Pearl of a show by leading sculptors

Muharraq's status as the cultural centre of the kingdom has got reinforced with the former capital hosting its very first international sculpture symposium featuring 10 artists from Bahrain, Greece, Egypt, Italy, Syria and Turkey.

They can be spotted putting the finishing touches to their work until Thursday. Once completed a special opening ceremony will be performed at a date to be arranged.

Organised by the Shaikh Ebrahim Centre for Culture and Research with sponsorship from Arcapita Bank, the artists are creating exclusive three-metre high sculptures that will find a home in and around the historic Bin Mattar house.

The property is currently under renovation and is set to open in February next year.

Melissa Enders-Bhatia, in charge of art and exhibitions at the centre said it was a great honour to organise the symposium. She added: "The symposium offers a great opportunity to the artists to network, mutually exchange information, artistic approaches and techniques.

"These sculptures will finally be housed in the roundabout and entrance of the Bin Mattar house that will showcase the long standing traditions of Bahraini pearl merchants."

It is the latest renovation project among Shaikha Mai's historic houses in Muharraq and Manama and will be a stunning example of traditional architecture juxtaposed with modern design elements.

Marble for all the artists - Ali Al Mahmeed, Antonis Myrodias, Ayhan Kayapinar, Emil Adamec, Fadi Al Jabour, Fuad Albinfalah, Khalid Farhan, Khalil Al Hashimi, Mohammed Radwan and Simona De Lorenzo - has come from Oman.

Greek painter and sculptor Antonis Myrodias, a gold medallist at the Landscape Olympic Sculpture Design Competition, organised in Beijing this year, said: "It is a great opportunity to be invited to work in Bahrain and also to leave our signature in this very important place in the world.

"Every country has its own characteristic and its own importance. So, I am combining my ideology, my personality, my whole concept with the place.

"Bahrain is a very small island and as every island it has a very huge horizon. They see very widely and they try to go far away to have connections with people. The sea is the road for them. And, this is why they have very good relations with all countries and neighbours and they are at peace with other people.

"My sculpture will be about Bahrain and how it links and forms connections between people. Powerful lines will create dynamics in different directions and will also incorporate natural light. I want to express the power of the place and the speciality of the place through my project."

For Czech Emil Adamec the work in Bahrain is the latest strand in his international quest to create a global network of sculptures where individual pieces have a similar purpose - like needles in Chinese acupuncture.

Having completed and established 75 monuments in public spaces in 26 countries, he said: "I make three-to-six metre pieces from bronze, marble, sandstone and granite. These sculptures are connected on opposite sides of the world. It is linked, as in the philosophy of yin and yang; sun and moon ... and are trying to create harmony and peace in a big world.

"My work here will be connected to the local place and it will be connected to another country by the sea. There are many shells in this country and my sculpture will be based on the flowing lines of a shell.

"These lines are also similar to my original style, which is between Asian and Baroque sculpture, which are remarkable and flowing both in my figural and abstract work."

Emil works on connecting 10 countries a year and plans to complete his project by December, 2012. He has projects that also link countries in conflict such as Cuba and the US, China and Taiwan.

Italian Simona De Lorenzo is the only woman sculptor in the symposium. She hopes to incorporate the sun, sea and landscape of Bahrain in her work of art. From Carrara, famous for its white marble, she said: "I want to project a feeling that this is a peaceful place to rest."

Bahraini Fuad Albinfalah is working on a sculpture based on Arabic calligraphy. He said: "I am proud of our land, our heritage and I believe it is most befitting in this occasion."

His colleague and countryman Khalil Al Hashmi will be projecting health, life and happiness through a contemporary presentation of a pregnant woman.

Khalid Farhan, also from Bahrain, is working on an abstract work that integrates the negative and the positive. Ali Al Mahmeed, also the co-ordinator of this event is working on a sculpture of a pearl to honour the Bin Mattar house, a family recognised for its pearl industry heritage.

Syrian Fadi Al Jabour, at 28, is the youngest participant in the symposium. He has been commissioned to do a sculpture for Morocco's King Mohammed VI and has also worked in stage design for theatre and television productions. With simple lines he hopes to portray the past and future of Bahrain.

Speaking about the event he said: "This is a great experience for me and the learning we get in a symposium is like going back to school."

Egyptian Mohammed Radhwan teaches at the Fine Arts University in Cairo. He was bestowed with the distinguished Egyptian State Prize for Artistic Creativity honour. A minimalist, he intends to portray the shape of a boat, which is intrinsic to the life of Bahrain through an abstract figure.

This meeting of minds also sees Ayhan Kayapinar from Turkey who is working on an abstract model for this event. He was invited to participate at the Olympic Sculpture Design Competition and had won the bronze award in the International Vilnoya Stone Sculpture Symposium in Vilnius, Lithuania, two years ago.