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AN ART exhibition blending Bahrain’s past, present and future is set to open at an iconic landmark in Azerbaijan later this month.
First Light features a collection of stunning installations by Bahrain National Arts Council chairman Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa.
Opening on March 15 at the famous Heydar Aliyev Centre in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku, the exhibition runs until September 10.
The art show’s wall sculptures and immersive installations, inspired by Bahrain’s light, colours and atmosphere, are Shaikh Rashid’s way of merging traditional and contemporary architecture with the natural environment.
“I often draw on aspects of my heritage, culture and surroundings to create contemporary sculptures and I am so pleased to share these new works,” said Shaikh Rashid. “I am thrilled to be exhibiting in Baku at the Heydar Aliyev Centre designed by the iconic architect Zaha Hadid,” he added.
The centre, a sprawling 57,500sqm complex designed by Iraqi-British architect Ms Hadid, is recognised as one of the world’s architectural masterpieces. No straight lines appear in its design, with the overall shape resembling a wave.
Artworks of Shaikh Rashid, who set up the RAK Art Foundation in 2020, were recently displayed in Liechtenstein, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Turkey and the US.
A solo exhibition, titled Spectrum, debuted last June in the Liechtensteinisches Landes Museum (Liechtenstein National Muse-um) in Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein. It boasted traditional Mid-dle Eastern architectural principles with specific palettes and tones, that are characteristics of the Bahraini landscape, in aluminium and steel forms.
