News

First Virtual Reality Mental Health Art Exhibition to be Held in the Middle East

by BTM

Wed, 08 July 2020

First Virtual Reality Mental Health Art Exhibition to be Held in the Middle East

A collective consciousness art exhibition that aims to normalise and spark conversation around the topic of mental health in the Arab world is being organised right here in Bahrain. The exhibition, titled ‘Safer Spaces’, will feature a phenomenal collection of 70 artworks created by 19 emerging artists based in the GCC. 

The show aims to explore and portray one of the most vulnerable, intimate spaces to exist: the mind. Originally planned to be held at The Art Space gallery in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the team behind the show has adapted with the tides, and Safer Spaces has evolved into a regional phenomenon now being held in virtual reality.

When the idea of Safer Spaces was originally conceived in February 2020, it was in response to the arid lack of acknowledgement for the mental health conversation in the region. Fast forward to the present, where it is no longer safe to leave the house, Safer Spaces is no longer a radical, contemporary project – it is necessary. Speaking of the technology behind Safer Spaces, curator and participating artist Zayn Al Qahtani said: “Safer Spaces is not just a slideshow on a website. We have a remarkable web development team who have pushed the boundaries of what we thought was possible to experience through a screen. The end result is an eclectic mix of hyper-realistic 3D renderings, thoughtful museum design, interactive commenting tools and a one-click link to shop your favorite artworks. You can literally walk around and explore the work from all angles just as you would in real life – it truly is the first of its kind.” 

One of the most exciting features of this show is that it covers a topic that has never been addressed at this large of a scale in the Gulf. On bringing the show from idea to conception, Founder and Managing Director of the Art Space, Esra Faraj, said: “One of the community objectives at The Art Space is to facilitate and represent creative young talents with transforming their artistic visions into reality. We help and guide them into promoting and displaying their Art in the best possible light to the international Art scene. Through our many discussions with emerging artists, a recurring topic close to everyone’s hearts surfaced: ‘How can we do our part to end the taboo around the conversation of Mental Health in the Middle East through Art?’. This gave me the drive to put together this exhibition.”

“I believe the first step to overcoming such a complex issue is to acknowledge, discuss, and bring it to light. Only then can we see significant shifts in attitudes and creative solutions to such issues,” she concluded.

Safer Spaces shall launch to the global public on July 10th, 2020 at 5 p.m KSA. The exhibition can be accessed via The Art Space’s website (www.artspacebh.com)


PARTICIPATING ARTISTS

  1. Amal Rafie
  2. Angela Acosta
  3. Fatima Haddad
  4. Hisham Sharif
  5. Ishaq Madan
  6. Khalifa Al Rowaiei
  7. Layal Al Thawadi
  8. Mai Abuhendi
  9. Maha Al Asaker
  10. Mariam Al Sadadi
  11. Maryam Jamal
  12. Mashael AlSaie
  13. Nora Jebara
  14. Ria Kristina Torrente
  15. Salman Al Najem
  16. Sara Al Sayegh
  17. Sarah Aradi
  18. Zain Zuhair
  19. Zayn Al Qahtani

 

#ART EVENTS IN BAHRAIN #BAHRAIN UPDATES #BAHRAIN LOCAL NEWS