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Pretty paintings, striking sketches and thought-provoking presentations on display at Bahrain Financial Harbour’s (BFH) Harbour Gate are drawing in art lovers from across the kingdom.
The Filipino Creatives Bahrain group rallied together 43 artists hailing from different backgrounds, aged between 16 and 60, to celebrate cultural diversity by showcasing their colourful collections of artworks in the ‘CROSSCURRENT’ Fusion of Art and Culture exhibition.
This year’s event features an array of paintings, sculptures, sketches and mixed mediums created by artists from the Philippines, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Sweden, Russia, Puerto Rico, the UK, Oman, Lebanon, India and South Africa.
The exhibition, situated on the second floor, was inaugurated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony performed by Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) director general of the Culture and Arts Directorate Shaikha Hala bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, in the presence of Philippine ambassador to Bahrain Alfonso A Ver and BFH’s chief executive officer Angus Campbell.
Shaikha Hala was amazed at the number of artists who had participated and at the amount of work on show.
She said: “I think there is a beautiful community feeling that has brought everyone together. I was happy to be a part of this exhibition and I look forward to coming again.”
The exhibition features more than 200 artworks including entries by Shaikha Marwa bint Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, renowned painter Abbas Al Mosawi and other inspiring creatives.
Mr Al Mosawi, a classical Bahraini painter, is showcasing his traditional landscapes. He feels inspired and hopes the talented Filipino expatriate artists involved will one day be able to stage a show of this calibre in their home country too.
The work varies in styles from realistic to abstract with the artists using different mediums including water colours, acrylic and oils, plus mixed media.
Bahraini artist Huda Al Alawi, who is the director of communication for BACA, finally put her own pieces on display for all to enjoy.
Her series of four captures the beauty and wistfulness of Muharraq. She painted pictures of the different doors that inspired her. One of her paintings, called Hope Peaks, represented the traditional pearl divers who went to sea and the hopes of their families for their safe return.
“I have always had a passion for Muharraq,” said Huda from Busaiteen. “I mixed paint with textured sand and used a knife to create the painting. I wanted to create that effect you often see in the architecture in Muharraq.
“As for the exhibition, I think this is a strong showcase featuring beautiful art. The group has given us the chance to show our work and express our feelings through art, especially during this time. I am truly happy to be a part of it. This is actually my first exhibition and what a way to start.”
Filipino artist Jie Refugio also showcased a first - his collection of sketches. “My artwork is hyper-realism,” said the Busaiteen resident. “It almost looks 3D. I only started creating this style last year. I normally paint with oil and acrylic but I wanted to challenge myself to try a new form of art.”
Hyperrealism is a genre of painting and sculpture resembling a high-resolution photograph. It is considered an advancement of photorealism by the methods used to create the resulting paintings or sculptures.
His creations feature film and television pop culture icons, such as Khaleesi from Game of Thrones and actress Natalie Portman, by hand.
Meanwhile, Bahraini artist Ashraf Jawahery showed off her boisterous use of colours with her funky acrylic art promoting female empowerment. Filipino artist Aileen Cataneo-Amado also proved to be a top attraction with her pop art portrayals of Michael Jackson, Steve Jobs and the inspirational Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, His Majesty King Hamad’s Representative for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, National Security Adviser and Supreme Council for Youth and Sports Affairs (SCYS) chairman.
The exhibit runs until Tuesday from 9am to 9pm.
For details, follow FilCreativesBH on Facebook and @filipinocreativesbahrain on Instagram.
