Spirit of togetherness

FOUR reputed Omani international artists along with five Indian artists participated in the sixth virtual art exhibition ‘Rangrez,’ the artist group of Indian Social Club (ISC) in the Sultanate. The exhibition celebrated the spirit of togetherness which saw 45 paintings on display. The art works of each of the Omani artists were a rare visual treat.

Soubam Priyananda did the theme and the curation while his eponymous art work called ‘Hues of Harmony’ went on display. He is a very sensitive artist who creates very serene paintings of nature.

Says Soubam, “My sincere thanks to ‘Rangrez’ for giving me an opportunity to curate the show. As it is evident, my source of inspiration come from natural world and my love for the art is biased towards the works of Van Gogh, John Constable, Thomas Cole, David Hockney, Senaka Senanayake, Jaganath Panda, Oinam Dilip, Sandeep Jigdung and others. Encountering the works of these artists always gives me a sense of direction in life. Being said, the works of Mark Rothko, F N Souza, S H Raza, Jackson Pollock, Hassan Meer, Alia al Farsi also increase my serotonin levels.”

The profile and works of the Omani and Indian artistes are:

Abdullah al Hunaini: I work predominantly in acrylics, although I also use oil, water colours, and more recently, mixed media. My realistic and abstract compositions are in a detailed classical style. Most of my work features the country’s natural beauty, traditions, culture and life of its people.

Saleem Sakhi: The coexistence between myself and the environment has become a source of creativity and inspiration in an abstractive style. I was deeply influenced by the resettlement project of the Arabian Oryx in the Sultanate to safeguard and protect them from extinction. That project has become, for me personally, an obsessive issue prompting and inspiring me to create forms of Arabian Oryx paintings and sculptures as an attempt to remove them from their barren environment to a world full of life and vitality.

Saud al Hunaini: My art reflects the philosophy of my life. My focus is mainly on themes related to humanity, freedom and peace. The still life and landscape paintings reflect my love for Oman’s heritage and culture. I always try to bring out compositional depth and layers of mood revealing hidden meanings.

Anwar Sonya: I am inspired by my homeland and the charming Dhofar Governorate, where the Bedouin women project an exceptional meaning of real beauty. Most of my works have the main theme of Omani heritage, culture which reflects authenticity and is expressed through a contemporary artistic vision.

Sheffy Tattarath: Lost in the hues of harmony like historian Thomas Carlyle’s quote, “To us also, through every star, through every blade of grass, is not God made visible if we will open our minds and our eyes.” I wish I were a child so that I can see, love nature without ego and can be lost in those hues of the harmony of nature.

Rashmi Dauria: My painting, ‘Arabian Oryx,’ is a creature of rare, majestic beauty, native to the Great Arabian Desert. The oryx is capable of living in hot and arid conditions and survives for weeks without water. They are able to detect rainfall from a distance and follow the direction of fresh plant growth. Hence my work is titled ‘Born Free 2.’

Shalini Varma: It is enjoyable to experiment with random colour palettes, harmonic colour combinations that are both soothing and appealing to the eye in my work titled ‘Chasing the Sun.’ Nature is amazing, especially at dawn and dusk, when light and colour saturate and mix in complete harmony. The sunset hues are beautiful, unique, and calming as the sun winds down. Mesmerised by the hues of the harmony and the calming effect of this hour, I used a triad colour combination to convey the synchronisation of nature and life for the viewer to absorb the beauty of the moment.

Kumud: My painting titled ‘Yellow Field’ portrays a beautiful yellow mustard field. Animals are in their element, coexisting in harmony with nature.

Shalini Kartik: I wanted to depict the vibrant colours of spring and nature along with the unique Batik fabric in my mixed media work titled ‘A Walk in Bloom.’ The inspiration for my work came from my trip to Bali which was filled with beautiful memories of nature and simplicity of the Balinese lifestyle. I have tried to portray these aspects in my painting.

ENDS

@lijucherianoman