Culture Weekly

As emotive as black & white

June 14 - June 20, 2023

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By Mai Al Khatib-Camille

mai.alkhatib@gulfweekly.com

A GROUP of creatives have gathered at a popular shopping complex to share their passion for the arts by showcasing different-hued variations of monochromatic pieces in an expressive exhibition.

Shades and Shadows is organised by The Butterfly Effect marketing company featuring 32 artists from the In Art World (IAW) organisation which is completely dedicated to providing platforms for artists and their creations on a global level.

“The artworks are absolutely beautiful and one-of-a kind,” said The Butterfly Effect managing director Anita Menon. “The pieces feel like an extension of each of these artists, who I have had the privilege to know personally now.”

IAW is founded by artist Praween Karmakar in India and represented by artist Sudeep Deshpande in Bahrain along with fellow painters, paper model makers, sculptors and architects Atamjeet Singh Bawa, Niju Joy, Tejbir Singh, Saira Ranj and Dr Sagar Adkar.

The exhibition was formally inaugurated recently at Dana Mall in Sanabis by Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities president Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa in the presence of Indian Ambassador Piyush Srivastava, celebrated Bahraini artist Abbas Almosawi and Capital Governorate Information and Follow-Up director Yusuf Lori. They were welcomed by LuLu Group director Juzer Rupawala and the hypermarket’s senior management team.

The collective features more than 102 canvases, quilling work and photographs inspired by the use of a single colour or variations of that hue, which Sudeep shared are in black and white, blues or sepias.

Saira, a 49-year-old marketing head at Europcar Oman and Bahrain, from Seef, featured three of her works in sepia, a dark reddish-brown pigment obtained from the inky secretion of the cuttlefish.

“The earliest images ever made on earth were monochrome as prehistoric paintings predated pigment technology,” said poet and artist, Saira, who is also the director of Bahrain Writers’ Circle. “Today, we have a kaleidoscope of colours to work with. To pick just one hue and go into its shades is, I believe, all about exploring possibilities in limitations. For once we are thinking within the box and boy is it deep! It was all about capturing various emotions through just sepia.”

For Oblivion she used acrylics and a palette knife while with That Tear she painted with brown charcoal. Her What’s her Name piece was made with oil.

Sudeep used the acrylics and charcoal approach for his nine artworks themed around women.

“I feel women have an immense ability and strength to wear the dignity, self-esteem and courage like an ornament as they face testing times,” said the abstract painter, architect and metal sculptor. “My works are an interpretation of this expression and the earrings are depictions of their self-esteem and courage with each earring element being different to depict a woman’s individuality and charisma.”

Architect Tejbir also kept his works in black and white using oils for The Grand Mosque painting and markers, pencil colours and soft pastels for his other two.

“I’m an artist who takes inspiration from his surroundings which is primarily the unban fabric of the city,” said the father-of-two from Juffair. “The night painting of The Grand Mosque is a scene witnessed from the top of the building where I stay. It was an enchanting sight and the effects of the lights, shades and shadows were just brilliant.”

The other painting is of the Flat Iron Building in Manhattan. He said it is one of the first multi-storey buildings ever built and it’s his tribute to the designer. His second painting is of a night scene along one of the lanes of Muharraq’s pearling path heritage project Pearl Path.

Paper artist guru Atamjeet, whose artworks are inspired by nature, used different shades of blue paper in his three pieces to represent the many different shades of life, from the lightest to the darkest.

“The colour blue is often associated with the sea and sky, which are both important elements in Arab culture and beyond,” said the 38-year-old IT solution architect from Juffair. “Each layer represents a different aspect of life, and together, they create a beautiful and intricate whole. My work is a celebration of the beauty of life and I hope that it inspires others to see the world in a new way.

“As for the exhibition, it’s a treat for the eyes of all visitors.”

The exhibition runs until June 23.

Panel of artists:

1. Atamjeet Singh Bawa

2. Ali Al Hawaj

3. Brainy Tomar

4. Diana Gazaryan

5. Dr Sagar Adkar

6. Jacqueline De Freitas

7. Kaav Ranj

8. Ina Marie

9. Jaseera Ali