Art lovers are flocking to Bahrain Financial Harbour’s (BFH) Harbour Gate to admire the colourful collection of paintings, sculptures, sketches and mixed medias on show at the ‘CROSSCURRENT’ Fusion of Art and Culture exhibition.
The showcase, which was organised by Filipino Creatives Bahrain group to celebrate diversity, features a total of 43 artists hailing from different backgrounds, aged between 16 and 60.
While the past two exhibitions organised by the group only featured Filipino artists, this year there are artists from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Sweden, Russia, Puerto Rico, the UK, Oman, Lebanon, India and South Africa; all of whom have a story to tell through their work.
The exhibition was inaugurated on December 1 with a ribbon-cutting by Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities director general of the Culture and Arts Directorate Shaikha Hala bint Mohammed Al Khalifa in the presence of Philippine Ambassador to Bahrain Alfonso A Ver and BFH’s chief executive officer Angus Campbell.
Shaikha Hala was impressed by the talent on show. She said: “I am very amazed at the amount of artists that have participated in this exhibition and at the amount of work on show. I’m also very happy that it took place in the Financial Harbour.
“I think there is a beautiful community feeling that has brought everyone together. I was happy to be a part of this exhibition and I look forward to coming again.”
Harbour Gates second floor was filled with more than 200 artworks, including paintings, sculptures, visual and digital art as well as films, from the likes of Shaikha Marwa bint Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, renowned painter Abbas Al Mosawi and other inspiring creatives.
Mr Ver, the Phillipines ambassador to Bahrain, said: “Every year the exhibit has gotten bigger and better. This is a great layout at Harbour Gate and it’s wonderful to see the artistic community come together and express themselves through their pieces.”
The work varies in styles from realistic to abstract with the artists using different mediums, including water colours, acrylic and oils, plus mixed media.
Mr Campbell added: “The artwork is superb with so many different pieces and context. There really is something for everyone here.”
Russian artist Irina Averinos, who has been featured in various exhibitions and curated many herself, painted three oil canvases, one of which is made up of three panels representing a jelly fish she spotted in an aquarium. She used special techniques to give her other fishy subjects a realistic appeal and look.
She said: “The exhibition is lovely featuring many talented artists with varied styles. It’s my first time exhibiting during the pandemic and it’s great to see everyone together sharing their love for art.”
Meanwhile, Filipino artist Catherine Paje, who is also one of the organisers, featured acrylic canvases reflecting her love for children and the image of fatherhood.
She said: “This exhibition is one-of-a-kind and a dream come true. It’s exciting to see so many artists of different nationalities coming together especially during the pandemic.”
Bahraini artist Ashraf Jawahery captivated art lovers with her colourful creations. This is her second time showcasing her acrylic artwork which is funky and promotes female empowerment.
According to her daughter Deena, who runs her own events company, the canvases capture the beauty of women in different forms, whether looking fab in sun glasses or dancing the day away.
Bursts of colour continued with Filipino artist Aileen Cataneo-Amado, who portrayed Michael Jackson, Steve Jobs and none-other than the inspirational Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, His Majesty King Hamad’s representative for humanitarian work and youth affairs, National Security Adviser and Supreme Council for Youth and Sports (SCYS) chairman.
She said: “I create contemporary pop art with bright colours and I chose these three figures because they are all inspirational in their own way. For example, Michael Jackson’s song Heal the World resonates with people especially during these difficult times.”
The exhibit will run until December 15 from 9am to 9pm. Artwork will also be exhibited virtually through the Harbour Gate website.
For details, follow FilCreativesBH on Facebook and @filipinocreativesbahrain on Instagram.
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