Art exhibition highlights plight of homelessness

Manama : Spring of Culture is organising “Nowhere,” a visual art exhibition by Palestinian artist Basher Alhroub, at La Fontaine of Contemporary Art in central Manama.

It highlights the plight of being homeless and not belonging anywhere - not having a home – which is the predicament of many people in today’s world. 

The exhibition, which began on March 26, will last until June 25. It is open for public viewing every Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 6.30pm

The art presentation testifies to the inhumanity, brutality and forced survivalist mentality of refugees and other human beings displaced by wars and other severe life situations.

Haunting pictures of skeletal figures resembling “bare bones,” but still retaining their humanity through expression, skin hue and stance, it is a stark reminder of the realities of the world we currently live in. It is a world where many are pushed to the brink of what it means to be a human being. 

Despite horrible odds and desolate circumstances, these people, painted by the artist, are true examples of finding meaning in an inhuman world. The paintings are not pretentious, nor are they completely defined by their exterior; Bashar’s art speaks a language far above mere words.

Looking at the paintings is like being transported into the scene, as both an observer and a subject. Given that many people are reduced to feeling like objects in their escape from war and other extreme situations, Bashar paints an emotive, emotionally-bearing and vulnerable picture of what it means to be an outcast and living on the fringes and fighting for survival in this world.

To experience this thought-provoking art presentation costs nothing, but returns a richness of understanding and empathy unparalleled in today’s hardened world. The exhibition will surely be a memorable, worthwhile and touching experience regardless what frame of mind or background you enter it from.