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Multi-talented artist Jamal Abdul Rahim, who is also one of Bahrain’s most celebrated sculptors, has launched a thought-provoking exhibition shaped from his experiences during the pandemic.
The Sawad Al Lawha Wa Bayad Al Hajar showcase, which in English is dubbed White Crystals in the Dark, features 66 art pieces of which 31 are paintings boasting black oil and 35 sculptures in crystal white marble at the Art Centre.
The contemporary collection, which took him three years to complete with some works taking between five days to a month depending on his technique, is an expression of his emotions during Covid-19, his hopes for a better world and all the chaos that ensued in between.
“My collection was mainly done in 2020 during the pandemic because that was my reaction towards it,” said the self-taught artist and father-of-three who lives in Muharraq.
His collection started with a single painting filled with intense black shapes, expressing his emotions about the simultaneous threat of Covid-19. He had hoped the pandemic would teach unity in facing human suffering but he was, as he put it, ‘dismayed by the impact of capitalism – leading to increased wars and worsening human trafficking’.
“It is not about the pandemic, but it is about all that happened during this period … about the hope of a better world, about the horizon and my refuge to the sea,” added the award-winning artist who has exhibited his work globally. He described the sea as his refuge because of its ‘captivating blue and calming waves’.
The pandemic was followed by a nightmare explosion in Lebanon. On August 4, 2020, a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the Port of Beirut exploded, causing at least 218 deaths, 7,000 injuries, and $15 billion in property damage, as well as leaving an estimated 300,000 people homeless.
“That’s when I started the sculpture collection,” he added. “You can see the contrast of using black oil paint in the paintings and crystal white marble in my sculptures.”
The colour white represented his ‘sense of mystery and false hope for a better world’, describing it as a ‘radiant moon in a dark night, created from sparkling marble’.
“My sculptures aim to bring calm to the chaos of the universe with soothing melodies through infinite circular shapes,” he added. “Soon, they transformed into marine forms – shells, pearls and fish navigating through the darkness of the sea.”
The exhibition, held under the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (Baca), was attended by Baca president Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa along with art lovers and fellow creatives that praised the artist on his work.
“I’m so glad to listen to various comments of the guests who visit the exhibition every day,” said Jamal. “They have their own vision to my art - this is what we call contemporary art - it depends on both the artist and the viewer.
“That’s why people go to the same exhibition and each one gets attached to a different artwork, isn’t that correct? You see the artwork with regards to your own past experiences and in accordance with your inner self.”
Jamal’s love for art started in 1984 after he returned from India where he studied engineering. He then worked for the electricity ministry for 20 years before seriously picking up a paintbrush.
“I started painting as a hobby and then got interested in hand-made prints and then finally sculpting,” he added. “I used to travel a lot to see exhibitions and learn from the masters, as well as reading professional art books and following all the artistic movements.”
He had his first joint exhibition at Al Hala Club in Muharraq in 1987. Jamal paints using paper and pencil, canvas, oil colours, acrylic and mixed media paintings. For his handmade art prints, he uses acid-free paper, special types of ink and a press machine.
In fact, he probably has the largest printmaking workshop in the Gulf, creating a number of handmade books that have been part of many roving exhibitions all over the region.
For his sculptures, he uses different types of stones, including marble and granite, as well as bronze.
He is currently working on something new based on his works. “Nowadays, I am working on a new jewellery collection inspired by my sculptures and some of the poems I use in my handmade books which will be released soon,” he said.
Jamal, who has another exhibition next month, is thankful for the support of his wife, Margaret Kamal, and his children Mariam, 13, Ikar, 10, and Rita, nine, as well as for his friends and Baca.
The White Crystals in the Dark runs until October 24 and is open daily from 9am to 8pm.
For details, follow
@jamalrahim_official on Instagram.
