An artist’s tryst with Kummas

Surroundings have always been a great inspiration for artists. It is interesting, however, to know that for a professional artist Saleem Sakhi, Omani cap (Kumma) made him so inquisitive that he started digging its source and ultimately came out with interesting pieces of art. As an established artist, Saleem Sakhi has ended a number of exhibitions in Oman and abroad, as he loves to spread the idea of art and his works far and wide.His works at the Art & Soul Gallery at the Waterfront Mall have many inquisitive visitors who try to understand the reason behind his artworks and hugely impressed with the aesthetics therein. The exhibition titled ‘Mixture’ is a solo show of selected works of Saleem Sakhi, who has successfully portrayed various scenes of nature through the Kumma.When all the details around him become a source of inspiration, it turns the overall shape and becomes the main theme of his works. That co-existence between him and environment, heritage and traditional costume details have become a source of creativity and inspiration.He has participated in many art exhibitions in the Sultanate and other countries where the scenes from the culture are formatted into the art of the rich environment overlapping the sensory and emotional constitution with a new vision and unique outcome. His artworks have been collected by the Unesco and some government and private institutions. And of course, there are individual buyers who have love and understanding for various forms of art.Kethki Ambekar, Art & Soul Gallery Director, is impressed with the Saleem Sakhi’s works and calls it an opportunity to an artist of repute who is an inspiration for many other established and budding artists. “It is rightly said art has the power to transform, to illuminate, to educate, inspire and motivate. At the Art & Soul gallery, we wish to create that platform where artists can express their creativity and showcase it to our community,” she said.“As a new addition among the existing art scene in Oman, the Art and Soul Gallery offers enhanced exhibition settings, appropriate lighting and state of the art equipment to display artwork attractively. We believe it offers a perfect venue for art talks, workshops and creative performances. Artists can look forward to regular exhibitions, events and competitions at the Art and Soul Gallery. We are looking forward to bringing other unique concepts of Art to the city of Muscat,” Kethki Ambekar said. Kaushalendra Singh @patkaushal