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FUTURISTIC artists from across the kingdom finally stepped out from behind their computer screens and into the spotlight to showcase their colourful creations at an exhibition.
The four-day Anime/Manga Art Exhibition, which was held at the More Words studio opposite the popular bookstore café in Budaiya, was the brainchild of curator Christy Burton.
She wanted to celebrate the talent and work of the 21 artists, who before the event have often worked in isolation, and support her daughter, Lujane, 12, who is passionate about the art form. Anime refers to all forms of animation and manga are comics created in Japan that refers to both comics and cartooning.
Christy said: “This show was inspired by my daughter who spends a lot of time drawing manga and anime. She loves it.
“I wanted to create a show where others that share her passion could be featured as well. In my opinion, a lot of people into this style of art are quite cloistered in their computer worlds, my daughter included. I thought, why not get them all out of their comfort zone and put their beautiful art work on display for families, friends and fans to enjoy?
“Most of them were first time exhibitors although their work was absolutely amazing. The exhibition helped them grow, they felt like true artists, which they are, and it was a pleasure to be a part of that.”
Christy, the founder of the Bahrain Dance Academy in Hamala based near her family home, used to be a first grade teacher at the Modern of Knowledge School in Bahrain before moving to Abu Dhabi with her Bahraini husband, Yasser Yacoub.
After a 12-year break, Christy is delighted to be back in the kingdom and sharing her love of the island community with Lujane, a Bahrain School student.
“I thought this would be a great way to help her make friends too and connect with other like-minded artists into the same genre,” added Christy. “I figured if I put on this show, other children would come out of the wood works. While I may not understand the whole world of anime and manga, there’s no denying its growing popularity.”
The medium includes works in a broad range of genres including action-adventure, business and commerce, comedy, historical drama, horror, mystery, romance, science fiction and fantasy.
Many manga examples are now translated into English and Arabic languages and form a prominent part of the Japanese publishing industry. Since the 1950s they have broken into various markets around the world.
In Europe and the Middle East, for example, the manga market was estimated to be worth $250 million. It first became a part of Bahrain culture with the younger generation in the early 1980s when popular TV cartoon series such as Dragon Ball and Pokémon were dubbed in Arabic for regional TV broadcasting.
To promote the exhibition, Christy designed flyers and posted them at various supermarkets, through the Bahrain Schools Anime Club and at Words Bookstore Café. The art work started flooding in and the event flourished into a haven for lovers of the genre.
“The response was slow to start with and suddenly took off. I was over the moon because I really went from zero to 21 within a week!” said Christy. “A lot of the submissions came in notebooks and ripped papers. I framed them in their original state and they looked amazing.
“I didn’t decline any work. I wanted everyone to be represented. There is merit in every piece that was featured.”
The entrants reflected the kingdom’s multi-national population, with girls and boys displaying their artistic talent. “It takes a lot of courage for children to come out and take part in a show like this,” she added. “We have work from Bahrainis, Pakistanis, Americans, Filipinos and the rest!
“I encouraged all their parents and asked them to tell their friends to attend last Wednesday’s opening night and it was joyful to see so many showing their support.”
Anna Leanda Thackray, a British illustrator and author of the popular graphic Shamal novels, accepted an invitation to participate in the exhibition, feature her work and talk to the aspiring artists.
Christy said: “Anna was very generous with her advice, information and encouragement.
“I’m confident she helped inspire them and show them what can be accomplished through talent and hard work.”
The artist staged two workshops on Saturday. She taught Manga Studio in the morning in which attendees were able to design new characters using software. In the afternoon, Anna helped participants in a second workshop turn their created characters into dolls fashioned out of fabric.
Anna enjoyed the experience as much as the students. She said: “It was amazing to see their drawings and witness the imagination behind the stories. They displayed some great work and my advice to any of them wanting to start a career in this field is to never give up and keep on learning.”
Anna, who is currently working on another novel based on Bahrain’s Tree of Life, also autographed copies of her books.
Leon Foxwings, 26, a motivational speaker, displayed his work at the exhibition. He said: “I started drawing when I was 11 and my sister and I used to watch anime together on BTV. I moved away from manga a little bit but it did shape me. I am now planning on starting my own comic and this event has been good inspiration.”
Leon was particularly impressed by first-time exhibitor Jumana Khorrani who featured three powerful pieces of warriors. The 24-year-old Bahrain University student is studying civil engineering and lives in Tashan. He said: “A friend of mine kept telling me that I had to share my work. I wasn’t confident but when I submitted it to Christy her comments were so amazing that it has encouraged me to work on even more art for next year.
“It is a way for me to express my feelings. I didn’t realise there were so many people in Bahrain interested in comics and manga art. It was wonderful to join them gathered under one roof, from different cultures, ages and nationalities.
“I am looking forward to submitting my art work annually and, hopefully, have my own exhibition in the future.”
Bahain School student Alexa Manaoys, 13, who lives in Juffair, said: “I got into anime when I was eight after I saw a Sailor Moon comic at a book store. I thought it was cute, tried copying it and here I am now.
“The event was really cool and allowed us to get feedback and inspiration from others. I want to be a manga illustrator when I grow up.”
Her father Ed, 43, who works at the US Navy Base, mum, Eileen, 44, and brother Paolo, four, showed their support at the show. Eileen said: “Her work is fantastic. We knew she was always into sketching and drawing but had not idea of the calibre of her work. We are so proud of her.”
Lujane, who hopes to study at art college and carve out a career as a professional illustrator, was thrilled to see that many artists turned up and is looking forward to future collaborations together.
She said: “I didn’t think there were that many people interested in the same style of art that I was into. This was a great exhibition and I’d like to thank my mum for all her hard work as well as for the artists showing their work.”
The art work at the show was put on sale and many of the pieces were snapped up for a variety of prices … and may become collectors’ items should the artists make it into the comic book hall of fame.
