The National Art Gallery is to open an art exhibition titled “Beyond the Tourist’s Eye: Issues of Identity in Maldivian Art” on Thursday showcasing works of contemporary artists.
The exhibition will run until June 7 and explores political, social and cultural themes reflected in the works of six “new contemporary artists”: Ablow Arif, Afzal Shafiu Hassan, Fathmath Zuhura, Mariyam Naeema Omar, Mohamed Azzam, and Nina Mohamed Manik.
Contemporary artists depend on producing commercial art for sale as souvenirs to tourists, but this exhibition aims to give a venue to artists to express themselves, their thoughts, feelings and emotions in the face of a fast changing Maldivian society, the NAG said.
A preview of the exhibition was given to the press on Thursday morning before the official opening which is scheduled for Thursday evening.
Journalists at the press event commented that the display was “shocking” and “thought-provoking” and that the exhibition “raised consciousness to new levels.”
One of the exhibits, by Zuhura, contrasts blind rosy innocence against the stark open realities in Maldives; the exhibit titled The Wardrobe, comprises of two dresses depicting life in two different circumstances. One portrays a rosy picture showing the bliss that comes with a protected upbringing. The black dress shows a woman and man embracing in a black backdrop of flowers on a mannequin which has been blindfolded. The second dress shows violence in society: half of the mannequin’s face is disfigured and the dress she wears depicts on white clothing what appears to be a dissection of a body. Visually, the exhibit appears bleeding to the eye, and preview visitors were reminded of the recent Hussain Solah post mortem saga though Zuhura completed the work last year.
Azzam, whose exhibits depict the hectic pace of life in Male, told reporters that what he wants is “a little quiet from the noise of the heavy traffic.”
Ablow Arif’s art is claustrophobic and even paranoid at times while Afzal, who is known for his art work in Maldives’ postage stamps, has presented a more abstract form of art.
-Haveeru-
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