Shades of White, a juried art exhibition, opened its doors to the public at Alliance Business Centers Network, at Double Tree by Hilton Hotel, Qurum. The exhibition will run until April 15th. Shades of White - Spiring Salon Exhibition, is the first Juried Exhibition from Matti Sirvio Art Galleria.
Matti Sirvio, the gallerist, artist, and Curator of this Exhibition, mentioned at the opening reception that it was not easy for the jury members to choose, as all the pieces of art were wonderful. “Art is very subjective, especially abstract art,” Sirvio said. There were 49 entries, and according to the Gallery, all could have been chosen as they were worthy of display.
“Our main judge, Muhannad Sihni, one of the leading contemporary artists from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, chose the final list after considering the choices of the other jurors. All of them worked without knowing the names of the artists. We hoped that this would emphasize the art, not the name, professional reputation, or nationality of the artists. We are happy to see that seven Omani artists were chosen in the group of the 20 finalists,” the Gallery said in a statement.
Looking at the artworks, paintings, photographs, installations, one would realize there are many shades of white. “This is the message,” said Sirvio. According to the curator, white is one of the most challenging colors. It's humble, silent, happy to be in the background, providing the most powerful contrast to all the self-promoting other colors. Without effort, the white is there, dishdasha, kumma, decorative khanjars, shells, and turtle eggs on the beach, houses, and sands. Oman is the cradle of all the shades of white.
“With the outside jury, we hope to go to another level in our professionalism as a gallery. Participation in a juried exhibition will advance the artists also in their career. It's an opportunity to be recognized by well-known art influencers,” stated the organizers. The exhibition was inaugurated by Shaikh Abdullah Al Ajmi.
Mona Ahmadi, from Iran, chose to present a sculpture that depicted a face. Mona said, “As I am a sculptor specializing in faces, I chose to do a face but not a realistic face. I worked with textures. It is titled ‘My Ivory’ because sometimes the face might not be that good, but the person is. It is up to the person how to see the acupuncture- you can see the face or you can see the textures, which is like life, some ups and downs and shades of life.”
Dr. Shalini Kumar chose to work with a ball of newspapers covered with white paper which was inlaid with driftwood from the sea, pearls, eggshells, pulses, rice, pieces of mirror, and all things that could be in shades of white, so she recycled waste by creating an installation representing one world, one family.
Hani Abdelmagid is an artist from Iran, and his work is a combination of several photos of places that no longer exist, with added digital elements. “These are places that have memories for me, good and bad. Old places in the center of a city in Iran where I have been for many years, especially when I was a teenager. The name of this city is Qom, a city near Tehran, the capital of Iran. As a human being, you have a personal way of dealing with memories, I whitened them, to accept them, and instead of opposing and seeing their dark sides, with whiteness, give them another meaning. For me, whiteness means emptying the concepts of everything.
The event was supported by Alliance Business Centre, Blue Light, Strategic Catering abf Forever 18.
The Winner's Circle
Emerson Sumaoang's Soul Dance and Lisa Janssens Drift were co-winners for the Jury Award.
Sumaoang, who has been renowned for his sustainable and eco-conscious art, is a young, emerging Filipino artist who sources his materials from the sea and nature in general. Soul Dance is Sumaoang's brand of art coming to life, but this time it is elevated, so it speaks deeply in an almost sculptural yet abstract way. His choice of material combines puffer fish spines interplaying with a mesh, truly an ingenious way of integrating nature into art.
"I'm truly thrilled and honored to share that I, along with three other incredible artists, have been awarded at the "Shades of White" Juried Exhibition curated by Matti Sirvio," Sumaoang shared on his Instagram @mhearts_214.
"Soul Dance is a hanging sculpture crafted from white-painted mesh wire with delicately attached fishbones. Like smoke, it drifts gracefully, revealing ever-changing figures from every angle. This art piece symbolises life's flow through illuminated faces depicting our journey's dance through various stages of an ever evolving existence," he shared on his social media.
For Belgian artist Janssens, Drift is an abstract formation of tangled driftwood that she scavenged along the different beaches in Oman. The wood was bleached and whitened, which serves as her commentary that even in death, plants still have their purpose.
"I found these materials on the shore. It was once strong but is now fragile and dry to the core. It's the naked heart of a tree. From the shore, it has become a treasure for me to keep," Janssens shared on her Instagram, @lisajanssensart.
The painting of Nigerian artist Patrick Unogbo took home the honourable mention.
For Rachel Eapen, taking home the Visitor's Choice for her photography entry called Metamorphosis was heartwarming.
"The very fact that my work spoke to the guests who came in different ways is my biggest reward. I couldn't be more grateful," she shared on her Instagram account, @tickled_by_inspirations.
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