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A prominent Bahraini artist has joined more than a hundred creatives in a popular art expo in France and her mixed media works that pay homage to the kingdom have left a positive impression on Parisian art lovers.
Self-taught abstract artist Layla Husain Mohamed, who also dabbles in impressionism, was invited to showcase two of her paintings last month at the 10th edition of ‘art3f’, the International Contemporary Art Fair in Porte de Versailles; the Paris Expo Pavilion 5.2.
The mother-of-two was honoured to represent Bahrain and to be able to share her artistic expression with art3f visitors.
“I felt so proud being the only Bahraini and Arab lady at the exhibition,” said the 43-year-old training officer from Alba, who is also a Bahrain Contemporary Art Association member. “I enjoyed explaining to visitors about my artwork, my beloved country, our exposure to arts and the heritage design culture that we have.”
Her paintings are usually an intersection of nature, sea and landscapes, using different mediums such as oil, acrylic, ink, resin and textures, including wood.
For this expo, she featured one of her older pieces and a new artwork as well. Her acrylic and textured piece Neighbour Yard symbolised her childhood memories of her neighbourhood while her oil painting Beauty of the Nights revealed her love for the sea.
“This painting shows my emotional feelings towards the beauty of the sea,” said Layla who had staged an exhibition entitled Amwaj (means waves in Arabic) in October 2021 at Harbour Gate featuring stunning sea views.
The two artworks, along with a few more, will be displayed later at the VAN GOGH Art Gallery, located in the heart of Madrid, Spain.
In the meantime, Layla is working on her next solo exhibition revolving around woman power, identity and freedom as well as space to express one’s strength.
She also believes that the kingdom has many talented individuals and hopes they would be given opportunities to be recognised on an international scale.
For details, follow @liliz.gallery on Instagram.
