Inspired by the love of art

Chiselling blocks of marble and stone into curvaceous, free-standing sculptures full of movement and grace is an art practised by Bahraini sculptor Fuad Ali Albinfalah.

The artist is a former banker and IT specialist who made a dramatic career change in his 50s to pursue his passion and childhood hobby. He believes that he is enjoying some of the best moments of his life today, as an artist.

In his short career, as a self-taught sculptor, he has held three solo exhibitions - one in wood and two in marble sculptures; been part of the first sculpture symposium in Bahrain, and was also a recipient of the Souad Sabah creative award at the Kuwait Creative Art Forum in 2008.

Undeterred by the prospect of working in the heat, he has just returned to Bahrain after taking part in a symposium in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. His designs are among the ten selected for display at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.

Another feather in his cap is that one of the sculptures will grace the new Arcapita building in Manama.

Fuad, 54, from Budaiya, is now working on his next solo exhibition slated for January.

He said: "Writing IT programmes and carving sculptures - both involve a creative process. If you give the same programme to two IT specialists, both of them will write it in a different way using a different logic.

"As a sculptor I am continuing the same process of creativity but the happiness and joy of seeing a completely original and beautiful piece of art that I have created out of something dismissed as a block of stone is immense. I cannot describe it but it is that feeling that keeps me going."

Fuad is a compulsive artist who has a room full of marble creations of all sizes, inspired by his love for Arabic calligraphy and mathematics.

His initial pieces in wood include wall pieces exhibiting the word of God through an imaginative use of wooden dust. Using logs and roots of uprooted local trees, he has cleverly used the shades and texture of the wood to design and create three-dimensional sculptures.

However, for the past few years he has been working almost entirely with stone, especially marble.

He 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.

"Working on marble was a challenge for me as I could not imagine how I would cut it and make it soft. But, after experimenting with marble I could not go back to wood primarily because I have lost a number of pieces as wood can crack and shrink as it becomes drier.

"Marble is delicate but it cannot change shape or colour whether it is in the sun or rain or indoors. I could never believe that I would be able to create beautiful marble pieces just the way I was doing with wood. But when I was able to mould the material the way I had imagined with the curves and interweaving lines, I feel as if I am deeply in love all over again."

In just one year of his introduction to stone, Fuad produced his first standalone exhibition of marble figures. He is now working on his fourth solo exhibition and his backyard is littered with blocks of marble, granite and stone of all sizes waiting for its master's touch.

While his friends ask him to reduce his speed, Fuad cannot stop working and says that he is full of ideas and is eager to see them all come to life. Challenging himself to work on larger pieces, his carvings are getting larger and bolder and he hopes to produce around 30 pieces in different sizes ranging from 90cm-120cm by January.

Fuad added: "I am a full-time artist in every sense. I sleep, drink, work and even watch TV thinking and planning my next piece of work. Believe it or not, I suddenly jump in my sleep and go searching for a pen and piece of paper and sketch out my idea before I lose it.

"Now my work is completely related to mathematics. It is an amazing subject. When I start with one block of marble, it is not just a free form with angles, corners and lines. I am seeking the beauty in marble and want the piece to talk to me. It is like solving a mathematical theorem.

"I started late in the field. I have a lot inside me and feel as if I am working against time. It is possible that in two years I may not be able to use these heavy tools and work in this weather."

Many of Fuad's exhibits are among the private collections of Abdul Latif Kanoo, Shaikh Rashid Al Khalifa, Abdulla Al Muharraqi, Mariam Fakhro, Faika Al Hassan, ABC Bank and Global Banking Corporation. Fuad lives with his wife Anisa Al Awadhi, daughter Ala and sons Omar, Khalid and Ali in Magaba near Saar.

To contact the artist email fuad-albinfalah@hotmail.com