Manama: To say that benevolence through arts comes easily to Bahraini sisters Dayana and Nadine Al Shaikh would be a complete understatement.
Coming from a family of painters and art lovers, their skills have been nurtured since an early age thanks to long-standing domestic traditions and deep-rooted parental encouragements.
But to the two siblings, born four years apart, saw art as an expression with a spiritual dimension that thrives far beyond paintings and photographs, regardless of how splendid or attractive they are, to reach out vibrantly to the community and reinvigorate hope, inspire ambitions and embolden dreams.
Dayana, the elder of the two, in October staged the “Letters of Hope” exhibition that shed light on her personal experience in fighting cancer through a collection of Arabic Calligraphy paintings that featured more than 40 unique artworks with a powerful message.
The paintings were sold within hours and the proceeds went to the Bahrain-based Child’s Wish society to support more than 500 children suffering from chronic ailments and other people with special needs.
Dayana’s skills in blending art, philanthropic work and humanitarian deeds in her paintings were praised by Information and Parliament Affairs Minister Eisa Al Hammadi.
“The exhibition is a message addressed to all private and public entities as well as to individuals to contribute to charitable causes and support philanthropic and humanitarian work encouraged by our religion,” he said. “Acts of charity are not confined to places of worship, and they also cover the whole gamut of humanitarian deeds rewardable by Almighty Allah. Acts of charity should be extended to other humanitarian aspects because they help people look forward to wider horizons and greater hopes. The health aspect is crucially significant and people with cancer deserve full support. We are proud to have a caring society in Bahrain and acts of charity cover a wide range of fields. But we should not fall into self-complacency, and we should continue to support humanitarian acts and we should involve the largest number of people and institutions,” he said.
Dayana said that she was pleased with the tremendous support by all those who visited the exhibition.
“I have witnessed something truly special about human dedication and compassion and I pray that people will always come together to support noble causes,” she said.
Now, the creative cancer patient, inspired by the success of her charity art exposition, is working on a photography exhibition to help young people battling the disease.
“I am working on having the exhibition on February 4 as it coincides with World Cancer Day,” Dayana said. “This time, it will be a photo exhibition featuring photographs, and each of them will have its own story to share with the local and international communities,” she said.
Nadine, the younger sister, wanted to provide emerging Bahraini talents with a platform and founded Nadine Gallery-Art and Design Lounge.
“We simply wanted to bring them to a wider audience by exhibiting their works alongside established artists,” Nadine said.
However, with time, the ambitions grew and Nadine wanted her bold dreams to become a sweet reality for young Bahraini women with talent.
“As we moved along, we widened our scope and linked with likeminded institutions, which are committed to a professional approach to art and to fostering cultural diversity and exchange,” she said. “That is when we launched the Annual Exhibition for Female Artists, and I decided to make it the gallery’s mission to support fully Bahraini women,” she said, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported.
The first Bahraini Female Artists Annual Exhibition organised by Nadine Gallery was held in 2013 under the theme “A women’s Story.”
Last month, she stood proud as Nadine Gallery, in collaboration with the Capital Governorate and the US embassy in Bahrain, organised the fourth annual art exhibition for Bahraini female artists, entitled “Boxes”, in the capital Manama.
The three-day exhibition featured more than 35 Bahraini artists who displayed 60 works of their art.
Nadine, the curator of the exhibition, said she was proud of the participation of the talented artists and looked forward to more opportunities in which they will share their artistic capabilities.
“Bahrain has a strong history in the visual arts and continues to produce distinguished artists with each succeeding generation,” Nadine said. “Our objective is to participate in the cultural promotion and development of fine arts in Bahrain and the surrounding region, and to take the artists into a new dimension throughout the world by participating intensively in the local and international arts events. We hold selective art exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and other cultural events. Although our members are selected talented artists from the region, our doors are open for all art lovers.”
Both Dayana and Nadine remain proud as they continue to resist strict limitations to, and fixed definition of, arts and insist that that they go well beyond the canvas to encompass compassion and selflessness.
