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Talented artist Rashed Al Araifi hopes to connect the younger generation with Bahrain’s ‘lost paradise’ and its rich history through his contemporary works of art.
Rashed expresses his love for the kingdom through a window to the past, utilising painting and sculpting by using bright colours and an edgy style.
The 19-year-old’s goal is to remind the young people of the kingdom’s amazing past … reaching back through the centuries into the ancient Dilmun era.
He said: “I want Bahrain to celebrate its culture and for all Bahrainis to be proud of their identity. My goal is to try and link my country’s past with the 21st Century in a manner that has never been attempted before.
“I want my audience to know what has been achieved over the ages on the land they are living on, and the stories and legends that have been created here.
“I feel this approach reflects my own individuality as an artist. Growing up seeing Dilmun seals as logos around the streets of Bahrain was never enough for me, so I decided to take it to the next level.”
His inspiration led him to create ‘The Dilmunian’ and ‘Land of Immortality’ a painting of Gilgamesh the fifth King of Uruk, now modern day Iraq and Kuwait, and his journey to ancient Bahrain.
Rashed explained: “I was very moved by the story of Gilgamesh and I thought it was an important tale to carry on. It shows Bahrain’s richness and importance at that time. It was the land of immortality.
“The black part of my painting shows the decayed past and how people used to see Dilmun and the multi-coloured half highlights the hero Gilgamesh and his journey to Bahrain.”
Dilmun was an ancient independent kingdom that flourished in 2000 BC and was centred on Bahrain in the Arabian Gulf. It was known as a commercial centre in Sumerian economic times - a trans-shipment point for goods between Sumer and the Indus Valley.
Copper and a variety of other goods, including beads, precious stones, pearls, dates and vegetables were shipped to Sumer and Babylonia in return for agricultural produce. As for Gilgamesh, in Mesopotamian mythology, he was a demigod of superhuman strength who built the city walls of Uruk to defend his people from external threats.
Rashed has also painted remarkable images of members of the current Bahrain royal family and his work has been shown at numerous exhibitions staged by Bahrain’s Contemporary Arts Association and in the Al Riwaq Gallery.
He will be returning to the gallery in September to showcase one of his most recent and talked about pieces entitled ‘Love is Blind’. He explained: “The piece is my personal favourite and it shows two sculptures, one of a snail and the other of a tape dispenser.
“Snails can’t see. They can only feel and touch with their antennae, so the snail thinks that the tape dispenser is another snail because of its similar shape and size. It’s a story of a snail’s effort to seek a mate only to find out that it’s just a trap in disguise.
“The piece can also be viewed seeing the snail as an organic life form representing innocent love, while the tape dispenser represents a heartless character.”
Now Rashed majors in interior and spatial design at Europe’s leading arts and design school, the University of the Arts, in Central London. He was chosen to be the course representative of the 3D and spatial design pathway at the university.
His diverse creative background emanated from his well-known uncle Rashid Al Oraifi aka ‘Big Rashid’, 67, and father Ahmed, 63, a pioneering interior designer. He is the owner of Gulf Arabesque, specialising in Islamic and local-style decorative architecture and founder of the Ahmed Al Arifi Art Centre. His father also worked for 20 years as the superintendent of Plastic Arts Division in the Ministry of Information and as an arts advisor at the Crown Prince’s Court for nine years.
Proud Dad said: “My son has broken barriers through his work and grown immensely as an artist. I see many doors opening for him especially in interior design. His rich cultural background and modernity will be a double threat in the design world.
“A blank wall is like an empty canvas. He has the eye, the passion and the determination which is displayed in his art pieces. I love his style of mixing our history with art. He is a true inspiration.”
His uncle is the founder of the Rashid Al Oraifi Museum in Muharraq and the president and founder of the Bahrain Contemporary Arts Association in Juffair.
Big Rashid said: “Little Rashed has surpassed my expectations as an artist. His pieces are ahead of their time. I have been completely blown away.”
