CONTEMPORARY CHARM

Sheikh Rashid Al Khalifa’s artistic flair is recognised throughout the region, most recently exhibiting his latest work ‘In Parallel’ in Bait Muzna Gallery, Muscat. Jayne Green delves into the world of art in an exclusive interview with the man himself.

How did your passion for art first ignite?

I was always a creative thinker and interested in expressing my creativity from as long as I can remember. My peers and teachers felt that I was inherent of artistic talent from a very young age and encouraged me to paint and take part in exhibitions, but I also felt inclined to paint for personal reasons. This desire naturally continued as I entered into my teens. In my last year of high school, I received an award for my participation in our annual school art exhibition, which was a paint box and a book about the Italian Baroque artist, Canaleto. I was awarded this in front of the morning assembly and I remember this moment vividly. I think it was a defining moment, as it was then that I began to be conscious of my creative talent and its ability to lead me in the right direction.

What inspires you to start painting? How does it make you feel?

Sometimes it is simply a feeling or a frame of mind. I am regularly inspired by aspects of my daily life and often the simple things that surround me, the natural light, forms of architecture, the environment….. it depends. My most recent work is quite minimal but definitely was inspired by shadow, light, design and architecture.

THROUGHOUT HIS ARTISTIC PRACTICE, SHEIKH RASHID AL KHALIFA CONSIDERED AND EXPERIMENTED WITH DIFFERENT MEANS IN WHICH TO EXPRESS CERTAIN CONCEPTS AND IDEAS. HE REGULARLY REFRAMES AND RECONTEXTUALIZES CERTAIN SUBJECTS AND IN DOING SO, PRESENTS A TRANSFORMATIVE INTERPRETATION OF THEM. DUE TO THIS, RASHID’S OEUVRE IS CHARACTERISED BY STYLISTIC DIVERSITY, AND YET, THE PROGRESSION FROM ONE STYLE TO ANOTHER IS JUSTIFIED AND CONSIDERED, NOT IMPULSIVE. INTERESTINGLY, IT IS THIS MINDFULNESS THAT HAS PROMPTED THE RECURRENCE OF SPECIFIC IMPORTANT THEMES OVER THE YEARS. ALTHOUGH RASHID’S LATEST WORK VEERS TOWARDS MORE SENSORY, INTERACTIVE INSTALLATIONS, HIS EARLIER WORKS FROM THE MID-80S AND 90S, WHETHER LANDSCAPE OR FIGURATIVE, WERE EQUALLY EMOTIVE AND INHERENT OF A SIMILAR AWARENESS OF COLOUR, DEPTH, AND LIGHT. OVER TIME AND THROUGHOUT HIS OEUVRE, CERTAIN FEATURES REEMERGED IN VARYING COMPOSITIONAL CONFIGURATIONS. DESPITE EXPERIMENTING WITH DIVERSE MATERIALS AND DEVELOPING DISTINCT STYLES OVER THE YEARS, www.baitmuznagallery.com

SHEIKH RASHID’S DESIRE TO SIMULTANEOUSLY EXPLORE HIS HERITAGE AND HIS RELATIONSHIP TO HIS IMMEDIATE ENVIRONMENT HAVE ENDURED THROUGHOUT HIS ARTISTIC PRACTICE.

CURATED BY YASMIN SHARABI, IN PARALLEL CONSIDERS A SELECTION OF WORKS SPANNING FOUR DECADES. HOWEVER, INSTEAD OF RETELLING HIS STORY THROUGH A TRADITIONAL TIMELINE AND IN A TYPICAL RETROSPECTIVE FORMAT, SHARABI BUILDS THIS EXHIBITION OFF STYLISTIC AFFINITIES, WHEREBY WORKS THAT REPRESENT SPECIFIC KEY THEMES ARE CROSS- COMPARED TO THOSE FROM DIFFERENT ERAS THAT ARE INHERENT OF A SIMILAR ESSENCE.

What does your work aim to say?

I am quite private about the ‘meaning’ behind my work as I prefer not to impose a meaning on it but rather to allow it to speak directly to the viewer whereby they interpret it in their own way. I suppose a lot of my inspiration is derived from the natural environment, forms of traditional architecture, shadow and light.

What is your biggest influence and how is this projected throughout your work?

I suppose I’m influenced by the environment that surrounds me. I tend to lead quite a hectic and busy life where I focus on so many different things on a daily basis- most are rather contradictory of one another. My work on the other hand focuses on the moment of peace- of solace and calm. I draw this inspiration from the simple things that I notice around me- the environment, light, shadow, design, architecture- the calm before the storm.

In Parallel includes work from 1987 to the present day. Tell us about your own evolution and experimental execution to express certain concepts and ideas over the years.

In Parallel, showcases a selection of my work from various periods of my artistic career- which may be stylistically different and yet, they are inherent of a very similar sentiment. The exhibition is about finding commonalities between works that span nearly 50 years- and commonalities based on underlying philosophies rather than just simply stylistic similarities. As an expression, ‘In Parallel’ implies that two things have some connection and almost move at the same speed. I may have painted a certain impressionistic landscape of Bahrain in the 80’s and 20 years later, painted something that symbolized the same landscape- or my memory of it. It’s as if these two periods of my life moved simultaneously- almost like two lifelines. They influenced one another and were dependent on one another, despite existing at completely different times.

How do you cultivate a collector’s base?

I hope that the right collectors are attracted to my work for the right reasons and so rather than aiming to ‘sell’ my work, hope that I naturally attract collectors that sincerely believe in it and see its value.

How do you navigate the art world?

I tend to visit international fairs regularly where I gain inspiration. I also make an effort to visit museums, exhibitions and galleries whenever I travel and make contact with various artists, exhibitors and curators while doing this.

Which current artistic trends are you following?

I don’t tend to follow trends but rather find appeal in various forms of art. I am attracted to talent which comes in many forms- from realism to abstract painting and also am impressed by experimental, sensory art. It really depends on what I’m looking at.