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An exhibition merging the best of two worlds – poetry and art – is set to be inaugurated on Saturday, October 11, by the kingdom’s oldest writing group – the Bahrain Writers’ Circle (BWC).
‘Confluence – Where words and images meet’ will showcase the striking creations of more than 40 teams of Bahrain-based talents. The exhibition at Bahrain Financial Harbour’s Harbour Gate will bring together writers and artists of diverse nationalities, including Australian, British, Canadian, German, Indian, and Swedish.
This year, the exhibition will be hosted under the patronage of GDN Media’s managing editor Stanley Szecowka, a journalist with close to 50 years’ experience collectively in the UK and Bahrain.
“The Bahrain Writers’ Circle celebrates its annual tradition through the expression of universal personal experiences, revealing deeper insights through poetry and art,” BWC director Saira Ranj told GulfWeekly.
Each display comprises either an artwork inspired by the write-up or vice versa.
Indian expatriate Veronica Madan from Saar is excited to be exhibiting for the first time.
“I really enjoyed the freedom to pour raw emotions onto paper and let them take shape without restraint,” the Bahrain resident of 13 years said.
“The ‘she’ in my poem is every woman who carries herself with dignity no matter how much the world tries to soil her. She remains unbothered by shallow opinions, standing strong in her own quiet way,” noted the 47-year-old supply chain management consultant.
An excerpt of her poem reads:
‘Who cares how she looks, they say, or where she came from
Is she educated, clever, or simply dumb
They push an+d prod, they stare, yet she will not comply
She nods to herself and lets the world pass by’
“I hope readers take away not just the words but the strength within them,” Veronica added.
Swedish national Johanna Andersson will collaborate with longtime friend and Australian expatriate Beth Noble to bring alive her sculpture exploring feminine and masculine energies. The artist has extensive experience working with ceramics and recently created a piece for Confluence.
“Beth is a member of the group and asked if I was interested in a collaboration. The fun part was seeing how she interpreted my piece through poetry, and how together our works formed a new story,” the 52-year-old said.
“In my sculpture, the masculine is represented by the wave, the ocean — an active, strong force. The feminine is the forest — softer, nurturing, and intuitive. It’s about how these energies flow side by side, and maybe even intertwine, becoming one,” explained the graphic designer from Adliya, who arrived in the kingdom 17 years ago.
The exhibition will run until October 16 and is open to the public.
