THE unity of the human experience is being showcased in a unique art exhibition now on show at the Bahrain Financial Harbour’s Harbour Gate.

The expo, titled Studies in the Human Condition, encompasses 20 pieces by contemporary painter Yasmin Drummond and was inaugurated earlier this week by Bahrain Arts Society’s honorary chairman Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa.

“The intention of this series is to highlight inherent traits that we all share and experience as part of being human, regardless of gender, race or class,” explained Yasmin, the wife of British ambassador Roderick Drummond.

“Black and white mixed media are used to examine some human commonalities. The colour is stripped away to focus our attention on basic characteristics of human nature.”

The signature piece Uncertainty is the first to greet visitors at the exhibition, located on the ground floor of the Bahrain Financial Harbour. The rest flow through basic human emotions like Love, Empathy, Joy, Grief, Envy and Belonging, before delving into more complex ideas like Anxiety, Solidarity, Socialising, Ego, Ambition and Purpose.

Yasmin has also captured pre-historic gender roles in two pieces, titled Hunters and Gatherers, where she depicts the evolving roles of men and women within society.

Having started working on the series in 2017, Yasmin has drawn inspiration for her canvas from her experiences in Fiji and Bahrain.

In addition to having exhibited at a number of top galleries in London, UK, Yasmin’s passion for the arts and her collaboration with local artists lobbied Fiji’s government to establish a national contemporary art museum.

Her works are in private collections, across four continents and Studies in the Human Condition is her second exhibition in Bahrain – a year after a private exhibition at the British Embassy that raised funds for Mind, a UK-based mental health charity.

She is also currently collaborating with a number of artists on a mental health project.

“Beyond my passion for it, painting and art are my obsessions and I need them to express and channel my emotions, so especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, I was creating at all times of the day,” Yasmin had told GulfWeekly during a media tour of her first exhibition in Bahrain.

“The pandemic gave me more time to create and I wanted to reflect the emotions that I was going through, as well as what I observed in the world around.”

To check out Yasmin’s art, follow @abstractivities on Instagram.