Six top Bahraini artists recently showcased their prize pieces at an international art festival in Paris.
They joined some of the world’s foremost contemporary artists for the Art Shopping’s Salon International D’Art Contemporain exhibition which took place last week at the Carrousel du Louvre, near the famous Louvre museum.
Salwa Al Moayyed, Nawal Al Sabbagh, Latifa Al Shaikh, Nasreen Al Awadhi, Zakeya Zada and Eman Karimi represented the kingdom at the event with a total of 26 pieces.
Ms Al Moayyed explores abstract expressionism in her works
“Over the years, Art Shopping has become ‘the’ art event in Paris where hundreds of artists present their artwork to thousands of visitors, art lovers and professional buyers,” Ms Zada, who also curated the selection, told the GDN. “The show brought together carefully selected French and international artists and galleries who had the unique opportunity to present their paintings, sculptures, digital art or photography in a more personal way.”
Ms Al Moayyed and Ms Al Sabbagh showcased six pieces each, while Ms Al Shaikh highlighted eight of her smaller artworks and Ms Karimi, Ms Al Awadhi and Ms Zada had two creations each in the exhibition.
With more than 40 years of artistic experience under her brush, Ms Al Moayyed’s pieces explore and share her inner world using abstract expressionism. She has previously displayed her work in New York, Egypt and Kuwait.
Nawal Flowers founder Ms Al Sabbagh, a recipient of the prestigious Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Award, treats her flower arrangements as paintings and has participated in numerous exhibitions, including the 48th Bahrain Annual Fine Arts Exhibition and a recent group exhibition at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation.
A captivating piece by Ms Al Shaikh displayed in Paris
Ms Al Shaikh was raised amidst a family that cherished and honoured the transformative influence of artistic expression. From the age of 12, she has been creating captivating pieces using acrylic paint and mixed media, drawing inspiration from life’s diverse elements.
Meanwhile, Ms Al Awadhi’s vision as an artist is to ‘be present in every house’.
“Telling a story to the beholder and reflecting on its beauty, I paint with diverse mediums, methods, themes and schools of art, always aspiring to be bold in my choices,” she added.
With a career spanning more than 22 years, she had originally completed an education in pharmaceutical studies before being able to pursue her childhood dream of an artistic career, and has since exhibited in more than 30 galleries around the world.
She works mainly using oil on canvas, acrylic, oil pastel and mixed media creating landscapes, portraits and still life, generally in the impressionist style.
Ms Karimi’s portraits evoking nostalgia and timelessness
Ms Karimi’s portraits aim to evoke a sense of nostalgia and timelessness, connecting the viewer to a shared human experience across generations. She graduated from the American University in London with a Bachelor degree in Visual Communications.
“I’m drawn to capturing the intricate beauty and quiet strength of the women I depict,” she added. “Using a muted earthy palette and soft, hazy brushstrokes, I strive to show each portrait with a dreamlike quality and nostalgic mood. There is an air of melancholy yet resilience and dignity that shines through.”
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One of Ms Zada’s pieces exhibited during the showcase
For Ms Zada, art is about the transformation of the soul and artwork should spark change, development and growth in the spectator, as well as the artist producing the pieces.
She has exhibited her work in numerous group exhibitions in the kingdom, including Bahrain’s second and third Contemporary Art Fair (ArtBAB), Al Bareh Gallery, Hend gallery and Bahrain Arts Society, as well as overseas including India, France, UK, South Korea, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Qatar, Tunisia and Italy.
The kingdom’s ambassador to France, Essam Abdulaziz Al Jassim, visited the exhibition on its opening day.
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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