Happy New Art!

January is a fresh and optimistic start to the year, at the cultural institution its month of ART. This year we celebrate the 44th edition of the Annual Art Exhibition, displaying different art disciplines under one roof. We look forward to seeing and discovering new talents and celebrate the pioneers of the art movement in our beautiful Kingdom.

This particular event brings back so many memories of when I was a young artist studying in Boston.  I remember my annual submission and the sense of gratification if my works would be selected.  I would be standing happy and proud to be showing alongside the masters of the like of the late Ahmed Baqer, Rashid Al Oraifi and other famous artists of Bahrain. The highlight of this exhibition for me was the honour of greeting HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister. Year after year we are blessed by HRH’s Patronage to this art fete. Something that will never be forgotten is that loving handgrip, followed by precise questions about the work on display, that moment where HRH makes everyone feel they are the most important person in the event. Bless his loving heart, and bless his continued support for his people, community and country.

This year brings us to a special celebrated city “Muharraq: Capital of Islamic Culture”. We at the Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities took our main cultural events to Arad Fort. In this year’s edition of the Fine Art Exhibition, we are playing on the old vs. the new - contemporary art displayed in a historic setting, gracefully linking the legacy of the past while celebrating the new innovative creative expressions.

It is an exciting time to look at new approaches to art and discover new themes that are being explored. We are very lucky to have so many creative minds, and this year submissions have many daring topics and unconventional topics.

Personally, I have been working with an amazing team at BACA on the past three editions of this exhibition, and I consider myself extremely lucky to serve not only my passion for the arts but also to be able to give new upcoming artist exposure and presence in our local art scene. In addition to the prestigious AlDanah Prize, for the winner of the art competition, we managed to create two other supporting prize categories. One is to curate a solo exhibition for the winner of the second place, at the Bahrain Art Center. This experience would be most useful to understand the process of working on a solo show with a curator. The third prize would be to send the winner to a short artist residency program in the region; this will be an incredible opportunity for exposure and experiencing another artistic and cultural scene.

For many artists in Bahrain, HE Sheikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Chairperson of the Bahrain Fine Art Society has been a role model and a mentor.  Over the years, he has given his guidance, support and time for artists of all generations.  He is a renowned artist himself, and has accomplished so much for the art scene, has managed to set an international benchmark for the quality of art made in Bahrain. HE Sheikh Rashid’s vision and dedication gave many artists a chance to be recognized. The magazine ArtBahrain, under his supervision and guidance, ensured that high quality met with international standards. An excellent editorial team gives their best reviews with every new
edition.

Happy New Art to all our readers! Celebrating creativity is a gift, and opening up to new creative expressions not only nourishes our soul but also allows our understanding of art & culture to grow.

Last Note: Exhibitions not be missed at Bahrain National Museum

Between Muharraq and Seville: A Bolza - Bussad Dialogue

20 January - 20 March 2018

Exploring the beauty of Arabic calligraphy and the mystery of the Arabic language, the collaboration between Bahraini artist Ebrahim Bussad and Orientalist artist based in Spain Elisabeth Bolza creates an artistic dialogue that connects East and West through a series of collage works about the city of Muharraq.

Al-Fann: Art from the Islamic Civilization from The al-Sabah Collection

19 January - 30 June 2018

The exhibition invites the public to explore the great and multifaceted nature of Islamic culture through the spectacular al-Sabah collection of Islamic Art. Broadly divided into two parts, the display illustrates a chronological progression broken into four stages (from the very beginning of the Islamic period up to and including the three great empires of the sixteenth century) and tackles themes that run transversely through Islamic art; mainly, calligraphy, geometric decoration, vegetal, figurative art and jewellery.

(Sheikha Hala bint Mohammed Al Khalifa is the Director General of Culture and Arts at the Bahrain Authority of Culture and Antiquities)