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Photographers around the world are being invited to share their snaps and shots of Muharraq for an online exhibition aimed at highlighting the city’s architectural beauty.
The open call online exhibition, entitled Inspired by Muharraq, was launched by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities to encourage people who have captured images of Muharraq to join in the photographic fun while staying at home.
Shouq AlAlawi, head of the visual arts unit, said: “Inspired by Muharraq seeks to highlight the architectural scenes and skyscape of the city.
“The city has undergone a series of changes, upgrades and restorations, giving the audience a wealth of inspiring material to work with.
“This online exhibition aims to encourage people who have taken pictures of the city to share their shots. The pictures will then be uploaded onto our website in an online exhibition section under Studio 244.”
The concept came about when Muharraq was recognised as the UNESCO Creative City of Design in 2019. According to Shouq, Muharraq is a pioneer city where the combination of history, art and architecture has served as the primary inspiration in revamping urban life.
“With its unique Arabic character, combined with international standards of modernity, Muharraq plays a very special role within the Gulf region,” she added. “The city presents many opportunities for creativity through various types of public events; all of which serve to reskill Bahrainis, build cultural confidence and create synergies on an international level.
“The magnificent structures are not merely an imprint of the significant past but also an inspiration.
“As a centre of trade, Muharraq has a multicultural character where different nations have lived together as a community for centuries. The development of the city relies on the strong partnership of heritage and creativity.
“These two pillars strengthen the identity and belonging of the community while helping face the challenges of the future in an imaginative way. Especially in the last decade, the government of Bahrain and Invest in Culture initiative have achieved tremendous cultural investment and Muharraq has become a city of inspirational design projects with its impact reaching beyond the Arab region.”
The exhibition is open globally to people of all ages with a passion for photography and a cache of photos highlighting architectural scenes, design details, urban life, public spaces, urban fabric and the skyscape of the city.
“The beauty of online exhibitions is that we can accommodate participations from abroad,” Shouq said. “It would be nice to see how visitors of Bahrain viewed the city of Muharraq and what parts attracted them.”
The deadline for submitting pictures is Saturday. It will take the team a couple of weeks to sort, filter and upload the images.
She added: “This online exhibition will give photographers the opportunity for exposure on our website. It is like having a show at the Bahrain National Museum. Our website has excellent local and global traffic and the pictures will be viewed by people and institutions of interest.”
This is part of the initiatives launched by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities to enhance time spent at home, including virtual tours of exhibitions, musical performances and more.
Shouq said: “Each of our activities targets a certain group including artists, designers and photographers and so on. We do not only aim to entertain but to educate and inform about our cultural happenings.”
Guidelines and registration details can be found on www.culture.gov.bh. Follow @culturebah on Instagram or scan the QR Code below to learn more.
