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ARTIST Balqees Fakhro will be staging an exhibition at The Courtyard art gallery in Hamala on Saturday, writes ANASUYA KESAVAN.
Her paintings record impressions from her travels, the books she has read, films she has seen and encounters with different artists from all over the world and display a technique influenced by modern abstract expressionism.
Balqees, 60, who lives in Jurdab, said: "I like to think of my creations as visual music. I use the colour yellow in many of my paintings, which to me evokes optimism, hope and new beginnings, such as the rising of the sun at the start of each new day.
"I also like the colour grey and its many contrasting shades, which reminds me of cloudy days associated with happy childhood memories. The individual subject matter of my paintings is trivial, as I tend to repeat basic themes that carry a philosophical depth and include creating a sense that one is in a cave, tent, or any form of primitive living.
"I use diagonal, horizontal and vertical strokes and lines to create either a dynamic or static atmosphere. The size of my paintings also adds to the overall effect, as larger paintings magnify the intensity of the composition and sensation.
"I aim to evoke feelings of existentialism, optimism, and contracting pessimism, and awaken basic raw ancestral emotions through my paintings."
The award-winning artist has participated in several international art symposiums, given lectures and talks and held exhibitions all over the world. She has been the recipient of the Dana Prize, the highest art award from the Bahrain's Ministry of Information, twice.
Her works have been acquired by Bahrain National Museum, Modern Art Museum of Jordan, Arabic Modern Art Museum in Doha, Qatar, The Kinder Foundation of Saudi Arabia, which exhibited her works at the World Arab Institute in Paris, Hamburg State House in Berlin, Germany, the Dubai Financial Centre and Abu Dhabi Investment House.
The exhibition is being shown under the patronage of Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa and will remain open until Thursday, November 26. It will be open daily except on Fridays from 10am to 7pm.
