Bahraini artists explore existentialism at India Art Fair

New Delhi, Feb 12 (PTI) Torn between beliefs and decisions through a lifetime, a man, now a mere silhouette of himself, barely recognises himself and realises all of it had been a lie.

A part of Bahraini artist Lulwa Al Khalifa’s ‘Schism’ series, the painting, on display at the ongoing India Art Fair here, seeks to touch upon the subtle existential reality of every human being.

With turquoise hued base, the oil on canvas work portrays a diminishing human silhouette being stretched in all directions.

“Turquoise represents life. When life starts everyone is an equal. But, we are shaped by our teachings, beliefs and choices that we make. The painting also shows how a man is stretched in every direction that he is barely himself anymore,” she told PTI.

She says the internal struggle is different for everyone but “as we grow old we realise only our beliefs are not true”.

Khalifa’s paintings characterized by bold colors and textured brush strokes denoting movement, are exhibited at the gallery of artists from Bahrain, under the initiative of Art Bahrain Across Borders (ArtBab).

A similar tone heavy artwork with themes of individuality has been created by Mayasa Al Sowaidi in her series ‘The Twenty Fifth Hour’.

Inspired by author Constantin Virgil Gheorghiu’s famous book of the same name, Sowaidi’s work shows numbers painted using acrylic on canvas and paper.

The book tells the story of a man who is kept imprisoned by different captors and is treated more as a number than an individual.

“What have we become today if not numbers? We have ID cards, barcodes to identify us. In schools we have number, employee IDs, we are governed by numbers. That is what I have tried to show here,” Sowaidi said.

With a particular fondness for numbers, owing to her degree in mathematics, Sowaidi has also used pages from the book in her paintings as a homage to the author and his creation.

The gallery also exhibits abstract impressionist works by Hamed Al Bosta, and Balqees Fakhro’s abstract paintings utilising blank spaces and contrast colors on acrylics on canvas.

Bold brush strokes and bright, vibrant colors stand distinctly in Omar Al Rashid’s ‘Breakfast’ series.