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GETTING THERE Gulf Air has
regular service from Indian
metros to Bahrain. The
airtime is less than four hours.
STAY Watch the glittering
skyline of Manama from the
exclusive Royal Suite at Four
Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay.
fourseasons.com
ATTRACTIONS
Bahrain Fort A UNESCOWorld Heritage Site, this fort
was built by the Portuguese
in the 16th century. A walk
around the fort with an audio
guide will reveal stories that
span centuries and continents.
Manama Souk Take a walk
around the souk to find
traditional oud (perfume),
spices, Arabic coffee, and
even T-shirts that scream
‘I heart Bahrain.’THE DETAILS
FROM LFET: JD DALLET/GETTYIMAGES; GIUSEPPE MASCI/ALAMYhas managed to bring raw emotion to the canvas
by playing with diff erent shades of magenta.
Jamal Abdul Rahim is another Bahraini
painter, print-maker, and sculptor who is
well-known on the global art scene. His pop art
prints feature at the Asian Civilisations Museum,
in Singapore. As I entered his workshop, I was
taken in by the vivid colour palette. His work
breaks clichés of the Arab World with nude
sculptures reminiscent of Greek mythology,
and paintings that hit out at extremism.
Indian artists such as Satish Gupta, Sujata
Bajaj, Jaideep Mehrotra, and Binoy Verghese were
part of ArtBAB, held in March 2017. Indian artist
and muralist Rouble Nagi’s foundation played a
prominent part in inviting and hosting the Indian
artists at the fest. Later in the year, her foundation
is expected to bring Bahraini artists to India.
Maybe with this, Dilmun’s association with the
Indus Valley has come to a full circle. ▪From left: Old glass
vases at Al Jasrah
House, Bahrain;
murals and building
decorations in the
Karbabd village,
Manama.Walk down the alleys of the hip neighbourhood
of Adilya and check out the colourful graffi ti
lining the walls. The subject matter ranges widely
and will have you drawing your own conclusions.
The gentrifi ed suburb of Adilya is dotted with
art galleries and workshops, quirky cafes, and
trendy restaurants.
Since 2015, Bahrain has been hosting
Art Bahrain Across Borders (ArtBAB), an
international art fair that brings artists from
across the globe to showcase their works on the
island. At the same time, ArtBAB introduces local
artists to the world on this international platform.
One among the many prominent Bahraini
artists who has been associated with the fest is
Sheikha Lulwa Al Kahlifa who has no formal art
education; in fact she took to the brush as a way
to deal with the grief of losing her fi rst cousin.
Her work consists largely of abstracts in oil.
My press privilege brought with it a visit to
Khalifa’s parent’s sprawling mansion. As the
door opened, we were greeted by a canvas with
nothing but splashes of bright magenta. And yet
there was something visceral about it. Khalifa
explained that she’s collaborating with a chef and
her theme is simply beetroot. But somehow, sheThe gentrifi ed suburb of Adilya
is dotted with art galleries and
workshops, quirky cafes,
and trendy restaurants.
BEYOND
Follow The Arts
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