There was simply too much to see in Ghalya’s Museum of Modern Art (along the Corniche in Muttrah) to cover all of it in my last post, so I’ve decided to post about their exhibition, “Wall Painting 2012”, in this separate post.
Here we have one of the designers, Roshani Rajapaksha, and one of the museum co-ordinators, Luella Almeida, posing in front of “Wall Painting 2012” murals. Roshani also works at the front desk of the museum greeting visitors.
Here are the names of all 100 artists who participated in this exhibition. (This is on the backside of the beautiful postcard-like pic which is the 1st photo of this blogpost.) “This is a unique project where the front wall of the museum was painted by 100 different artists, 10 artists per day for 10 days resulting in a grand mural. For each artist, their work will be a representation of their interpretation of the theme of celebrating Oman’s success in 42 years. The museum’s location being along the Muttrah Corniche will ensure that the wall painting will be a prominent attraction for every passerby.” (Murtadha al Lawati – Ghalya’s Museum of Modern Art, Museum Manager)
“…The artistic merit of murals is being recognised by some museums for its artistic, educational and social value as a way of documenting cultural mile stones and historic events, thus adding an atmosphere of celebration. So maybe it is time for Arab countries to start thinking about incorporating mural art to its artistic landscape as a way of displaying and reflecting art in society. Let’s not forget that mural art is a conceptual expression of the artist as a method of communicating with no barriers or limits, whether financial or otherwise, as there is no separation between the art and its viewer.” (Dr. Emily Porter)
I almost didn’t get a chance to see these 15 murals as they are out of sight when the museum door is open!
Roshani, the friendly Sri Lankan secretary/museum-guide/artist, was more than happy to show us her mural which is part of the exhibition (#76). The museum has a large plaque displaying the name and photo of each artist and their respective mural number. Even better, the museum gives you an incredible art book with detailed info on each of the artists who contributed to this exhibition. As an example, here is the page of the artist above, Roshani Rajapaksha:
Let me show you 7 of my favorites from the exhibition (and 1 favorite of my friend) along with some information about each of the artists as a brief example of what incredible talent and experience the artists bring to this exhibition.
I simply took pics of my favorites and didn’t pay any attention to their gender, experience or nationality and only read up on them later. It’s nice to see that one of my favorite murals (above) is from a local Muttrah citizen! 🙂
When I asked my friend which mural was his favorite, he didn’t hesitate to point this one out by Marwa Al Hinai.
There is something I like about this pic that is hard to put my finger on. My friend, on the other hand, thought it was a bit “creepy” or “dark”. That’s the great thing about going to an exhibition with friends or family. Everyone sees things differently. It could prove to be quite a feat to try and argue about which is “the best piece”.
It was neat to read that one of the murals that caught my eye was painted by Yousuf Al Nahawi who went into the Guiness Book of World Records for painting the biggest picture of H.M. Sultan Qaboos in mosaic art!
And for the last mural, what better way to end this display of fine art than with the Omani flag. Very appropriate! 🙂
This exhibition is only running until March 31st so you should try to get down there to see this museum and these fascinating murals for yourself. I can’t wait to see “Wall Paintings 2013“!
This wonderful “Brown” family farewell gift (beautifully framed) was presented to me by my good friend, Geoff! Thanks, buddy! This gift shall take a place of honor in our home in the Philippines. 🙂
Andy in Oman 