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Her artwork at this year's Unveiling Visions exhibition Rula’s work - a striking piece with a person in pink against a green background - captures attention for its visual vibrance, detail and symbolism. 

Titled "Unparalleled," it took over 50 hours to complete and delves into the concept of individuality and the futility of comparisons, she explains.

“It basically means incomparable. The idea is that you shouldn’t compare yourself to others. The pattern on the painting is supposed to resemble that of a fingerprint.

From the outside looking in, the pattern looks the same, but with the slightest change in detail, everyone’s fingerprint is unique, and that is to say, everyone is unique, so it doesn’t make sense to compare yourself to other people.”

She points out the symbolism in the painting, like two spirals concentrated on the head and the heart. 

“You might also notice that the heart is not placed on the right side but it was intentionally placed there so that when you are looking at it, it’s almost like a reflection of yourself and to really relate by looking at the art,” she explains. 

The use of contrasting colours, green and pink, further emphasises the theme of individuality and personal experience, she says.

Even though she comes from an artistic family, Rula says she only got “hooked” on art after getting into sketching during online classes during covid. 

“I had my book with me during online classes and started sketching on it. I got really hooked on it after that,” she says.

Soon after, Rula started her art page @alto__08 on Instagram , posting sketches drawn using color pencils and markers.

Her dedication to art is evident in her continuous pursuit of improvement. 

"If you have (a sketchbook), you want to fill it . It’s always there to draw when you have an idea and it also shows your progress. So when you start looking back at the pages, you really see how much you’ve improved and you become hungry to improve more, and just to develop your skills and try new art styles,” she shares.

Rula’s involvement in the art community has played a crucial role in her growth as an artist. This is her second time taking part in unveiling visions.

This is Rula’s second time participating in "Unveiling Visions," and she recognises the significance of such platforms. “I think it’s important because it exposes other artists to the public too. Here we do have a really cool art community, but I feel like a lot of people, especially the public, are nog exposed to it. So through this, they get to see what our community is like.”

Rula says volunteering in the Faruma Festival last year as well as a solo exhibition at the gallery this year has helped her become more comfortable among senior artists and learn more from them.

“I participated to earn some money but I ended up learning so much from all the artists and by just working in that environment in those few couple weeks,” she reveals.

“I think it’s really important to expose yourself to the art community because when I first started I was hoarding all of my artwork and not showing it to anyone but when I started my art page and started taking part in other exhibitions and meeting other artists and being part of the community I think that’s when I learned the most,” she says.

For Rula, the art community is a source of inspiration and support. 

From her experience breaking into the art community, she shares her advice for aspiring young artists: “I feel like I learned a lot when I stepped out of my comfort zone and actually talked to other artists and asked them about their techniques,”

“Everyone here is really nice. It’s a very tight-knit community, and everyone is really cool and welcoming, so just get out of your comfort zone and socialise with other artists.”

The Unveiling Visions Exhibition, organised by the Maldivian Artists Community (MAC), is being held at the National Art Gallery in Male' from 9th July to 20th July.