THE 50th Bahrain Annual Fine Arts Exhibition kicked off its golden jubilee edition yesterday with a joyful and nostalgic celebration of Bahrain’s art history.
Featuring 69 artists and hundreds of art pieces, the exhibition is organised by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (Baca) and opened at the Bahrain National Museum.
The exhibition was inaugurated by Shaikh Mohammed bin Salman Al Khalifa on behalf of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
This year, two artists were awarded the Al Dana Prize – Hisham Sharif and Jaffar Al Haddad, with a new Artistic Vision Prize awarded by Al Riwaq Art Gallery given to Ashraf Ali.
Beside the main attraction which featured the paintings, photographs, sculptures, installations and multi-media works of 59 artists, there were two accompanying displays paying homage to the Fine Art Exhibition’s storied past.
A retrospective exhibit titled ‘Half a Century of Art’ offered a look down memory lane at the last half-a-century of Bahraini art, starting at the exhibition’s inception 1972.
One piece from each year was featured in this section, along with a showcase of the brochures and posters for each iteration, showing the evolution and change in style year by year.
A third exhibit titled ‘Half a Century of Artists’ featured the works of 10 artists with remarkable impact on Bahrain’s art scene, including Balqees Fakhro, Abbas Al Mosawi, Abdulkarim Al Orayedh and more.
Al Dana Prize recipient Mr Sharif had five pieces titled ‘Monday Nights at Adliya’, ‘Another Dark World’, ‘Room 517’, ‘Room 21’ and Room 413’.
The tiny paintings, created with acrylic paint, each featured a different everyday scene, which 31-year-old Mr Sharif transformed from mundane to vibrant and charming.
The painter’s father, Rahim Sharif, is among the 10 artists recognised for their lasting influence on Bahraini art. Three of his pieces were featured in the display.
Mr Al Haddad, who also received the Al Dana Prize, took a more minimalistic approach with ‘Twelve’, a series of 12 charcoal and ink pieces.
An architect by trade, the interdisciplinary artist sought to revisit the past by portraying simple traditional floor plans and their evolution to the present day.
Meanwhile, the Al Riwaq Art Gallery Artistic Vision Prize winner Mr Ali, also a designer and architect, involved his community in making his installation.
His piece – a number of pottery vessels displayed on a circular table, half-submerged in sand – was created with the help of Mr Ali’s friends and family in the traditional A’ali pottery making workshop.
“The intention of this project is: how can I use art to connect history, community, the individual and spirituality?” he told the GDN.
In her ‘Warmth Series’, painter and woodcut artist Dawiya Aleiwat’s three pieces depicted women in various relaxed poses, one with a cat, one cradling a child and one with a bird.
“The series is about giving, love and quiet,” she said. “The woman is a symbol of generosity in my art.”
Another female artist, Mona Al Motaz, participated with a series of 15 abstract, black-and-white mixed-media works, using various kinds of ink and analogue printing techniques.
“As an architect, I usually combine detailed measurements in my artwork, but in this collection, I decided to take the path of spontaneity and to let go of rules,” she told the GDN.
“With these pieces, I decided to gift myself the freedom to explore my inner expression.”
A corner of the exhibit was also dedicated to Photos à la Chair, a photographic community initiative conceived by Camille Zakharia and Ali Karimi.
It showcased eight years and 21 sessions of the initiative, which involves using an art piece or installation by a local artist as the backdrop of a photoshoot that anyone can come to.
According to a statement, Baca will soon announce workshops and lectures as part of programming related to the annual event.
The exhibition will be open to visitors every day except Tuesday between 8am and 8pm, free of charge, until the end of April.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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