Preeti Prasad Rana produces stunning musically-inspired monochrome pieces which have been exhibited in Mumbai and at the Khajuraho art festival.
She says: “I have become unsure how old I really am or where exactly in India I am from. My place on this timeline and my roots are remarkably irrelevant facets to who I am. Bahrain has been home for me, my husband and our two children for the past 18 years.
“I began to produce art in real earnest after a year away from this sepia land, I began writing verse and painting. A telling of a story perhaps that I began to take note of.
“I began with oils on canvas, did some water colours and then something happened. I began to paint music. In plain black ink using bleach. The bleach turns the ink to shades of gold and sepia...each stroke a little more than me, just a shade beyond my control. So now that is my technique – that I discover anew with each painting. And music remains my muse and inspiration.
“I exhibited first in Mumbai, where I was spotted by organisers of the Khajuraho art festival. I was invited as an international artist to exhibit my Mausiqi series there. I was proud to represent Bahrain as an expatriate Indian who was able to explore, pursue and become an artist in this gentle land.”
Her studio in Saar is open to all to come visit.
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Mohammed Aatif Anwar Sayed is a Bahrain-born Indian artist who, at just 17, displays a maturity beyond his years.
Profoundly deaf, he does not let his disability define him saying: “It never did and never will, as I am gifted and blessed. I believe silence gives me a lot of power to observe and capture it in my creations on paper with enormous shades and colours!”
He started drawing cartoon characters and cars at the age of five and attended New Horizon School but he had to leave when it came to learning languages. He says: “It was hard to be turned away from school after seven years and I did miss all my friends. However, all along my parents have been a pillar of strength guiding and encouraging me. I was able to overcome the difficulty phase by phase investing my energy in art. This was truly satisfying and liberating and very important. I could express my feeling through my pictures.”
Working in water colours and acrylic paints, Aatif says his inspiration comes from Bahrain and Mother Nature. He shows his work wherever he can, at festivals, social gatherings and markets, and his paintings are on sale at Fath al Khair Gallery and Fatir Antique.
He would love to work in art full-time and says: “It was challenging when I started to seek an opportunity to work full-time in an organisation that can put my skills and creativity to good use. I wish we had employers who were keen to see my potential and make the best of it.”
You can check out his talents on Instagram @aatif_galleria or Facebook: Aatif’s Galleria.
