The Makan Studio, located at the Intercontinental Hotel, occupies a quaint little space that makes it easy to miss at first. This space has been hosting numerous exhibitions that put some of Oman's creative emerging artists at the forefront, and we have seen countless creative activities that explore the complexities of human experiences.
Currently, the studio has been hosting a group of artists that allows onlookers to take a peek into some of their most intimate ideas scribbled on sacred pages.
“An artist’s sketchbook offers an insight into the most intimate parts of art-making. It’s where ideas come about and develop."
This statement pretty much summarises the “Art in Pages” exhibition, which was launched on October 10 and will wrap up on November 9, 2023.
The event is a collective exhibition that brings together a diverse group of artists from Oman, India, Russia, and Iran. Each artist's sketchbook serves as a window into their creative souls, offering a glimpse of their thoughts, inspirations, and artistic journeys. The audience is invited to explore the world of doodles, drawings, and stories found inside the pages of these artists' sketchbooks as this exhibition highlights the beginnings of these artists' masterpieces.
The sketchbook, which is occasionally conceived as a private journal containing an artist's deepest thoughts, is transformed into a piece of art in "Art on Pages." While some sketchbooks are purposefully organized and thoughtful, others are full of impulsive scribbles and whimsical doodling. Every sketchbook is a tale unto itself, a reflection of the creator's uniqueness. These sketchbooks' diversity reflects the origins and experiences of the artists themselves, providing the viewer with a wealth of visual storytelling to pore over.
With several artists on showcase, visiting the gallery is like venturing into the rabbit hole only to emerge in a beautiful world where thought processes were formed and then later on, give life to the artists' vision.
In one of the sketchbooks, an Indian artist collected several of India's beautiful creative traditions as one flips through the pages of the sketchbook, one is not only taken on a trip down memory lane but by extension, also educating the onlookers that while India is a country of heritage and tradition, there is a possibility that it will lose some of them.
Several of the Omani artists showcase the beautiful complexity of what it is like growing up not just as an Arab and Omani artist but also how their thinking shaped their reality and as a result, have given birth to artworks they hope will communicate the inner workings of their souls.
The sketchbooks not only came in different sizes but they also vary in the number of pages and volumes and while many of them are in black and white, it was a showcase of a beautiful world nonetheless, one that is not seen in many more commercial exhibitions.
Simultaneously with the exhibition, there had been a couple of workshops that also took place. One of them is the "Let's Figure It Out' workshop, which allowed participants to learn the basics of hand-made pottery.
A free demo lesson was also conducted by Nasra al Adwani on "Healing through Words," centred around the therapeutic power of writing one's name and associating it with words that help emotional clarity.
As part of the exhibition, a sketchbook gathering night was held with a famous Omani artist, Mohammad Alattar. In this gathering, the artist shares with the participants some of his artistic secrets in doodling: how to draw a thin line and how to create characters.
In addition to the sketchbooks and publications, "Art on Pages" offers for sale a selection of prints made by each participating artist. These prints provide guests with a real piece of the artists' work that they can take home and appreciate.
For this writer, three unique artists to check at the exhibition should include Fajer al Akhzami for her extraordinary life drawing practice, Shalini Gupta for her special Covid memoir book, and Wadhah Alrashdi for his study on the human body and its mortality.
With artists coming from different countries around the world, visiting the gallery would allow one to find a wide range of creative inspirations and styles—amazing evidence of the ability of art to bridge gaps and unite individuals from all backgrounds and civilizations.
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