Culture connect

Gulf Weekly

15-05-2025

Two Bahraini artists are getting their work spotlighted as part of a transformation of an ambassadorial home during an initiative that was inaugurated last night.
Renowned Bahraini creatives Adnan Al Ahmad and Aysha Hafez are part of the 'Artists in the Residence' collaborative project launched by the German Embassy and Rashid Al Khalifa (RAK) Art Foundation.
'At the RAK Art Foundation, we believe that artistic collaboration and cultural exchange are vital in building bridges between communities,' RAK founder and National Arts Council chairman Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa explained.
'This initiative with the German Embassy exemplifies how shared creativity can deepen mutual understanding and provide our artists with meaningful opportunities to engage with global audiences.
'We are proud to support platforms that celebrate the power of art to connect and inspire.'
The core component of the cultural initiative is the transformation of German Ambassador Clemens Hach's residence with unique Bahraini pieces by Adnan and Aysha.
'I am deeply impressed by the result of this artistic transformation of my residence,' Ambassador Clemens added.
'Their wonderful artworks harmonise amongst themselves and with the space, and I am eternally grateful to Shaikh Rashid and his team and the artists for their support in making this artistic experiment work.'
Adnan, a graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts in Besançon, France, approaches his art through a deeply personal yet analytically structured lens.
His work combines geometric form with layered composition, shaped by memory, imagination, and emotion.
Through a scientific and symbolic methodology, Adnan reinterprets old and recent memories into new visual narratives, creating immersive pieces rich with introspection and abstraction.
'My works represent me personally and present stories and tales that pertain to me as a human being, with feelings, emotions, and memories like any other human being on earth,' he told GulfWeekly.
'I try to express them and present them so that others can share them with me, perhaps the stories and tales will be similar, and art will be a point of convergence and communication, united by a common factor: colour, calligraphy and fabric.
'With this project, I want to show Germans and foreigners, in general, that Bahraini artists are capable of reaching international fame and keeping up with any other artist anywhere with their art, style, culture, and knowledge.
'Bahrain has a rich history and an ancient civilisation that relied on the visual arts in many of its manifestations, such as Dilmun seals, textile and pottery industries, and ancient traditional architecture.
'The history of modern art here began in the 1950s and Bahraini artists have developed their art significantly, advancing in their presentation of their subject matter, style, and technique.
'They have become competitive in international forums as artists of their own stature and influence.
'It is a great honour for me personally to represent my country, Bahrain, anywhere in the world as an ambassador for my country, and to represent all Bahraini artists who are no less than me in level, performance, style and concept.'
Aysha uses limestone as a mould for her forms, reflecting both delicacy and structure.
Her work embraces themes of peace, beauty, and nature, symbolised by birds, doves, and olive branches, offering a poetic reflection on serenity and generosity.
One of her collections highlighted in this exhibition is 'Whiteness', featuring a series of white sculptures using wood, stones, marble powder and other mixed media.
'In this series, I used limestone because it is easy to work on and make a mould for artworks down the road, and then I used marble powder for the final result.
'Some of my artworks have limited prints, but most of them are one of a kind.'
For more details, follow @rakartfoundation, @hafuzaysha and @adnan60alahmed on Instagram.