By Zuwaina Al Sulimani
After two years of research, hard work, and persistence, two masters of art students finally unveiled 15 contemporary artworks at Bait al Zubair, taking viewers and visitors on an art awakening all encapsulated in the “Passage 3” exhibit.
Amira al Maskari and Sheikha al Kalbani are part of the second batch of Sultan Qaboos University students who are demonstrating what they’ve learned and how they have evolved as they earn their master’s degrees in art.
Opened on June 7, 2023, under the patronage of Her Excellency Mrs. Basma bint Fakhry al Said, the two artists took inspiration from the evolution of Islamic art over the years and with rich cultural and religious traditions to draw from, created their own intricate patterns and strokes that captivate the audience.
“These are the results of our artistic endeavours. We’ve done philosophical research followed by practical experimentation in the course of completing our degrees and we’re proud of the connection these pieces made with the audience,” the artists shared.
For her personal art journey, Sheikha shared that she’s created two series of contemporary works divided into the Unlimited Series and the Transit Series.
She said that she tried to employ two different aesthetics but that the work echoes the expressive values of the mosques which she drew much of her inspiration from to produce her contemporary conceptual work.
Islamic art traces its origins back to the 7th century, flourishing as a visual expression of Islamic faith and culture. It encompasses a wide range of artistic forms, including architecture, calligraphy, geometric patterns, ceramics, textiles, and more. These diverse art forms have evolved and transformed over centuries, reflecting the cultural interactions and influences across various regions of the Islamic world.
Sheikha knew the wealth of inspiration she can take away from other masters but what she made differently was that she employed modern technologies to find the spiritual relationship between the elements of the mosque.
What she wanted to convey is that sometimes, art is hard to express through vocabulary so she made sure to create an interaction where the contemporary work will be able to clearly speak out the message of spirituality.
She believes that modern technology can be used for the better and become a big part of and aid in one’s journey of spirituality.
Amira al Maskari’s artworks amplify her personal experience and the goal of her 12 artworks is to be able to capture on canvas hidden energy that once art lovers see her work, that energy will also flow through them and arouse their interest.
She explained that through her powerful visuals, she wanted a conversation to happen between the viewers and the art.
Amira added that she called the series “Emotion” as the intention of the art is to affect its viewers not just from a physical level but also psychologically. The 12 different artwork is intended to solicit different emotions from the viewers.
Amira shared, “This experiment aims to investigate the aesthetic phenomenon of artworks that target the recipient’s simple positive and negative responses. Upon seeing the work through their own lenses and understanding it in their own way, it is expected for the viewers to have a response and these responses differ according to the psychological state and mood of the recipient.”
The exhibition continues until June 22.
Now in its third edition, Bait Al-Zubair contracts annually with Sultan Qaboos University to display the graduation projects of Master of Arts students.
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