Three Bahrain based artists, one a Bahraini the other two expatriates. Just by looking at www.whodoeswhat.tv it is plain to see that
art exhibitions are a very regular occurrence in this liddle óle town. The standards can often be quite surprising, but then again ‘art being in the eye of the beholder’ and what one calls art for the most bizarre of specimens begs bewilderment, in which case one can be lambasted for calling it crap. For this little exhibition there’s no human body parts, no bricks, no weird objects or the like, in fact there is nothing lacking at all and we have three very different types of art on show.
Areej Rajab is Bahraini and prolific in her approach to getting ‘it’ out there. Colours and more colours on as many layers as it takes until she sees what she sees and hopes everyone else sees it too. Whichever way you look at her abstract offerings, you can tell it is Areej Rajab and for an artist that must be the pièce de résistance….. or is it?
Bahrain based but British – if you like – having lived a scattered life is Meriel Cooper Wallace. Meriel’s passion is flowers and that is certainly well defined. Flowers inspire her and gee her into action. Mostly water colour, but don’t put Meriel into a category as she thinks that is far too um..er.. constrictive and not constructive.
Then Egyptian Mohamed Nashaat, with a Bachelor in Fine Arts and now living in Bahrain. Actually, Mohammed teaches art in a boys secondary school in Bahrain. This is an achievement in itself because Mohamed’s style tends to ‘cubism’ and many an observer from the outside who sees art being desecrated by the likes of Daésh, probably assumes that art (especially in such a form) is the last subject that would be taught in government schools in the Islamic world. Well hi ho, the Bahrain art scene is robust and thriving.
Still to be addressed though is the wide-spread perception that art has no qualification required. It is an intangible product and trade in this part of the world likes something solid for their money. A bit like ‘advertising and marketing’ actually; find anybody, cousin, brother, no qualification needed or as perceived so. This leads to positions being filled by wholly incompetent people and the overall standards pitched at beneath rock bottom. This snowballs and the aspiration level is well into the minus, but a national blind to it.. In particular the broadcast elements in Bahrain. It is an art and just as skilled as any good artist.
However this is art on canvas or whatever else they choose to lay down their vision, so enjoy as this is good!