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Focussing on a world of many images

July 11 - 17, 2018
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Gulf Weekly Focussing on a world of many images

Gulf Weekly Mai Al Khatib-Camille
By Mai Al Khatib-Camille

Talented teenager Sanah Kampani has staged her first photography exhibition showcasing nature and street art from around the world.

The well-travelled student, who lives in Saar, has spent the past three years focusing on nature, architecture, street art and other fascinating features that have caught her eye in Bahrain, India and across Europe.

Now feeling confident of her eclectic compilation of shapes, textures and colours, Sanah showcased her works in a three-day exhibition entitled ‘In the Making’ at Bahrain Art Society’s hall near Lanterns Restaurant near Burgerland Roundabout, Budaiya.

The 17-year-old Indian expat who attends St Christopher’s School, said: “The turnout was excellent and the recent exhibition was extended for another day due to public demand.”

A large gathering of art lovers and supporters showed up on the opening, Sanah delivered a ‘show and tell’ tour of the images giving an explanation of how she composed each one.

“The photographs were grouped together to make a specific theme, for example, there was a collection of street photography as well as one highlighting nature.

“The main aim was to get my name out in the community and improve my confidence as an artist. Photography is an art, therefore, it doesn’t do any good to keep it locked away on a hard drive.

“The event also gave me an opportunity to connect with other artists.”

Sanah was inspired to pick up a camera by her grandfather and was soon bitten by the photography bug at the age of 15 when she completed a course in the London School of Photography, where she learned the basic methods of using a camera in manual mode. She was also taught different ways of capturing images such as using motion blur.

“Photography has really given me a chance to see things differently and view things from many perspectives,” she said.

“It has also allowed me to capture beautiful moments that I can revisit forever more. It gives me a chance to be creative and express myself.

“The motivation behind the exhibition has been my passion for telling stories through perceptible spaces. Professional photography is one of my plans but, whatever happens in the future, I am definitely going to continue doing it as a hobby.

“Photography itself is a very relaxing and enjoyable activity as well as allowing me to capture some of the most important moments of my life and preserve beautiful scenes.”

Sanah lives with her banker dad, Navneet, and mum, Meenakshi. She has an elder sister, Mehak, a lawyer who also loves producing art work. The family is ‘thrilled’ with her artistic expression and excited about her next series of photographs, concentrating on Indian culture.

Sanah said: “My parents loved the final presentation of the exhibition.

“All the photos and frames had come out very well and they were very proud of my achievement. However, this has only been possible because of their support.

“My sister also had helped me a lot as she herself is an artist. She had really enjoyed the exhibition and admired all my photos. My next project is going to be about Indian culture which will include a variety of street photography enabling me to capture different elements of the country.

“This series is going to start during the summer holidays when I visit India.”







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