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Egyptian contemporary artist Assem Sharaf staged a three-day ‘Papier Mache’ workshop at the ABCAD/ Albareh Art Gallery in Adliya, writes Mai Al Khatib.
The aim of the workshop was to teach six of Bahrain’s talented young women how to recycle random goods into works of art.
Mr Sharaf demonstrated the fundamental techniques of preparing papier mâché from scratch and how to construct cardboard that can then be used to produce artworks within the frameworks of photography, collage paintings as well as sculptures.
He said: “Papier mâché is a technique that uses paper, cartons and newspapers in order to form a mould.
“At the workshop, the participants used this technique as a tool to shape whatever was on hand into an artistic form.
“The beauty of it is you recycle the things around you; it’s not expensive and is available to everyone.”
The 55-year-old fine arts graduate, who refers to himself as a ‘plastic artist’, has held many solo and joint exhibitions around the world including in London and Switzerland.
Mr Sharaf expressed a strong desire to come back to Bahrain in the future to see the progress of the art scene. He said: “The art scene in Bahrain is very promising and I find that there are many talented artists in the kingdom.”
Mr Sharaf is also holding a solo exhibition of his art work at Albareh Art Gallery until March 7. Doors open at10am to 1pm and 4pm to 8pm from Saturday through Thursday.
