A collective of five Indian and Filipino artists is uniting to highlight interpretations of abstract and realistic art, at an exhibition which kicked off this weekend.

The Interpretations ‘21 art show was unveiled last Saturday at the Bahrain Financial Harbour and features the works of Bahrain-based Indian artists Anil Sharma, Shubo Sarkar and Sudeep Deshpande as well as Filipino artists Jie Refugio and Rudy Perey.

“The idea behind this exhibition was to highlight the different methodologies and perspectives on the world around us,” co-organiser and artist Sudeep, 41, told GulfWeekly.

The exhibition, which runs until November 19, was inaugurated by dignitaries including noted Bahraini artist Abbas Almosawi and approximately 40 pieces will be available for public viewing.

In his pieces, Sudeep explores emotions, relationships and thoughts in unique portraits, which defy traditional rules of form, geometry and space.

Over the years, he has found a minimalistic approach, combining it with a tight palette and strong symbolism, to depict a bohemian interpretation of his world.

The architect has previously showcased his work at art exhibitions across Bahrain and India, and has also judged a number of competitions conducted by the Indian Community Relief Fund.

Rudy is a lifelong artist, having completed his undergraduate degree in fine arts from Manila. He has worked with Star Cinema as production designer. He explores the relationships between visual stimuli, personal motives and community in his pieces, using muted colours to create a dreamy quality.

Anil, a renowned personality in the field of landscape and water colour, is showcasing his unique method for emphasising fluidity of transparent colours.

The Paint and Palette art director pursues colour relationships with a complex palette, exploring arrays of resplendent light and vivid shades. His themes include abstract figures and surreal landscapes with glowing foliage.

For 67-year-old Subho, art is a journey he had stepped away from, when life had come calling. He kept his passion alive through the years, and after retiring, decided to focus on his craft, integrating mixed media such as threads, saw dust, aluminium dust, newspaper cuttings, textile and sand, with acrylic, oil and charcoal.

“Nature, human anatomy and abstract are the most widely used subjects for most of my art creations,” he added.

“I seek inspiration for my art work from the nature surrounding us, trying to capture the marvels and rhythm in our day.

“I enjoy creating abstract art with different levels of attention to colour, precision, gesture and recognisable or unrecognisable forms.”

Jie focuses on realism, creating astounding portraits with each one exploring texture in different forms. He has trained himself in surrealism, photorealism and hyperrealism since 2019, and with each piece, he sharpens his discipline, always looking for new ways to improve.

His work has been showcased at numerous exhibitions and always manages to catch the eye with eye-popping attention to detail as well as the unique subjects he picks.

In one of his most beautiful pieces, he highlights Filipino traditional tattooists in his charcoal-and-graphite sketch of Apo Whang Od. Apo is a 104-year-old living legend who is the oldest and last ‘mambabatok’ – a traditional stick and bamboo tattoo artist from Kalinga.

Jie uses charcoal and graphite in homage to the tattoo artist’s own love for experimenting with light and shades.

The Interpretations ‘21 exhibition continues until November 19 on the second floor of the Bahrain Financial Harbour’s central block.