In the Open Catalogue

7/27/2019 In the Open Catalogue

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IN THEOPENCONTEMPORARY ART FROMTHE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

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#BAHRAIN - Instagram Feed 03-04

Acknowledgements 05

Bahrain Infogram 08

In the Open: Seven Artistsfrom the Kingdom of Bahrain 09-12

THE ARTISTS:

Asia Fuse 15-16

Camille Zakharia 17-18

Ghada Khunji 21-22

Hasan Hujairi 23-24

Jenine Sharabi 27-28

Mohammad Al Mahdi 29-30

Waheeda Malullah 31-32

Asia Fuse,Hassan Al-SaidsJudgement,digital photomontage,2012.

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@asiafuse @yousifology

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EDGE OF ARABIA

Stephen Alexander StapletonLatifa Al Khalifa (Guest Curator)Miriam Lloyd-EvansSarah Al-FaourElena ScarpaRebecca SieLuke Kemp

CROSSWAY FOUNDATION

Imogen WareValeria Mariani

MINISTRY OF CULTURE - BAHRAIN

Dr. Elie Flouty

ARTISTS

Asia FuseCamille ZakhariaGhada KhunjiHasan HujairiJenine SharabiMohammed Al MahdiWaheeda Malullah

CATALOGUE

Emma DoubtAsia FuseJenine Sharabi

PRODUCTION

Adam MilburnDark MatterThames Barrier Print Studio

OTHER

Al Bareh Art GalleryHayfa Matar

Salma Tuqan

INSTAGRAM

@aaefakhro@alriwaq@amtalmoayed@arquitation@asiafuse@bahrain_strays@fran_stafford1977@hudayous@kellynnhub@mahhhhhhhhhh@nouraf8@sumfakhro@sarahsamiey@yousifology

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

IN THEOPENCONTEMPORARY ART FROMTHE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

ACKNOWLE-DGEMENTS



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Asia Fuse,Big Sister,digital photomontage,2012.



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In the Open: Seven Artists from the Kingdom of Bahrain 10

IN THE OPEN:

Seven Artists from theKingdom of Bahrainby Emma Doubt

In the Open is the first exhibition of its kind in the United Kingdom,bringing together a group of divergent emerging and established artistsfrom the Kingdom of Bahrain and turning the spotlight on the eclectic

expression borne of this archipelago. From sound and performance art tophotography, painting, collage and drawing, the exhibition showcases someof the regions finest talent and establishes an international platform forthe exhibition and proliferation of Bahraini art.

Bahrain has been at the forefront of art and culture in the Gulf region, withits most notable contributions dating back to the 1950s. Popular genresexemplified during this time include surrealist and abstract expressionistwork by artists such as Abdul Aziz bin Mohammed al Khalifa, AhmedQasim Oravid, Rashid Oraifi, Nasser Yousif, Rashid Swar and Abdullaal Muharraqi. When the Bahrain National Museum then opened its doorsin 1988, the Gulf region witnessed the opening of one of its first publicart institutions and with it, established the regions prioritization of andadulation for the arts. Today, with an enthusiastic Minister for Cultureand a number of public and commercial art galleries including Al Riwaq,Al Bareh and La Fontaine Centre of Contemporary Art, Bahrain hasfound its way back into the limelight.

The artists exhibited here are a testament to the fact that the livelycultural output of this region is now extending its reach. In the worldof photography, the V&As recent acquisition and exhibition of WaheedaMalullahs photographs from her series Light, in their exhibition Lightfrom the Middle East: New Photography, and Ghada Khunjis continuedaccolades, including Discovery of the Year winner at the 4th annualLucie awards and the Grand Prize winner at the 1st American Photo

magazines Images of the Year Competition are demonstrative of therecognized importance of female photographers coming out of Bahrain.Camille Zakharias continued success, including 3 First Prizes in theInternational Photography Awards, a nod for the prestigious Jameel Prizeand an extensive exhibition history that spans North America, Europe,and the Middle East is a further testament to the scope of photographycoming out of the region. In the fine arts, painter Mohammed Al Mahdisprowess in rendering what he terms abstract emotional expressionismon canvas won him the Al Dana Prize at the 34th Annual Fine ArtExhibition of Bahrain. Sound artist Hasan Hujairi has an impressiveeducational background that spans the USA, Tokyo, the United Kingdom,and Seoul National University. He has performed in Bahrain, the UnitedArab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Europe, and South Korea. Andfinally, tackling the politics of gender dynamics in Bahrain, graphicdesigner Jenine Sharabi and artist Asia Fuse will be exhibiting their workin the United Kingdom for the first time.

THE ARTISTS

Waheeda Malullah takes full advantage of the performative to expose andexplore social rules in her own cultural context, and in the larger contextof Islamic society. Work from her photo series Light, recently acquiredthrough the Art Fund Collection of Middle Eastern Photography at theV&A and the British Museum, is playful, tongue-in-cheek, exploiting theseriousness of the Shii Muslim custom of seeking blessing by touchingthe tombs of revered people. She aligns herself with the static, whitestone tombs, and the presence of her living body animates them. Lightfrom the Middle Eastpresented work spanning North Africa to CentralAsia, including artists native to the region and those who are part of itsdiaspora. Divided into three thematic groupings, Recording, Reframing,and Resisting, the exhibition explored some of the exciting work inphotography to emerge from the Middle East. Malullahs work wasincluded under the section Recording, the photos serving as a lastingremnant of her performance with the tombs. Her work for In The Open isa further example of this recording process, and the photographs function

here as a play-by-play, documenting each step in the movement of herbody.

Another female artist to explore the process of recording in her workis documentary photographer Ghada Khunji. Her body of work is trulyinternational in scope, exploring worlds and subjects both inside andoutside of a Middle Eastern context. Though Khunji travelled from ayoung age, spending time in the UK and USA from the age of 18 forher studies, her appetite for exploring and learning about other culturesbegan at home in Bahrain. She hopes that her work will encourage moregirls from the region to explore different means of expression, and recordtheir findings for the world to see. One of the defining features of herwork is the intimacy that she brings to documentary photography; oftenshooting her subjects with a 50mm lens, Khunji interacts closely withher subjects, preferring to think of the process as a two way street. Shetries to stay away from overly staged shots, and instead focuses her skillson getting something back from those she photographs. The resultingimages are striking, honest, and unusual portraits that leave the rhetoricof documentary photography behind and embark on something entirelynew. Her work The Wall Whisperersis an ambitious new project evokingBahrains infamous Tree of Life through a cluster of images, includingportraits and traces of the regions urban landscape.

The work of artist Asia Fuse is a far cry from the photographic ordocumentary aesthetic explored in the work of Malullah and Khunji,

exploring instead the world of sub human animal forms. Working mostlywith painting and drawing, her hybrid half-human, half-animal creaturesare part manifestation of her anxieties and frustrations surrounding thesocial fabric she sees unfolding around her and part alter-ego. Asiaherself leads by example, showing an entrepreneurial flare at a youngage that is a testament to her assertive, unsettling creations. Apart fromher work with paint and illustration, Asia Fuse is also the co-founder ofthe Dirty Tease T-Shirt Co., contributing her ideas and talent to Bahrainsvibrant fashion scene.

Jenine Sharabis work explores how relationship and gender dynamicsare formed by their surrounding culture. The resulting illustrativeworks are playful and visually compelling, presenting a counterpoint tothe confrontation of Asias leading ladies. Her series PDA explores thesocial construction of public displays of affection its ins and outs, itsacceptability, and the expression of privacy or intimacy in public space.



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12In the Open: Seven Artists from the Kingdom of Bahrain

According to Sharabi, in the predominantly conservative context ofMiddle Eastern cultures, public displays of affection between a womanand a man are uncommon and often invite a great deal of attention whenthey do occur. She works with this irony in the series to provoke a joyfulinteraction between her subjects, throwing into question the process ofcriticism and intrusion implied in the PDA.

Moving away from a process of v isual interrogation, artist Hasan Hujairissound art makes a critical intervention into processes of aural associationand referencing. His work into the ways in which sounds trigger culturalreferences and by the same count, how cultural references affect theconstruction of sound and aural composition introduces a conceptualangle prevalent in contemporary visual art, but less so in sound art. ForHujairi, the visual and audio arts in the contemporary Arab world share anumber of conceptual problems. The referencing of certain historical textsand visual tropes in contemporary art, for instance, risks contributing towhat Hujairi sees as an ongoing sense of orientalism; in sound art,the sampling of iconic Middle Eastern instruments in combination with

other forms can result in compositions which are pleasing to the ear butconceptually weak. To avoid this, Hujairi focuses on what he refers to asa crystallization of pure aesthetic values, striving to avoid the extrafrills and easy, recognizable sound references that distract away fromthe heart of what he is trying to present, and the material culture he isworking within on any given project.

While Hujairis sound work challenges compositional structures byintroducing abstract, conceptual processes, the visual compositionsof artist Mohammad Al Mahdi explore what he refers to as abstractemotional expressionism, using the abstract to establish a narrativethat moves between past and present. For Al Mahdi, this process beginswith drawing. He recounts rediscovering some of the early drawings hecompleted as a child, in the closet of his home. He took away with hima strong sense of nostalgia for a past that felt less complicated than hispresent context the good old days and identified in those drawings achildlike innocence and honesty that he subsequently committed himselfto finding again in his art. Tied up in this voice is his relationship toBahrain, past and present. His abstract canvases are filled with tensionbetween personal and political conflict, and nostalgia for the Bahrain hebelieves in a dynamic, undiscriminating island that welcomes everyoneon its shores. Unlike other contemporary artists that Al Mahdi identifiesas falling prey to the mainstream, he bases his work and visual processeson maintaining that inner voice he so vehemently claimed in those earlydrawings, and by rekindling and reclaiming memories of his past in the

present moment.

Camille Zakharias long-term project Belonging is a mosaic of individualworks that offer a glimpse into the diverse cultures, backgrounds, andhistories in Bahrains rich tapestry. The Belonging project consistsof collaged portraits of 34 residents of Bahrain, mostly expatriates,expressing their experiences of belonging to the country. Using collage asa way to piece together or reassemble memories, the works also fragmentany sense of a stable, coherent process of identification. Zakharias workwith photography is central to this de-stabilization; for him, photographyis a subjective tool no matter how closely we associate it with capturingor representing reality - the world out there. He reinforces thisunreliability with his inclusion of images of murals that he photographedaround Bahrain, murals which in some cases no longer exist, or exist indifferent forms, so that a photograph of one might look entirely differentto its permutation with the passage of time.

In The Open presents a similar tapestry to Zakharias project. Theseseven artists bring with them a diversity of histories, backgrounds, andvoices, all localized in complex relationships of belonging to Bahrain.Represented for the first time this year at the 55th International VeniceBiennale with work by artists including Zakharia and Mallulah Bahrain has produced a contemporary art scene of its own, and it isgaining speed. In The Open is a testament to the exciting work coming outof the region, and its vast international reach.

The seven artists in this exhibition function in a very similar vein toZakharias idea of being a visual ambassador, able to bridge thedifferences between cultures, out here in the open.



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Hasan Hujairi

Heres somethingI enjoy doing: Icarry a soundrecorder with meto record soundsfrom wherever I go,

just as one wouldcarry a digitalcamera/cellphone tocapture anticipatedor unanticipatedimages of anythinginteresting.

Asia Fuse,Aunty Mona,digital photomontage,2012.



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ASIAFUSE

In the work of Bahraini artist Asia Fuse, you

will not find your typical self-portraiture. Along, stubborn giraffe neck extends inquisitivelyfrom the neckline of a lean male torso; a ramshead sits atop a curvaceous nude female figure,horns and arm resting on a rifle gripped bythe other hand; a dogs sad eyes and droopyears shy away from behind a hunched andvulnerable seated human figure. These hybridfigures play out Asias close attention to therelationship between the idea and how it windsup looking; while she acknowledges that mostcontemporary art is primarily conceptual,making her figures aesthetically appealing isalso of primary importance. The direct gaze ofher figures, and the colour palette from whichthey emerge are put in place to create a sense oforganized chaos. In the artists words, my aimis to make the viewer feel a sort of calmnesswhile experiencing a very busy, chaotic piece.

For Asia, these hybrid creatures are a wayof working through her culture, lifestyle, andthe social dynamic of Bahrain. Judging by theorganized chaos that appears as a result,this process can be a conflicted and self-

perpetuating one, leading to new criticisms andreflection. Im never satisfied, she explains its exhausting. Im frustrated and thats why Imake art. In light of some of her more powerfulpairings of text and image, dissatisfactionwith the shortcomings of Bahraini society something she is explicit about addressing inher work seems an understatement. Whata Bitch is a text-heavy piece that pictures aslouched, seated female figure turned sidewaysin the centre of the image. Her head a dogs

snout, droopy ears and sad eyes is pleadingly

turned towards the viewer. Surrounding her/it are sinister faces protruding from all sides,with text swimming around the page: SoSentimental; You are weak; Macho Man.And more existentially, Hope is a very violentweapon; When I die I want them all to know;Tell me something I will believe.

When asked about the social dynamic in hernative Bahrain, Asia turns immediately togender discrepancies. Gender equality does notexist in the Middle East women are alwaysthe responsibility of someone else. From yourfathers hand to your husbands hand: thesystem is designed that way. Images like herHappy Anniversary are powerful in this light;the defiant rams head confronts the viewerwith a gun resting along the nape of its neck,and Just wanted you to know snaking alongthe contours of the nude female body. You cansugar coat it as much as you want and arguethat we are too precious and delicate not to fendfor ourselves. But the fact remains that younever belonged to yourself. Confrontationaland defiant yes; precious and delicate not in this

alter-ego.

The combination of the nude form and animalfaces becomes more provocative in the contextof Asias outspoken points of contention.They create an unsettled kind of embodimentand make an unsubtle statement about thetreatment of women in her eyes. Bottom line,a sense of respect is not there. Making thesewomen into animals forces you to see them theway you treat them.

THE ARTISTS: ASIA FUSE

Im never satisfiedits exhausting.Im frustrated and thats why I makeart.

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Above: What a B****, mixed-media

on paper, 120 x 140 cm, 2013.

From left: Potato Head I,

pen on paper, 59.4 x 42 cm, 2013.

Potato Head II, pen on paper,59.4 x 42 cm, 2013.



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CAMILLEZAKHARIA

In his latest work, Camille Zakharia usesphotography, photomontage, and collage toexplore identity, fragmentation, and belongingin the experience of 34 residents of Bahrain. Hispractice spans the globe; born in Lebanon wherehe left because of the civil war, Zakharia haslived in the USA, Greece, Turkey and Canadabefore moving to Bahrain in 1999. Throughthis extensive travel, he has come to think ofhimself as a cultural ambassador, workingtowards bridging differences between cultures,and acknowledging the importance of culturalunderstanding especially in migratingcommunities. While he is not native to Bahrain,he has found home there, and describes it as aplace very dear to his heart. This is one of thecountries where Iam able to be myself. I loveits intimacy and the humbleness of its people.

The Belonging project uses photography, text,and collage to assemble portraits of Bahrainiresidents and explore the multifariousrelationships to the island that come with eachsubject. The resulting work is a series of portraits

that combine photographs of each subjectsface with murals Zakharia photographedaround Bahrain over the span of fourteenyears, and text on the subject of belonging. Themurals represent a transience that we mightassociate with belonging to a place or home;Zakharia explains that some of the murals hephotographed over the years no longer exist, andin this way offered a truthfulness in that theywere a product of their shifting environment. Inthe Belonging project, he set about pairing themurals with his participants:

Some were selected based on the statement,for instance the mural selected for Abdullah

Jonathan was based on the fact that he convertedto Islam and hence chose a scene that hasreligious connotations. Other images reflectedthe character of the person involved: ChristineHawath is a painter whose work is very similarto the mural I have used for her background,Frances Staffords mural of hearts is a genuineinterpretation of Frances loving characterThe selection was well thought out.

His selection of participants started, well, athome. He invited 26 friends to take part andasked them all to bring someone who theybelieved would bring something to the project.The resulting subjects are a combination ofpeople Zakharia knew, and those he was meetingfor the first time. While they all have a closeand various sense of belonging to Bahrain, theyhark from a diversity of backgrounds: a Nigerianbanker, an Egyptian architect, a British writer,a Jamaican housewife, a French painter, aCanadian curator, a Lebanese pizza store owner,and an Omani photographer to name but afew. This diversity is well represented through

the medium of collage and photography, as,for Zakharia, it is a subjective tool that doesntlet the representation of reality transpire inneutral terms. Following this philosophy, theBelonging project brings together the differentlived experiences, places, and philosophies of itssubjects to form a series of portraits that areanything but neutral.

When asked what his belonging mosaic wouldlook like, Zakharia muses, Tough to answer.I am not sure if I would include my portrait.Perhaps a blank wall with hand written text: Ibelong to the moment.

THE ARTISTS: CAMILLE ZAKHARIA

This is one of the countries whereIam able to be myself. I love itsintimacy and the humbleness ofits people

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Left: Mariam Haji Belonging,

photo collage on arches paper,

51 x 76 cm, 2012.

Bottom left: Eman Ali Belonging,

photo collage on arches paper,

102 x 76 cm, 2012.



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Without adoubt. Growingup in Bahrain hasprovided me withan abundance ofvisual material andinspiration.

Jenine SharabiAsia Fuse,Bebsi Man,digital photomontage,2012.



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GHADAKHUNJI

THE ARTISTS: GHADA KHUNJI 22

The work of documentary photographerGhada Khunji has a very special resonancein an exhibition that presents a glimpseinto how Bahrain is represented, expressed,and experienced in the eyes of some of itscontemporary artists. She grew up takingpictures, and cant remember a time whenthere werent photographs and cameras aroundher as a child. She took pictures of her familymembers, and they took pictures of her; theintimacy of this kind of exchange later developedinto an approach that is transparent in the close-up-and-personal portraits Khunji produces asan adult. She remembers discovering one of hermothers suitcases filled with old photographsand being enchanted with the old negatives, stillsmelling like fixer: I suppose thats when Ifell in love with photography, although it wouldtake many years before I brought it to fruition.

While the project produced for In The Open,focuses on Bahrain, Khunjis practice spans theglobe. A graduate of two of New Yorks premierearts institutions, the Parsons School of Design

and the International Center of Photographysdocumentary program, Khunji left Bahrain tostudy in the United States and later went on tocomplete award-winning documentary projectsin the Dominican Republic, India, Sudan, NorthAmerica, and the Middle East. With each ofthese projects, uncertainty was a decidingfactor in how her photographs turned out:most of my projects start as simply pickinga country... arriving there and seeing wherethe wind wants to take me. In general I likewhere uncertainty takes me. Sometimes...I findmyself magnetized to an unanticipated journeyand creating photographs of a different nature

and story. With each new project she embarkson, Khunji maintains that her relationship tohonesty is fundamental. Shooting in large partwith a 50mm lens, limiting her Photoshopusage to what is possible to do in the darkroom,and prioritizing the give-and-take between heras photographer and her sitters as subjects, arepart of Khunjis own set of rules that drive herwork and mean that the thread of honesty,as she calls it, runs through all of her projects.

This dedication to producing honestphotographs is, perhaps, one of the reasons whyphotographing home in Bahrain has takenKhunji almost 25 years. As she explains, ittook me years abroad to get a cohesive set ofpictures in Bahrain. It took that much time tosee my homeland with the same naive eyes thatI have when Im traveling to a new place. Herwork, The Wall Whisperers, exhibited here,is a culmination of that cohesive vision. Itscomposition invokes the Tree of Life, a 400-yearold mesquite tree in Bahrain made legendary byits standing in an area of the desert, completely

free of water supply. In Wall Whisperers,Khunjis photographs make up the shape of thistree. She states, In my eyes, it represents theinhabitants of Bahrain. And within each cell,ethnicity, religion, gender, skin tone, language,expression, age and wealth status are whisperingdifferent stories.

Though some things she does like to keep closeto home. Of dream projects, there are too manyto choose from. I do like to keep some secrets,she jokes gently. Here is one: Next year, expectan even more blooming tree.

I find myself magnetized to anunanticipated journey and creatingphotographs of a different natureand story

Wall Whisperers,digital print on aluminum panels,

2.4 x 6m, 2013.



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HASANHUJAIRI

The eclectic oeuvre of sound artist Hasan Hujairiaddresses a philosophical gap in contemporaryart music: why doesnt sound art in the Arab-speaking world take on the conceptual angle onefinds in contemporary visual art practice? Hisresulting work, outlined in his Post-Esoteric(Oriental) Art Music Manifesto, is a bric-a-brac of his philosophical and conceptual thought-processes, integrated into his practice as a soundartist, composer, and experimental musician.With a masters degree in historiography fromHitotsubashi University, Tokyo, and PhD studiesundertaken through a music scholarship in theUnited Kingdom, Hujairis background in criticalthinking and music practice has contributed toa unique way of approaching the construction ofsound.

One of the conceptual angles that drives Hujairiis the potential danger in the relationshipbetween historical texts and references, andcontemporary Arab art. In a visual context,the ubiquitous return to orientalism asconcept, aesthetic, legacy is a major point

of contention. Hujairi explains that the directuse of historical references, texts, popularworks of Arab literature, or religious scripture,contributes to an ongoing practice of orientalism,despite the fact this is usually being challengedin the works in question. Sound has the samedangerous potential: When referring to artmusic from the Arab world, one might think ofit as being just like the use of iconic MiddleEastern instruments such as the oud playedover orchestral music or music influencedby other forms of music such as jazz or latin

music, creating a hybrid aesthetic that seesitself as being pleasing to the listener, when infact it is conceptually weak.

Conceptually weak his work is not.Hujairis awareness of the shortcomings ofstraightforward, sonically pleasing soundreferences in Arab sound compositions drive areturn to what he refers to as a crystallizationof pure aesthetic values what we might thinkof in a visual context as pure formalism. Hisgoal with the post-esoteric is to find a way toexplore an art form or culture take MiddleEastern art music for example empty of theorientalist overtones. His process thus involvesidentifying an object or subject, anticipating areaction and working from there: For instance,the sound of wild elephants in full-on chargeor the sound of children at play would evokecertain reactions in the listener, as would thesound of a Mongolian throat-singer, an Indiansitar, or a theremin. In this, his work is aboutthe journey, and not the des tination.

Of destination, Hujairi has a plethora to drawfrom, and his soundscapes explore space andplace from traditional Korean instrumentsto acoustic Iraqi oud even the ukelele. Whatsounds does he associate with Bahrain? Iassociate Bahrain with the sounds of my family,with its people, with its languages, with itsstreets, with my own personal getaways withinit, with my memories of it as a child, with myunderstanding of it now as an adult, with thesounds I imagine to be associated with it while Iam away, and with its silences.

I associate Bahrain with the soundsof my family, with its people, with itslanguages, with its streets and withits silences.

THE ARTISTS: HASAN HUJAIRI 24

This page:

A Room for Evasive Explorers,

video/ sound installation, 2013.



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Ghada KhunjiAsia Fuse,Say Jibin,digital photomontage,2012.

My relationshipwith honesty isfundamental. Thesedays I have my film

developed and thenI have the luxuryof a decent scanfor some dollars.The immediateresponse givesme satisfaction,and then...there is

nothing to touch,smell, or handlecarefully.... just avirtual memory.



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JENINESHARABI

In her series of illustrations PDA, graphicdesigner and artist Jenine Sharabi explores thesocial constructions surrounding public displaysof affection in Middle Eastern cultures. The ideawas borne out of her participation in a localexhibition her sister was curating entitled Outof Place; according to Sharabi, the simplestideas are always the best ones, and for her theidea of making work surrounding the idea ofpublic displays of affection really stood out.

From this simple concept, Sharabis playful,intimate scenes between a man and a womanconjure more complex dynamics and questions.Some of the issues the work tackles include thenature of patriarchy in the Middle East, theimportance or value placed on modesty, theexpression of individuality through dress, andthe possibility of an uncomplicated expressionof love. She sees the two figures in each of herpairings as flip sides of a coin, Yin and Yang.One cannot be without the other. Within thisdynamic, she constructs visual cues to triggera role reversal between the male and female

roles. As she states, The middle east is stilla very patriarchal society where the maleis the dominant of the two sexes, however inthis series there is a role reversal, the blackAbaya (representing the female presence) is thedominant colour against the white of the canvas...it is bold and assertive and empowering.A further example of this expression ofindividuality and assertiveness is establishedthrough Sharabis use of the colour red adorningeach of her female subjects: Living in the gulfyou will notice that although women wear theblack Abaya and Hijab they still find ways toexpress their individuality through accessoriessuch as hand bags, jewelry, shoes or adornment

directly on the fabric itself. I like that only oneelement in each snakes out from beneath herAbaya, but by using red it draws immediateattention to it.

Her piece Gaze addresses the issue of modesty- something inherently de-stabilized in the ideaof a public display of affection. She talks aboutthe role of the gaze in Bahraini culture, oftenbeing utilized as an expression of modesty.However it can also function concurrentlyas an initiation, or invitation. To her mind,Gaze is an essential piece to the series forits exploration of this tension; she states that,whatever the social barriers may be betweenmen and women, a simple gaze is often theeasiest and only possible way for a man and awoman to spark a connection without ever evenspeaking or meeting in person. It is their firstencounter, the first agreement that there is amutual attraction or interest.

Sharabi has had a mix of reactions to her work- some critical that the playfulness and jest she

invokes is at the expense of viewers outside of herculture. But as Sharabi explains, the work is nottargeted at the West - it is about exposure anddebate, and challenging existing ideologies in apositive way. Sharabis international exposure hasprovided her with the perspective and platformto do this convincingly, coming around to herideas through her experiences of displacement,and looking at her culture as though through theeyes of an outsider. Her training as a designer atLondons Central Saint Martins College of Art &Design taught her how to create an outcome fromthe best of her two worlds, back home in Bahrain,and in London. She works with simplicity,modernity, minimalism, and, most importantly,

the black Abaya is the dominantcolour against the white of thecanvas... it is bold and assertiveand empowering.

has learned when to say things, when to makethem loud and clear and when its better not tosay anything at all.

With the PDA series, Sharabi participates ina generation of artists that she sees as beingunder the limelight, in part because of the Arabsprings instigation of sociological and politicalwork. Her final thoughts on the matter:

My work isnt about being glamorous, afterall I am trained as a graphic designer so itsall about communicating a message for me.A message that can be understood and felt bythe masses, regardless of whether or not theynecessarily agree with it, as long as it is felt,understood and remembered. If I have done allthat, with as little explanation as possible, thenthe job is done.

THE ARTISTS: JENINE SHARABI 28

From Top Left:

Public Display of Affection Series:

Gazing, screen print,29.7 x 21.0 cm, 2011.

Piggyback, screen print,

29.7 x 21.0 cm, 2011.

Hand in Hand, screen print,29.7 x 21.0 cm, 2011.

In Your Arms, screen print,

29.7 x 21.0 cm, 2011.

Tango, screen print,29.7 x 21.0 cm, 2011.

Head Over Heels, screen print,

29.7 x 21.0 cm, 2011.

The Kiss, screen print,

29.7 x 21.0 cm, 2011.Swept Away, screen print,

29.7 x 21.0 cm, 2011.

Stand by Me, screen print,

29.7 x 21.0 cm, 2011.



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The abstract work of artist Mohammad AlMahdi focuses on the depiction and interpretationof reality people, surroundings, situational

criteria as they might appear through theeyes of an innate, childlike inner persona. Theabstract canvases narrate a sinister kind ofinnocence that transcends the situational andbecomes more about reclaiming an uncensoredperspective or point of view. The reality depictedsprings both from Al Mahdis perception of hisenvironment and lived experience, as well ashis memories of a better time, filtered througha nostalgic process of re-interpretation. Whattranspires is a visual dialogue between past andpresent; as he puts it, I have my dreams andwishes on the other hand, there is reality.

Al Mahdis relationship to drawing is central tohis practice and the development of his visuallanguage. He recalls going through his old closetand discovering the drawings he made as achild; these drawings encapsulated an innocenceand truth that became relevant to his image-making as an adult. It was in this re-discoverythat Al Mahdi committed to returning tothis childlike approach. He talks about thosedrawings as conveying an ultimate truth andhonesty, stating that he was shocked and

surprised simultaneously to see some of myworks that I totally forgot about. That refreshedmy memory about my past and was a veryimportant stage in my life, because I realizedthat it was then when I found the artist withinme. About drawing he says I decided it would

be the style I use to express and describe whathappened or what will happen to me in thefuture; so that the memories of my childhood

would be the subject of my drawings and evenfurther constitute my memoirs drawn on fabric,not written on paper.

What transpires in the large, abstract worlds ofAl Mahdis canvases is a process of visualizationthat incorporates nostalgia for the past in apresent that has moved away from the good olddays Al Mahdi associates with his childhood.Bahrain is central to these visual memoirs; oneof his two untitled pieces is a busy and violentwork invoking governmental tension, protest,and struggle for a better life, whilst the otherprojects Al Mahdis hopes for a solution. Usingabstraction and characterization, Al Mahdicrystallizes the intention with these works. Itbecomes very clear which are projections of hisdreams and wishes, and which are the morereal, and more anxiety-ridden, other hand.

In blurring the lines between past and present,or allowing for a mutual impact between thetwo, Al Mahdis statement about the social,historical, and deeply personal story of Bahrainmake for compelling visual memoirs. He muses

that the work portrays my dreams and wishesfor this little island to find a solution as soon aspossible so that everyone can live hand in hand,in peace and harmony, the same way it wasbefore. After all, Bahrain was known to be anisland that welcomes everyone on its shores.

MOHAMMADAL MAHDI

I have my dreams and wishes on theother hand, there is reality.

THE ARTISTS: MOHAMMAD AL MAHDI 30

From top left:

Untitled, mixed-media on canvas,150 x 120cm, 2013.

Untitled, mixed-media on canvas,

150 x 120cm, 2013.

Untitled drawings from

Mahdis skectch book.



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WAHEEDAMALULLAH

Here in Bahrain,Id rather ask than answer.

Waheeda Malullah works across a variety ofdifferent media, from video and photography toinstallation and painting, to explore and expose

the boundaries of social structures and genderdynamics in Islamic society. Surpassing the rigidaesthetic that often accompanies this pursuit,Malullah instead uses an unusual humour andplayfulness in her work to challenge the waysin which womens roles and conflicts play out inher culture. For Malullah, the work is primarilyconceptual; the idea comes first, and her planof action follows. One thing that becomesabundantly apparent in her work is that, forMalullah, it is personal.

However personal it may be, in viewing Malullahswork it becomes difficult not to interpret anunderlying political message. One image stillfrom Construction for instance, pictures afemale figure dressed entirely in black, beingdumped into a cement pit from a wheelbarrowheld by one of the male construction workers.In another still, the figure slithers along theground, reaching for his ankles as he wheels thebarrow up a wood plank. Alone these imagesmay be harrowing; when seen in sequence, thestrong performative aspect takes over and caststhe female figure at its center. We become aware

of the performance it becomes self-conscious and as such she becomes the protagonist, theslightly unusual subject who maneuvers her wayaround the construction site. She describes it thisway:

In many ways, this is political art at its best,because it uses the body to perform and thereforeexpose a set of political structures that become

relevant only when applied; for Malullah, its aplayful process of self-questioning and intuition.She in fact dismisses the persona of politicalartist, stating I am sorry to say that I am nota political person although the situation herein Bahrain is very tense. Instead, the politicalextends into her personal experience of place,and her desire to reclaim a better one for herselfand her daughter. After I bore Farah in 2010,I became more careful. I am considering myresponsibility to her so politics affectshow Ithink sometimes.

Construction, was completed alongsidepreparations for her work for this years VeniceBiennale. Malullah was struck by the site whenshe came across it, and it inspired her to pushin the direction of experimental performance.She describes it as a process of self-discovery,explaining that the experience allowed her tofind herself again. A very different environmentfrom her residency at the Delfina Foundation inLondon which provided a critical atmospherethat pushed her to think differently and adapther practice to the new contexts catching her

eye Bahrain nevertheless provides a contextin which her identity as a conceptual artistallows her to challenge her native milieu. Mostimportantly, Here in Bahrain, Id rather askthan answer.

Moving from one empty square to another and sitting on the edgeBeing carried in a wheelbarrow and being thrown on the floorCrawling on a wooden pan while holding a workers legsCrawling around a machineBeing carried by 2 workers from one square to anotherWalking on all fours on a sand heapRolling on the floor at the bottom of an empty square and standing on the head

THE ARTISTS: WAHEEDA MALULLAH 32

Above: Stills from Construction,video stop-motion, 2013.



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Camille Zakharia

I appreciated

the truthfulness in(the street murals)representation, theircraftsmanship, thegenuine reflectionof the environmentwhere they sit,and most important

their transient state.

Asia Fuse,Day Dreaming,digital photomontage,2012.



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Documents

In the Open Catalogue