Diversity: “The Bahrain Art Week in London”

It was a great experience to take part in Bahrain Art Week in London which took place in the UK during December, 2017. It celebrates the best of contemporary and modern art from the Kingdom of Bahrain, platforming it in London. Bahrain has one of the oldest contemporary cultures in the middle east. A rich artistic life that crosses painting, sculpture, architecture, design, fashion, performance art and increasingly digital art.

Bahrain Art Week frames the activity of the International Artist Programme of Art Bahrain Across Borders in the UK. This year sees a group exhibition of 15 artists at Saatchi Gallery, a tribute to the late Bahraini artist Ahmed Baqer whose sketches using pencil are iconic of the Bahraini tradition, a panel discussion at 12 Hay Hill on the Business of Art and various visits to  the UK’s leading exhibitions at the British Museum, Barbican, 180 The Strand and individual artist studio visits.

I participated with two contemporary paintings. Looking past history, reading between the lines, and for seeing the future is the process I went
through to capture a fleeting moment of admiration of a major nation. The challenge was translating
human diversity and unity into representational elements. London the city of dreams is a model of
unity despite the vast ethnicities. The message I want to convey through this artwork is that people
can live together peacefully and enjoy their achievements and celebrate their unity no matter what
their ethnicity and religion are. I deployed many commonly found elements and used different paint
media to express my thoughts in a solid and sturdy manner.

The two paintings were sold right away!