ART FOR CULTURE’S SAKE

Though the arts sector has been hit hard by the pandemic, it’s no secret that Bahrain still bats well above its weight in terms of arts and culture. With festivals galore, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, a buzzing music scene, despite the pandemic, and plenty more. We take a look at some much-loved gems and highlight a few you may not be aware of.


VISUAL ARTS

I n Bahrain, it’s not just about classical painting, although the Annual Fine Arts Exhibition, now in its 47th year, attracts interest from across the world and has, to date, shown more than 5,500 works. Bahrain Arts Society is also one of the longest running organisations of its kind in the region, having clocked up 38 years and boasting members such as Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa and Abbas AlMosawi, who has exhibited across the world. But no, there is certainly more to the Kingdom’s art scene.

Galleries abound, probably the most well-known is Al Bareh Art Gallery which usually hosts huge names and stages special events. At the other end of the scale are an emerging band of thriving creatives who’ve set up home studios and seen their work really take off in recent years. Not least among these are the likes of Leena Al Ayoobi, who only started showing her work publicly in 2014 and has since opened her own gallery as well as three shops, and Mustafa Halwachi, a founding member of the island’s first street-art collective back in 2018, who now has his own studio and is known for giant graffiti-style works that’re bringing in private and corporate commissions.

There is a wealth of street art, particularly around the Block 338 area, which has long been a cultural hub, thanks in part to the Al Riwaq Gallery – a non-profit which offered artists a chance to be seen and also brought in visiting creatives to share their work and hold workshops etc. Since its closure, the gallery has been much missed, particularly for the role it played in establishing an annual festival promoting local artists and musician. However, there is exciting news in the pipeline, we hear it’s coming back but details are yet to be confirmed.

There is also the tie in between art and food with an annual event in which chefs work with artists to tie their creations together. And, let’s not forget installations, many of which can also be found around Block 338, such as walls decorated with bicycles, found objects, wooden sculptures and more. Plus, there’s the Sculpture Garden in front of Bahrain National Museum, which houses a selection of thought-provoking pieces.

“Generally speaking, street art in Bahrain was very frowned upon in the past but now its gaining a lot of attention and interest and a lot of people do use the street art I do as backdrops for their photography, for modelling and in advertisements. I see a lot interest and a lot of acceptance of the artworks. It’s still a tough nut to crack because we don’t have, for example, a designated area where we can do the work – like how they do in Europe with the legal walls.” Mustafa Halwachi


MUSIC

Bahrain is a musical island, there’s no escaping it. From the traditional, showcased very ably at the many festivals around the Kingdom, to international chart stars whose fledgling talents have been nurtured here. The most recognised music of the Kingdom is Fjiri, which has a historical story all of its own involving pearling crews and a jinn party!

These days Fjiri has been revived by local artists such as Galali and the Dar Jinnah Band and has even been submitted for inclusion on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list. Also much loved is a bluesy blend with a distinctive Bahraini flavour, Fan Al Sut. The classic oud brings the music to life alongside the soulful lyrics of Sut. The genre was popularised by renowned musician Mohammed Bin Faris in the 1930s and a group bearing his name still performs regularly to this day, even boasting its own music hall. From the ancient to the decidedly modern, we have bragging rights to international acts such as Flamingods and Dar Disku to name just two.

Flamingods grew up in Bahrain and started making music together in London. They produce an exotic psychedelic pop sound with Eastern influences that has seen them perform around the world, from South by Southwest to the iconic Glastonbury Festival! And Dar Disku were also schoolfriends in the Kingdom before heading to London to study and hitting on a unique blend of retro Arabic disco brought up to date with modern electronic sounds. Both have stayed active during the pandemic and have new music coming soon. And, of course, there is a thriving music scene on the island. Boho Bahrain (RIP) launched on the scene back in 2014 bringing together a group of musicians and artists who would get together to perform, almost in secret, in obscure locations.

After a couple of years, they went legit and later the founders moved away but the ethos continued with performers regularly coming together and staging events. One of the early participants was Museland, born as a creative arts collective back in 2009. Under the guidance of founder Ali Al Saeed, it represents musicians from Bahrain and across the Gulf, releasing music, running a series of concerts and producing a magazine to cover the music scene. In the last few years, it has also staged Sound + Fiction, which runs over several days and is focused on community building in music through a series of performances, programmes and events. Last year it took the concept online but, despite the restrictions, Museland is still releasing music and hoping to get back to live events later in the year.

“It’s been well over a year since our last official gig. What’s clear to us now is that even when live music returns, it will never be the same. And the challenge we face is how to adapt to this reality and find new ways to sustain the scene and grow it. We’re looking at a new approach that centres around context, curation and focused experiences. “Music always adapts and survives harsh realities. But, it’s crucial that the community becomes tighter and more supportive of each other.” Ali Alsaeed


THE WRITTEN WORD

S torytelling, intellectual study and poetry are all huge parts of Bahraini culture and the island is home to a rich collection of texts, many of them concerning Islam. Historians, scholars and members of the public alike are welcomed to the spectacularly carved Bait Al Quran (House of Quran) which boasts an extensive library of more than 50,000 books as well as Quranic manuscripts, some dating back to the seventh century, as well as a fascinating collection of Qurans written on parchment, rice, peas, and grains.

Poetry has had a long history and cultural role both in Bahrain and throughout the region – HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa recently published a poem in tribute to Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority President, Turki Al-Sheikh, who replied in kind. The Ibrahim Al Arrayed House is named after the famous Bahraini poet, who was the Kingdom’s foremost figure in poetry and literature for over half a century.

Part of The Pearling Trail (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), it houses a substantial collection of books and has become a cultural centre for events relating to poetry. If you want to get acquainted with modern-day Bahraini poetry, look out for the works of award-winning Ali Al Shargawi, a leading Bahraini poet, lyricist and playwright whose work has been translated into English, German, Bulgarian, Russian, Kurdish, and French.

MANAMA, BAHRAIN, OCTOBER 22, 2016: View of Beit al Quran art museum in Manama, Bahrain.

Expat and local writers alike get together regularly at Bahrain Writers’ Circle, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. It was founded in February 2011 when Robin Barratt placed a small magazine advertisement inviting writers and aspiring writers to a meeting. Now it has regular get-togethers, workshops and a poetry circle. Robin decided to use the situation back in 2011 to rally support for Bahrain by launching an anthology titled My Beautiful Bahrain. It showcased all the members’ words, newbie writers, seasoned writers, everyone. The only guideline was to keep in mind the title of the book: My Beautiful Bahrain.

This, along with its sequel More of My Beautiful Bahrain, continues to hold its own on the Amazon best-seller list. The Second Circle poetry group was launched by David Hollywood which soon led to the Colours of Life Poetry Festival. And, in recent years, the writers’ circle launched another much-acclaimed annual event Confluence – Where Words and Images Meet. This exhibition is shown at the Harbour Gate exhibition space and pairs writers with visual artists to compose short pieces inspired by the artworks.

“All our three monthly BWC meetings and workshops are scheduled as Zoom online meetings. They are very successful, and we invite speakers and authors from overseas to talk to us about their journey of writing and publishing. We record the sessions so that members who are not able to join on these evenings can view them at their own pace. The meetings add great value to our members’ writing careers and keep us all connected.” Claudia Hardt, Bahrain Writers’ Circle.


FESTIVALS

You know the Kingdom takes its cultural events seriously when you realise a special hosting area has been included in one of the newest developments – Bahrain Bay! And festivals are one area in which the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) really comes into its own.

From organising the annual Bahrain International Music Festival, which last year went ahead in a pared down version with artists performing to drive-up audiences, to the, usually massive, annual Spring of Culture which sees big-name musicians being brought in from across the world – this year the event is likely to be online focused and we’ll be bringing you news as soon as we hear anything. But are you aware that BACA also runs an annual sleep-out event in celebration of the national museum? Taking place overnight, Manama Doesn’t Sleep features 12 hours of events from music and dance shows to literary talks, fine art exhibits and more.

Look out for that in December. Or how about Ta’a Al Shabab? It’s a month-long annual festival that seeks to involve the Kingdom’s youth and focuses on a wide range of cultural pursuits, including literature, fine arts, poetry, theatre, music, architecture, technology, human science and more. Planned activities include workshops, debates, lectures, art exhibitions, musical and theatrical shows, as well as open forums to encourage public discourse. Independently, there’s the BNP Paribas Bahrain Jazz Fest which has hosted big local names such as Ahmed Al Qasim and previously attracted the likes of Spyro Gyra and Ana Popovic.

In 2020 the festival took a hybrid form with socially distanced performances concentrating mainly on one international artist and various local musicians coupled with workshops, talks and online events running over 12 days. This year’s jazz festival is planned around October-November and subject to Government approval. There’s also the Sound & Fiction festival, mentioned in the music section, which runs over several days and many clubs hold their own events such as TribFest, at Bahrain Rugby Football Club, and Bahrain Rocks at the Dilmun Club, both of which we hope to see making a return this year.

“I have been fortunate to contribute to the growth of the cultural sector in Bahrain and have seen first-hand the impact it has had in enhancing tourism and developing crosscultural understanding. As we look toward post-pandemic recovery, we must continue to support sustainable tourism to drive socio-cultural progress and achieve greater economic prosperity.” HE Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities