Strengthening art beyond borders
Manama : Under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife Of His Majesty The King Of Bahrain and President of the Supreme Council For Women, the third edition of Art Bahrain across Borders (ArtBAB) will open officially on March 14 at the Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre.
The contemporary art fair, which is the flagship project of the Art Bahrain across Borders movement, is a collaborative venture with Tamkeen and since its launch in 2016, it has created a new international trajectory for Bahraini artists around the world, with exhibitions in the UK, New Delhi and Mumbai.
This year, ArtBAB will see an exciting list of an impressive line-up of 15 galleries and 13 independent artists from 11 countries. ArtBAB aims to strengthen the base of Bahraini artists’ visibility by empowering and educating local artists, giving them the opportunity to showcase their unique skills through a sponsored Pavilion which will this year host more than 35 Bahraini artists, exhibiting over 100 works.
“The most exciting thing about ArtBAB is that it has consistently offered a new narrative on how one understands modern Bahrain. Seen through the interpretative art of its finest artists and most creative mind, one gets to experience a new Bahrain where an ancient heritage is decoded and brilliantly put together on canvas and through sculptures,” said ArtBAB Fair and Programme Director, Kaneka Subberwal.
“We are so grateful to our Patron Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa for her generous support of this cultural movement that has brought new recognition and a surge in awareness about Bahrain’s vibrant contemporary art scene.”
“We launched in the UK in May 2016 and since then, there has been an increase of 22.5 per cent in sales as on December 2017. With India, our first two shows in Delhi and Mumbai we saw a total of 11 works being sold. This, for a huge market like India where buyers are traditionally used to buying Indian art, was a very big footprint as it establishes an impact on a discerning Indian art collector,” Kaneka added.
Shaikha Maram bint Isa Al Khalifa further told DT News, “We have a group of pioneers who have been the face of Bahrain art for years, but we also have now an upcoming new generation of artists who are very talented and Bahrain will continue to boast about their talents and a platform like this will showcase them here and internationally.”
“Further projects like this have been a catalyst for change and initiation for new services and maybe in two or three years from now, a full-fledged art school will be a reality.”
“This being the third edition, we see this is a work in progress and with every year we are adding new elements to the project, so this year we have a much bigger merchandise section and most importantly we have an extensive education program as well as the kids section.”
“Further a cross-border programme is extremely important as it is a two-fold thing because we have a show in Bahrain which is an international art fair, but we also take our artist abroad three times a year to showcase their work in cities that are well known for art. We believe we are at the very beginning of touching the lives of Bahraini artists and giving them an international platform,” Shaikha Maram bint Isa Al Khalifa added.
A spokesman for Tamkeen called ArtBAB a gateway to new vistas of art engagement for Bahraini artists.
“Art Bahrain Across Borders has worked spectacularly in connecting artists of Bahrain to the global art community, enabling Bahraini artists to showcase their talent, identify new platforms for their art and establish themselves internationally. Tamkeen is proud to support this ground-breaking cultural movement,” the spokesperson said.
Among the galleries exhibiting this year is Alon Zakaim Fine Art from the UK, located in Gujarat, India, Samara Art Gallery, Tsekh Art Gallery, Ukraine; Galerie Bruno Massa, USA, Italian artist collective Antonello Ghezzi and many more.
The fair’s 2018 programme will also include a series of significant educational talks, performances and panels that explore recent initiatives and projects by artists, curators and institutions, looking at contexts, exchange, modes of production and collaboration in their work.
Beyond the exhibitors of this versatile and inclusive fair, ArtBAB will include the work of Hasan Hujairi, a Bahraini composer, sound artist and independent researcher.
The fair will also collaborate with not-for-profit organisations and, for the first time, the kids@artbab workshop will focus on developing skills and creating a foundation for Bahraini artists in the future.
The Third Edition of Bahrain’s contemporary art fair ArtBAB which is set to enthral and educate is free and will be open to the public from March 15 - March 18.
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