"Forma: 'Beyond Time' explodes onto the scene, captivating audiences with its daring contemporary sculptures at the esteemed Matti Sirvio Art Galleria in Jawaharat Al Shatti, Qurum. Unveiled last Saturday, this groundbreaking exhibition promises to mesmerize patrons until its grand finale on May 30, 2024.
Under the expert curation of Anetta Szabo, a visionary Hungarian artist and gallery curator, 'Forma: Beyond Time' serves as a powerful nexus, uniting the creative forces of Omani and international sculptors. Visitors will be enthralled by the transcendent beauty and profound messages woven into each masterful piece.
The artists were given a theme to work on: Time and Earth.
Anetta said they wanted the artists to use earth-like materials, and one will see that everything is natural. The theme, 'Time', is multidimensional and is something exciting for the artists to discover.
"I always think about how time is connected with eternity and wonder: does time ever stop? Does time go slow or fast? I think because of this, it is interesting to express it in an abstract form. Other artists at this exhibition have used it more at an earthly level, like memories and past,” explained Anetta, whose work is titled, ‘A Radical Perspective Shift’, made with stones collected from Balad Sattriya, Oman.
One of the other interesting works on display is ‘Leucaena’ Processing in a vacuum by Azd al Hinai. The idea of the work expresses and embodies the Omani sticks in their various forms, and the extension of the stick from the bottom to the top to the ceiling expresses the uses of the stick (for the elderly and as adornment when young).
The wood burning technique was used to draw geometric decorations and letters of the Mahri language used in Dhofar, as well as inlaying with metal for the symbolism of silver in the Omani sticks, explained Al Azd.
“Conceptional art and abstract thinking sometimes are unknown to people. There are millions of others throughout the world who have no abstract thinking. They just left home for tomorrow. They cannot think beyond space and time, but abstract means that it is non-material, which is beyond time, space, and circumstances. So I strongly believe in abstract art in the sense that it is great as a means to communicate something of greater value and direction in our lives," pointed out Matti Sirvio, owner of the gallery.
Shima Amia, from Iran, has used earthen clay to express her feelings about time.
"I chose to show the healing process, and for the healing process, we need time. This sculpture is me and through time, I began to get rid of all the things which I don’t like and don’t want. And I have begun to grow from inside," she said.
Soma Chandra Shree usually works with artists and architects to make their art pieces, but this is the first time she is exhibiting her work. She is a fabricator but the dried mountain plant caught her attention while she was in Duqm.
"I found it and brought it back to the office, and colleagues were helpful and when we flipped it over it was really beautiful. It is also a light fixture and has a spotlight in the centre. It works when it is bright and dark.
“I was going through a pretty difficult time in my life and that is why it is named what it is: ‘Today I swallowed the Sun.’ I was feeling the weight of a lot of things on me, and I was thinking how difficult it would be to swallow the sun. It would have to go through a very tight, compressed space. I try to materialize that space."
Omani artist Saleem Sakhi's work is in plastic titled Linkage and his work is about the linkage between the lines and the cylindrical shape without any sharp corners.
"The lines form into different angles, and there are no parallel lines, so it expresses modern cities and growth. It gives comfort to look at it as well. The materials used are recycled, and once I got the materials, I thought about the concept," he said.
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