of sales, while allowing me the financial breathing room of making my career to create beautiful artwork for the public to purchase all while everyone is doing their part to contribute and to own beautiful artwork to save wildlife through fine art.
