16 March 2022
Exhibition Opening, “Post-Fiction: Manama” at Al-Riwaq Art Gallery
As part of the 16th edition of Spring of Culture Festival, Art Gallery celebrated the opening of an art exhibition entitled “Post-Fiction: Manama” with the participation of a group of Bahraini artists: Ali Hussain, Hassan Al-Hujairi, Jaafar Al-Araibi, Maryam Al-Nuaimi and Nasser Al-Zayani, on 15 March 2022. The exhibition presents various interpretations of the city of Manama, which comes as a different nostalgic view of its past. The participating artists in the exhibition shed light on the impressions left by Manama in the memory of Bahrain in view of its historical pluralism, which was formed through the geographical importance of the city as a place of rest for merchants traveling through historical trade routes.
There is no doubt that the “Post-Fiction: Manama” is an exhibition that highlights the space in-between shared narratives, personal fictions, and prevalent histories of Manama according to five very different voices. The result is an exhibition that invites the viewer to reconsider different possible versions of Manama, placing it both as a physical space and as a realm for speculation.
Indeed, the artists means of expression are varied, as the artist Ali Hussein, using chaotic tin cans on a wooden transport cart, expressed the visual gestures of the Manama market, where the cart sheds light on the social class facing the profession of “Al-Hammali” and the expatriate labor. While the artist Hassan Al-Hujairi addressed the story of the question of existentialism and failure, through his audiovisual project, inviting the recipient to reconsider the sensory signals that occupy what is before us and what is normal. Using various media on canvas, the artist Jaafar Al-Araibi presented the work “Wasla” in which he expressed the social fabric of the city of Manama by comparing it to the breaking point, which is manifested in the form of a fracture. Al-Araibi derived his ideas from his observations about the city and the interactions between the old and new Manama. Al-Zayani’s work highlights and indicates the importance of aluminum as an economic engine in Bahrain, with emphasis on the physical importance of aluminum as a gauge.
Worth to mention that Al Riwaq Art Space occupies an important position in the local and regional cultural movement. Al Riwaq has been known for its many activities and programs such as contemporary art exhibitions, lectures, art residencies, educational programs and street art. On March 25 and 26, Al Riwaq Art Space will present the Education Approach conference, which reflects the space's commitment to arts education.
The Spring of Culture Festival is organized by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, Shaikh Ibrahim Center for Culture and Research and Al Dana Amphitheatre, in cooperation with Al Riwaq Art Space and Al Bareh Art Gallery for Fine Arts. It presents the public with a program that includes a wide range of artistic and musical activities, lectures, exhibitions and international performances that suit different tastes and ages and build bridges of cultural and human communication between the Kingdom and the world.
For more details about the different exceptionally amazing events scheduled by the 16th edition of the Spring of Culture Festival 2022, Please visit our website www.springofculture.org . Keep up updated with the latest news about the festival, and follow the official account (@springofculture) on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and You Tube.
