Graphic novels that are set in the Gulf are hard to find. And those that are created by women are even more unusual. But Anna Thackray is the exception.
The 50-year-old artist is the creator of The Chronicles of Shamal, an exciting nine-volume comic book saga inspired by the fables, heritage, history, and landscapes of the Middle East.
Originally from South Africa, Thackray moved to Bahrain in 2008 and then to Abu Dhabi in 2017. She told Khaleej Times: “Ever since I was a child, I have always been fascinated with the stories of the Middle East.”
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“When I moved to Bahrain, I became friends with a local elderly man. We would go for coffee, and he would tell me about all the stories from Qatar, Bahrain, and across the region.
“They were so brilliant, and the whole idea for my comics started there. For instance, my anti-hero is based on the legend of ‘the mother of donkeys’, a popular tale that is told all over the Middle East.”
Showcasing local stories
Though her series is predominantly set in Bahrain, her ninth book – Operation Shield – depicts Abu Dhabi.
“Near the end of the book I take the Louvre Abu Dhabi completely apart. So, I sent it to the CEO before I published it, just to make sure he wasn’t offended. He absolutely loved it, and he didn’t mind that I’d made him a woman either,” she said.
“I’m always mindful not to offend or take something too out of context.”
In addition to her graphic novels, Thackray is also a painter, a sculptor and, most recently, a children’s book author.
‘ADHD is my superpower’
Diagnosed with ADHD in 2021, Thackray manages her condition with the help of art.
“Art stills my mind, and it makes me forget whatever I was worrying about. ADHD is also my superpower, and it gives me an amazing ability to hyperfocus. It doesn’t matter how hard or tedious a task is, I don’t want to stop until it’s done,” she said.
Her focus can be so extreme that she often forgets to eat or drink. “If I don’t schedule breaks, I will work for 12 hours straight without feeling hungry or thirsty. I can end up dehydrated, which obviously isn’t good! But the positive is that I finish projects very quickly. I love my work so much I don’t need to take holidays. Art is my way of destressing.”
Thackray is a regular at Comic Con conventions in the UAE, Bahrain, and London. But her ADHD means that she sometimes struggles with the crowds.
“I have to pretend to be a whole different person when I’m at events, and I’ve found various ways to cope. Spraying myself with lots of my own perfume makes me feel safe, and I also constantly visualise being home at the end of the day. Thankfully, my husband is a big extrovert, and he will sometimes take over when I can’t go on anymore. Afterwards, I’m like a zombie for three or four days. I’m totally drained and it’s like someone pulled the plug on my energy source,” she said.
“But it’s a great honour to attend these events. For some reason I have a particularly large following in Saudi Arabia, and I would love to go to Comic Con in the Kingdom, too.”
Having lived most of her life with undetected ADHD, her diagnosis made so many things make sense.
She added: “I’m also on the autistic spectrum. Discovering this has really helped me, and it’s been good for my husband, too. Now, we both understand why I get frazzled when I’m around lots of people, why I fidget so much, and why I forget things so often and get easily distracted.”
Embracing sustainability
The threat of climate change is another theme in her comics, and her sculptures of local animals are all made from discarded objects that she’s found near her home by Saadiyat beach.
“Millions of golf balls are lost every day across the world, and they release harmful substances as they decompose. I live right next to the Saadiyat golf club, and I’m always finding golf balls and tees,” she said.
“I decided to turn them into a sculpture of a gazelle, and I’m working on a falcon now, too. I also created a hawksbill turtle out of debris I found, and next I want to make an octopus out of all the huge cardboard boxes that come with deliveries these days. Ever since I was a student, I’ve worked with the things I have around me. My work was sustainable long before it was even recognised as that.”