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Art lovers in the kingdom will be coming together to celebrate the talents of nine Bahraini artists whose works will be on display at Artlounge 2 organised by Marion Labani at the Banyan Tree Al Areen resort later this month.
Reporter Anasuya Kesavan unveils the first of a three-part series showcasing painter Faika Al Hasan, sculptor Fuad Albinfalah and photographer Ali Al Koofy.
Artlounge 2 runs from October 23 to November 1 and will also feature the works of sculptor Ali Al Mahmeed, photographer Khalil Hammad and painters Lobna Al Ameen, Balqees Fakhro, Nabeela Al Khair and Kareema Taha.
A percentage of the profits from the event, sponsored by Banyan Tree Al Areen and Ogilvy One, will be donated to Sneha recreation centre for children with special needs for the purchase of art supplies.
Ali Al Koofy - photographer
Constantly on the lookout for a new angle and an original shot, Ali Al Koofy, Bahrain's award winning photographer, practises art photography from his office at the Bahrain Art Centre in Budaiya.
Ali believes that with the advancement of technology everyone is a photographer. He said: "You can take a picture on the camera, mobile or even the computer. Even if you have the knowhow on the technical aspects such as colour repair, shutter speed and light ... the difference is in capturing the right image with the right colours at the right time. I believe in taking that one shot that can tell a story about life, love, happiness and togetherness."
Among his favourite subjects are portraits, flowers, depiction of Bahrain's countryside and people including farmers and fishermen.
Ali likes to experiment with his images and does not always believe in producing a clear straight shot. While he presents some with colour he adds tones, special effects and at times distorts the images to create an abstract image to make the photograph similar to a painting.
A photographer who believes that art is in his heart, Ali said: "I like to develop curiosity in the images that I present and I like showing the beautiful and nice side of life. I am still learning and am constantly developing my style."
Ali, 49, from Naim, will present around 30 photographs at the Artlounge 2. It will include his latest work of photographs that are printed on canvas and worked upon with charcoal. He has exhibited his works in Amsterdam in Netherlands, Manila in Philippines, Sydney in Australia, Muscat in Oman, Beijing in China, Cairo in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Barato in Italy, Budapest in Hungary and Bahrain.
Ali has been a recipient of the kingdom's national photography competition organised by the Bahrain Arts Society and Bapco Club and has won the Medal of Excellence and Three Highly Commended Works at the 24th FIAP (International Federation of Photographic Art) Congress held in Beijing, China.
Faika Al Hasan - artist
Faika Al Hasan is passionate about portraying the intrinsic and wholesome beauty of a woman through her paintings. It is her belief that every woman radiates beauty despite all the difficulties she endures throughout her lifetime.
She is a contemporary painter who will be showing works that shows her favourite subject - women distressed by pain, loss, love and desire at Artlounge 2.
Faika explained: "God has given women beauty and I think she is great. She has been made different as she is beautiful despite all the suffering she endures.
"All my paintings say something ... they show the different faces of a suffering woman. She is strong as well as weak. There are very positive sides to a woman and yet in this society she is not allowed to blossom to her full potential. Even a clever woman cannot use all the gifts that God has given her.
"Most people including your husband, brother or children prefer a weak woman. The blame is always on the mother if her children do something wrong. If a father is sick it's always expected that a daughter will look after him.
"I have painted the Iraqi women mourning at the loss of her family. My first solo was a black and white exhibition showing all kinds of women - mother, dancer, prostitute, prisoner, lover..."
Faika works on mixed mediums and particularly likes using charcoal and acrylic in her paintings. "I love the colour black," she said. "People misunderstand and say that it shows a person in a lot of pain but I just love the colour black and I enjoy painting in black and white.
"To work with two colours takes more time and presenting the idea needs more thinking. I use light to break sadness."
As any artist she takes inspirations from her travels and appreciates Florence and Paris for their artistic heritage. She has exhibited widely in Paris, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.
She lives in Umm Al Hassam with her businessman husband Adel Mattar and children Hussein, Aysha, Nasser and Latifa.
Fuad Ali Albinfalah - sculptor
Fashioning marble and wood into free-standing sculptures is Bahraini sculptor Fuad Ali Albinfalah's passion. For this former banker and IT professional, sculpting was a hobby that was cultivated from childhood and that has now turned into a full time profession.
A self taught sculptor who enjoys carving out Arabic calligraphy and mathematical symbols on to blocks of wood and marble, Fuad, 53, said: "I have never attended an art school nor have I ever been taught to cut marble. It was purely my interest and curiosity that led me to sculptor Ali Al Mahmeed who taught me how to use the grinder and later encouraged me to continue my work."
Fuad has been invited to several group and solo exhibitions in Bahrain, Lebanon and Kuwait. This year he was presented with the Souad Sabah creative award at the Kuwait Creative Art Forum.
He believes his greatest moment came when renowned Bahraini artist Abdulla Muharraqi bought a sculpture carved by Fuad at an earlier exhibition held in the kingdom.
Elaborating on his work Fuad said: "My love for mathematics has affected my way of dealing with spaces. Proportion, size, shape, calculations and imagination are all an important part.
"I enjoy creating abstract art as 10 people interpret it in different ways. There are no limitations or restrictions to imagination and it is exciting to change an otherwise waste block of wood or marble with a small touch to a beautiful piece.
"Arabic calligraphy is a unique language in the world. Its characters and symbols are like a beautiful drawing. I enjoy forming these and mathematical symbols like infinity in my carvings.
"Once I complete a piece of work, I cannot explain the feeling of gratification and satisfaction I get at that very moment. Sculpting is now my life."
Fuad lives with his wife Anisa Al Awadhi, daughter Ala and sons Omar, Khalid and Ali in Magaba near Saar. He will be displaying several of his marble works for Artlounge 2.
