TWENTY-ONE potters from five Gulf countries are showcasing their ceramic creations at a special show in Tubli.
The Gulf Potters Exhibition, which opened yesterday at the Safeya Ali Kanoo Hub for Arts and Handicrafts, features artisans from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait.
Held under the patronage of National Council for Arts chairman Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, the exhibition’s inauguration event was packed with renowned artists and art lovers.
“The idea for a Gulf showcase came to us while the artisans featured in the show were visiting my solo exhibition earlier this month,” co-organiser Mohsen Altaitoon told the GDN.
The former president of the Bahrain Potters Society added that the event came together in less than two weeks due to the enthusiasm of his Gulf colleagues.
The works Mr Altaitoon presented had been earlier exhibited in his solo show ‘Porcelain’s Lustre,’ also held at the Safeya Ali Kanoo Hub. According to the artist, he has chosen to make the prices of his works affordable, starting from BD40, because he wants the ‘culture of pottery’ to become more prevalent.
“My lifelong wish is for ceramics art to enter every Bahraini household,” he added.
Fellow organiser, Kuwaiti potter Ali Alawadh, took to the symbolism in his pieces. Through the medium of pottery itself where the professional ceramist used clay vessels to represent motherhood.
“These scenes represent the difficulty of childbirth and later taking care of children,” he told the GDN of his work, which included several vases that have been torn in the middle, with a smaller vase coming out of each.
“The mother also ‘contains’ the child with her care, just like vases contain the things we put inside them,” he said.
Several other pieces capturing the topic of motherhood were present in the exhibition, such as Bahraini Mahdi Albannai’s two entries titled ‘Motherhood’ 1 and 2, which were featured on the front page of yesterday’s GDN. One was snapped up for BD850 on the opening day.
Abstracted sculptures by Saudi Dr Nahed Turkestani were also named ‘Motherhood’ and loosely portray female figures.
Meanwhile, it was Saudi artist Ammar Saeed’s first time exhibiting his work in Bahrain. The Medina-based potter told the GDN that his pieces aimed to represent the history and future of his country.
“This piece represents patterns that repeat in the Gulf, especially on old metal doors,” he said of an installation made from 14 ceramic squares, each containing a different design.
Another ceramic work of Mr Saeed’s depicts pre-historic carvings on rock faces which can be found in Al Oula in northern Saudi Arabia.
Following yesterday’s opening, Mr Altaitoon has organised an all-encompassing five-day programme for the visiting regional artists, including visits to museums, galleries and notable cultural sites.
The professional potter will also be teaching his fellow artisans rare Chinese and Japanese ceramics techniques in a series of advanced workshops.
Officials including Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (Baca) president Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa were also present at the event.
The Gulf Potters Exhibition remains open until Thursday.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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