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Bahrain-based artists and zoophilists with a soft-spot for strays are creating vibrant murals, eye-catching paper art, Dilmun-themed graphics and more, all to offer the kingdom’s furry friends a better life.
British creative Kylee-Jai Wright, who arrived in Bahrain with her family and chihuahuas, 16 years ago, has brought alive a colourful mural, beautifying one of the boundary walls of the Bahrain Animal Rescue Centre’s (BARC) shelter in Hamala last month.
“My friend, who fosters many dogs for BARC and had painted a mural for them, suggested my name. I designed the mural on my iPad and sent it over and they really loved it,” the 42-year-old told GulfWeekly.
Sadly, the abstract artist’s 10-year-old son Elliott Walsh died tragically in his sleep last year. The stated cause was Sudden Unexplained Death in Children (SUDC). A grieving Kylee-Jai could not get herself to go anywhere or do anything but as time passed, she began expressing herself through art and poetry.
“It was peaceful for me to go and paint there and I enjoyed the process,” said the animal lover, who has rescued two cats that were rejected by their mums. SUDC is a medical term for a death that remains unexplained even after a thorough investigation and could include an autopsy.
Indian expatriate and marketing professional Joylyn Fernandes’ childhood passion for paper art grew into something bigger last year, when she decided to donate some of her work for an exhibition raising funds for Palestine.
“Since then, I have continued to raise funds for causes I am passionate about.
“I hand-cut my ‘paper illustrations’ after I create a rough digital rendition,” the 40-year-old self-taught arist from Janabiya, who has called Bahrain home for the last decade, explained.
Joylyn co-founded registered local feline rescue charity Rescat in 2019. Since then, the volunteers have rescued and rehomed around 500 cats, with another 500 having undergone TNR; ‘trap- neuter-return’ is a method of controlling stray cat population.
“I have just started making art for this cause, but I plan to continue and invite more commissions. I am working on more pieces to sell and raise funds for TNR.”
Bahraini branding and design creative Jenine Sharabi was sensitised to animals from a very young age.
“My mother, raised on a farm in the US, taught us to cherish animals, and my father’s kindness reinforced that. When my family moved to Bahrain in 1989, my parents adopted Dusty, a remarkable black-and-white Bahraini Dilmun cat. Today, I share my home with four of them, alongside my toddler, who already adores them,” the 39-year-old from Budaiya said.
The graduate from Central Saint Martins art and design college in London organises paint-and-sip events, proceeds of which are donated to Rescat. Her latest creation for the charity is a tote bag featuring a Dilmun cat.
“The Dilmun cat is a local treasure. All proceeds of these bags go toward Rescat’s rescuing, rehoming, and TNR efforts,” the artist, who also created Rescat’s brand identity, added.
