Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
IT was double delight for friends Nermeen Afzal and Sadia Imad Khan as the duo put their passion for painting on display for all art lovers to enjoy.
The Pakistani artists, with different styles, shared the ground floor of Harbour Gate within the Bahrain Financial Harbour (BFH), to showcase their colourful creations focusing on female empowerment and Islamic calligraphy art.
Nermeen, a 34-year-old art teacher from Saar, unveiled 10 mixed-media paintings out of which two were made using watercolour and the others consisting of oil paints, along with some fabric, to create a three-dimensional effect.
“I called my exhibition Carried Away,” said Nermeen, mother of seven-year-old St Christopher’s student Shazayn and two-year-old Shahmeer. “My showcase aims to depict freedom and hope for women. What I would like to achieve is to portray women’s hopes to dream in my work and feature their desire to live freely and have strength for freedom.”
It took Nermeen around seven months to complete her collection. The mother-of-two is known for her semi-realistic and surreal paintings, mostly of women. She used to dabble in watercolour, acrylic, and oil but now focuses more on using oil, clay, fabric, and even salt in her artwork.
“I hope viewers experience that in the exhibition…that women can dream, be happy, be bold, have hope, strength and live the way they desire. Most importantly, they can create changes in society and overcome barriers.”
Previously, Nermeen has featured her works in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and in the kingdom in Akkas Gallery.
She would like to create ‘more impactful artwork and teach art for therapeutic reasons’.
“Also, at some point, I would like to create an immersive art space with different artists exhibiting works to create a wholesome experience for viewers,” added Nermeen.
Meanwhile, this was Sadia’s first exhibition, which she called The Art Hive, and hopes to be a part of many more in the future.
“I am proud of myself to have achieved a level where I can exhibit my work in Bahrain and I look forward to being appreciated as an artist among others,” said the 41-year-old mother of four— St Christopher’s School student Abdullah, 13, and Mahibah, 16, and University of Western Ontario pupils Ahmed, 19, and Umer, 19.
“I have always been a keen observer of art with an interest in Islamic calligraphic art as well as mixed media,” said Sadia who has 18 artworks on display using acrylic and mixed media.
It took her around five months to complete the pieces.
“I was fascinated by many artists that prompted me to start painting and my interest in art grew as time passed,” she said.
“It’s a source of satisfaction, joy, and a sense of achievement.
“I hope to generate viewer-interest and appreciation through my artwork and exhibit my pieces regularly at different venues.”
The exhibition runs until tomorrow (October 26) and is open to the public from 9am until 8pm.
