A Coming of Age Told Through Paint

There are moments when language fails, when emotion becomes too heavy to carry or too tangled to explain. For Omani artist Hussain al Ghamlasi, those moments found their release not in words, but in paint. What began in 2018 as an unconscious act of emotional survival has since evolved into a long-running gallery series that traces not only the growth of an artist, but the coming of age of a human being learning how to exist, feel and belong.
“I was using art as therapy without knowing it”, Al Ghamlasi reflects. “I was manifesting what I felt, things I couldn’t express in language”. That instinctive process became the foundation of a series rooted in honesty rather than beauty, one that resists comfort and leans into emotional truth.

At the heart of the current exhibition is a body of work titled An Authentic Feeling, a coming of age collection shaped by instability, self reflection and emotional hunger. Growing up, Al Ghamlasi moved nine times and attended five different schools. Despite the constant change, he describes himself as a kind child, always seeking validation and acceptance. Yet that kindness coexisted with loneliness and the persistent feeling of not belonging, culturally, socially, or emotionally. He questioned whether he fit the image of what it meant to be Omani, while struggling with independence and a toxic relationship with both friends and himself.

Those tensions surface vividly on the canvas. His work, blending cubism and impressionism, avoids direct narratives and instead invites interpretation. Faces fragment, bodies distort and colours speak loudly. Beauty is intentionally avoided. “Most of the time my feelings weren’t beautiful”, he explains. “So I didn’t want beauty to describe them”. The result is raw, strong and often uncomfortable work that reflects an organic and instinctive process.
Al Ghamlasi speaks of his paintings as if they are family. “They are part of my life”, he says. “Like my sons and daughters”. Over the years, these works travelled with him, exhibited in cafés, universities and cities including Salalah. Letting them go felt like watching children leave home. One painting, his largest and most cherished, was severely damaged during transport, torn apart on the highway. He stopped the car and cried. “It felt like it was its time to die”, he recalls.

That loss became part of the series’ emotional evolution. The current exhibition reunites the works in one space, creating what feels like a family gathering. At the centre hangs a large painting representing a rare moment of happiness and emotional safety in a relationship. To one side, a figure using Arabic sign language embodies the pain and resolve of independence, hurt but determined to care for himself. On the other, society appears as a force that dictates right and wrong without understanding the artist’s inner world or lived experience.
Despite the intensity of the themes, many viewers interpret the paintings as joyful. This surprises Al Ghamlasi, yet he welcomes it. He believes the layered details, every hand motion and gesture, carry stories that continue to reveal themselves over time.

Omani audiences responded with openness and curiosity. In a cultural context where emotional depth, particularly among men, is often restrained, the exhibition became a moment of release. Visitors engaged deeply, returned with others and shared personal reflections. Some said they appreciated the work even more once they understood it. Others simply expressed pride. “Those words can make a person feel whole again”, he says.
One of the most powerful moments came when people showed up unexpectedly, bringing flowers and leaving behind family obligations and work just to be present. “I was hugging everyone”, he recalls. “I was annoyingly happy, a happiness mixed with pain”.
The series continues beyond the gallery walls. It inspired Al Ghamlasi to begin writing a book, drawn from the same lived experiences. Humorous yet painful, it is intended as a legacy, something honest, human and enduring.
This exhibition is not an emotional arrival but a declaration of agency. “I didn’t wait for help”, he says. “I made it happen”. As the series evolves, Al Ghamlasi sees his emotional language becoming more refined, more personal and more impactful, continuing his journey of growth as both an artist and a human being.