ALKHOBAR, 31 October — The Alkhobar Art Group opened its fine arts exhibition at the Stemco Community Center in Al-Bussan village here on Tuesday night. The works of 28 artists and photographers from 12 countries — including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Britain, the US, Canada, India and Sudan — were on show.
The exhibition is marked by a display of techniques and mediums such as watercolor, pastel, oil, silk, glass and copper. There is, for instance, a beautiful display of calligraphy titled, Bismillah. It was done by Abeera Atique, a Pakistani. She combined science with fine arts to create her masterpiece — dipping copper plate in hydrochloric acid. "My father is a chemist and I learned to combine chemistry with fine art from him."
There was also sheer exuberance from Indian artist, Sheela Deshpande. Talking about her abstract art in which the figures have something missing, Deshpande said, "I feel that it is complete even with something missing. There is no need to do detail work. This is also my signature."
Peter Naylor’s realistic depiction of what he sees in the streets of Alkhobar is very interesting. In oil he has captured all the hustle and bustle of a street corner, a mosque or a building. "I painted these while sitting in the back of my Land Rover. Many times the police checked me out because in Saudi Arabia, sitting in a car and painting is unusual but they were very nice to me." Naylor said that even though some of his paintings were only three years old, "they are already historic because that view is gone."
There is so much to see and appreciate — June Ross’s daisies perhaps from her native UK, and her equally passionate paintings of the mountains and ruins of Asir.
There are Samina Qureshi’s observations of Arabian life. It is amazing how such a self-taught artist can create such beauty with watercolors. The frames she used are also very striking.
Sri Lankan artist Nazli Ishaq’s renderings on silk are stunning. Kenneth Dyer’s photograph called "Paradise" gets your attention — a figure swaying on a tire-swing in the middle of the beach. Indian artist Rajshiri Anil Khot’s "Eternal March" is impressive. It must be a challenge to make an image of someone as well known as Gandhi; Khot made use of plaster of Paris.
Gandhi’s lean body is perfectly made but his face is a blur, identified only by his trademark round-rimmed glasses. The Egyptian artist, Soheir Al-Gohary, painted a number of interesting pictures of handsome farmers and laborers.
The schedule and timings of the exhibition are: Oct. 31-Nov. 1: 9 a.m. to 12 noon and 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Nov. 2: 9 a.m. to 12 noon and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
