Located in Muscat, Bait Al Muzna Gallery is hosting an art exhibition until December 15th marking the 52nd National Day of the Sultanate of Oman.
The exhibition, curated by Clive Gracey, represents Omani and international artists, various media and is tiled - Oman, Our Inspiration.
As one enters the gallery, on the left the visitors are greeted by opening painting - a pastel portrait of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik by renowned Dutch painter and portrait artist, Tonny Holsbergen, who has been visiting Oman regularly since 2001. Her inspiration has been the hospitality of the people of Oman’s desert regions and accordingly her other paintings depict the traditional Bedouin way of life.
Next it is the paintings by well established Russian artist, based in Oman since 1999, Anna Dudchenko, who is also an art consultant portraying scenes of Oman at the group show.
Rekindling memories of childhood in Oman are the watercolour paintings by Fahad bin Salim al Mamari, a Fine Art graduate from Sultan Qaboos University. The artist who is also a member of International Watercolour Association, captures the light and mood while depicting Oman’s traditional and modern culture.
Showcased at the central space is the world's largest Omani Kummah by Amani Al-Raisi and Ojas Bhatia.
And this is where paintings by Omani artist Tahira Fida are displayed. Her mixed media works are Inspired bye Arabic poetry, English literature and memories as well as the architecture of Muttrah where she grew up. Her work is defined as rich in symbols, characters, letters and glyphs from different languages. She has exhibited extensively in Oman and internationally.
Indian artist Debjani Bhardwaj is multidisciplinary artist who expresses herself through sculpture, illustration, paper cuts and printmaking. The medium chosen for this exhibition is paper cuts and as the viewer spends time staring at her work the details emerge and soon you begin to see the natural features of Oman ranging from birds, butterflies, Oryx, fox etc and the message is they breathe the same air as we breathe.
On display is also the photorealistic portrait of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik by Victor Kim Seopyeong from South Korea. The artist who mainly works with acrylics also has paintings on different sceneries.
One section of the exhibition is dedicated to doors ceilings of Omani houses. Clive, having being traveled widely across the Sultanate of Oman, has captured amazing shots of ceilings over the years. Paintings of floral and geometric patterns and at times even verses of poetry have been featured on the wooden cross beams. Clive calls them, “The original Omani art.”
“The beams were originally painted to keep termites away and insect infestation. But from there the concept found artistic expressions too,” said Clive adding that he hopes that these structures would be preserved.
“We see some work in forts but most of it (the art work on ceilings) were used in domestic architecture. The cross beams were not just painted in one colour. That is what intrigues me. They were made into works of art, with the use of many colours, motifs, and designs. And to me these are the original Omani paintings,” noted the photographer.
The paint then was made from natural pigments.
“Sadly many of the ceilings have disappeared. I see it as part of my mission as an artist to record these beautiful works of art for posterity,” said Clive.
How they were painted is also an interesting thought.
“One of the ceilings was with poetry. But apparently the lines are mixed up, which suggests they were written on the beams when it was on ground and then taken up to the ceiling where the workman accidentally got mixed up,” explained Clive.
Complementing the photography is the work of Juma al Harthy inspired by Omani doors.
“Juma al Harthy has developed a distinctive Omani visual language in his artwork,” described Clive.
Al Harthy’s mixed media often incorporate elements of carved wood and nails that are typical of traditional Omani doors. He also finds inspiration in details of painted ornamentation from Oman’s historic monuments, in particular Jibreen Castle.
The doors are also part of Clive’s photography collection. One particular photograph of a door
with carving and Arabic inscription was made by Omani craftsman, Ahmed bin Malik al Mawali. This was interestingly revealed when Clive posted on the Instagram and the son of Ahmed responded saying, “This work was done by my father in 1940s or 1950s.”
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
