Muttrah Fish Market hosts art exhibition

Muscat: A collection of art presented at a unique location has brought in curiosity and excitement. The exhibition titled Kullon Menna (‘Each of Us’) was inaugurated by the Chairman of Muscat Municipality, Ahmed bin Muhammad al Humaidi held at Muttrah Fish, Vegetables and Fruits Market, Muttrah. The exhibition will continue until March 2, 2023.

The exhibition includes a number of artworks by contemporary artists of different nationalities including Omani artist, highlight the twinning of ideas reflected in the artworks presented in order to depict the Arab world, and the interpretation of oriental culture.

The selection of the Wilayat of Muttrah came due to its strategic location, its historical past and the artistic culture it reflects, in addition to the presence of its distinctive traditional markets that attract visitors from all over the world, which enhances the objectives of holding the exhibition in this vibrant heart of the city.

Adding flavour to the cultural and artistic movement, the exhibition brings within a framework of creativity, art and architecture. Through art forms Kullon Menna exhibition reflects on the way of hostility in the world, and the collective, protracted cruelty inflicted on certain groups of people and the impact of war.

Having witnessed first hand, a core group of artists have come together to represent the scares and scars of war and displacement.

Although the artists have been fortunate to have witnessed but not experienced the brutality of the war, all three artists live with the sense of the devastating toll of human suffering. Through their art, they wish to speak for the wounded, the uprooted and the perished.

“Theirs is an expression of empathy and human kindness that comes from a position of privilege; the privilege of normalcy which, when juxtaposed against surrounding misery, often breeds feelings of inadequacy and helplessness,” said the organizers.

Kullon Mena is organized by RASMA Art Consultancy and curated by Rasmia Noor Mohammed al Zadjali, “Kullon Menna is for each of us spent by passive outrage. It is a forward-motion against the routinization of the consequences of war, away from the traffic in angry words and around the pervasive notion that privilege does not entitle its holder to empathy.”

Born in Tétouan , Morocco, Safaa Erruas studied fine arts at INBA in Tétouan, lives and works in Tétouan.

Safaa is a multidisciplinary abstract artist whose body of work focuses on the complexity of and the permanent tension between sensation, perception and experience. Her artwork is dictated by the colour white upon which soft materials and sharp objects clash in a nod to the silent, open wounds that we carry deep within and spark a powerful consciousness of the body be it present or absent, whole, pain-racked or landless.

She considers her art to be a personal journey of interpretation and understanding, a quest through which she hopes to grasp the world and society she operates in. Safaa’s had her work exhibited globally in Morocco, France, Sweden, Spain, Australia, UAE, Cuba, The United States, Egypt and Belgium and now in Muscat.

Elmira Abolhassani was born in Mashhad, Iran and she studied Fine Arts at the University of Lisbon, Portugal. She now lives and works in Lisbon. Elmira is a visual artist whose artistic journey is an attempt at understanding the underlying structures of human networks and identities each person’s role and position as an individual node in this complex web.

According to the artist, “The body of work stems from her belief that one must first attain a clear vision of oneself in order to fully comprehend significant aspects of the world we live in.”

She chooses glass as her primary tool and in mastering this versatile component, she tries to find and understand herself.

Elmira's work was showcased in solo, group and online exhibitions at international galleries in Oman, Norway, China, and Portugal.

Studied Fine Arts at the Paris American Academy Lives and works in Muscat.

Omani artist Riham Noor al Zedjali, who studied fine arts at the Paris American Academy is an experimental artist who works with different media including painting, photography and digital art.

Throughout her artistic process, she explores the use of space, methods and aptitudes that allow artists to freely communicate ideas, stories and messages. Riham has exhibited her work in Oman, France and Germany.

Recently, her work focused on enabling refugees and emancipating them from charitable organisations. She co-founded for that purpose the "Art with Refugees" initiative, a traveling exhibition of artworks by refugees and artists. Works from the initiative were exhibited across the globe, helping raise awareness of the plight of refugees, particularly in Greece. Growing up between Muscat, Lugano and London, Rasmia al Zedjali was exposed to diverse cultural influences and has developed a strong ability to transform a common space into an exceptional experience through art.

Rasmia is keen on artworks that endow Western references with a local flavour. Her vast personal collection bridges the divide between East and West and includes works from contemporary artists engaged in the depiction of the Arab World and the interpretation of Eastern culture through different media. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Media Communications from Regent College in London and qualified from Zurich University of the Arts in Switzerland in the areas of Curating and Law.