After Dusk

Ahmed Alansari is a Bahraini mixed-media artist born in 1984. His practice is deeply rooted in Bahraini cultural references, shaped further by his exposure to international artists during the years he spent living in London. Raised in a neighbourhood framed by palm trees, Alansari developed an enduring connection to the palm as both muse and symbol. This relationship is central to his body of work, where he continuously explores the palm’s form, structure, and layered...

Annie Kurkdjian was born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1972 and lives and works in Beirut, or “the orgy of Beirut”, as she prefers to call it, herself profoundly informed by the Lebanese Civil War and this theatrical stage of conflict and war. But unlike the painters of her generation, Kurkdjian is not searching for an escape into an idyllic site of solace and consolation, or obsessed with the literal representation of war. The horrors and trauma of war are translated in her work as warm...

Born in Muharraq, Bahrain, Aysha Hafuz graduated from Beirut Arab University with a BA in Philosophy and Sociology (1989) and went on to serve as a senior media specialist at the Information Affairs Authority. Her work has been featured in numerous group exhibitions across the Gulf region, including the Bahrain Comprehensive Fine Arts Exhibition, the Bahrain Annual Fine Arts Exhibition, the Desert Heritage Exhibition (Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia), the First...

With Venice is Not Alone, I illuminate the threat rising seas pose to coastal cities worldwide. From New York to Jakarta, major metropolises face increased flooding risk, studies show. Rising oceans are an urgent environmental crisis. Through my art, I hope to raise awareness and spur action against climate change. No one region can stand alone. Protecting Earth’s great cities demands united global efforts. My work sounds the alarm yet conveys hope that we can still turn the tide.

Elias Ayoub (b. 1986) is a Beirut-based contemporary artist. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Damascus University, followed by a Master of Arts from Kursk State University. He is currently pursuing a PhD in the History and Philosophy of Art at the Surikov Art Institute in Moscow. Active in the Lebanese art scene since 2012, Ayoub has presented his work in numerous solo and group exhibitions across Europe, including Lithuania, Russia, Poland,...

Faika Al Hassan is a Bahraini artist who holds a degree in Economics from the University of Baghdad. She later pursued studies in fine arts and painting in both Bahrain and Lebanon, and has been an active presence in the art scene for over a decade. In her early work, Al Hassan focused on depictions of women, with the body occupying a central role. Her practice has since evolved into a more reduced visual language, where small human figures inhabit vast, anonymous spaces. While her work...

Passionate about Impressionism and Abstractism, art has become an integral part of her daily life. Drawing inspiration from various sources, she creates unique paintings and installation works using paper, canvas, aluminium, and other materials. With an extensive career spanning over 35 years, art is her primary vehicle for self-expression and the creative transmission of her artistic mission. She has participated in numerous art exhibitions locally in Bahrain and on the international...

Ghada Khunji is a graduate of the Parsons School of Design (1995) and the documentary program at the International Center of Photography. Her career as a documentary photographer developed during her time in New York, where she lived and worked from 1991 to 2013. During this period, she received several accolades, including the Lucie Discovery of the Year, American Photo Magazine Image of the Year Award, and the Golden Lights Award for Travel. In more recent years, Khunji has shifted her...

orn in Muscat, Oman, 1972, he received his Master degree in Art from Savannah College of Art and Design, from Georgia, USA, 2000. His artworks received many awards including, “the Golden Prize” at the youth show, Saudi Arabia, in 1992, and “the Golden Palm” from the second Exhibition of the Gulf States, UAE. His first participation was at the Young artist exhibition, Culture Club, Oman in 1990. Later his works were showcased in many countries around the world, including...

Jamal AlYousif Based in Bahrain, Jamal AlYousif is a contemporary artist whose practice centers on sculpture and visual arts that explore memory, place, and cultural identity. An active member of the Bahrain Art Society, he has established himself as a significant voice in Gulf contemporary art over the past three decades. AlYousif's most prominent work is the outdoor sculpture "Family," permanently installed at Bahrain International Airport's Arrivals Terminal. This...

Born in 1973 in Alexandria, Egypt, Jehan Saleh is an Egyptian artist who lives and works in Bahrain for the past 10 years. She started her journey in Bahrain as an Art teacher in a public school from 2002 till 2005. Later she became an active member of the Bahrain Contemporary Art Society. And for the past 10 years she is working at Albareh Art Gallery (Adliya, Bahrain) as the Gallery’s Coordinator and Business Development Manager. Participations 2015 Mini Art Exhibition...

Mariam Fakhro holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, yet her journey into art began with a profound discovery—the realization that color could speak in ways words could not. From that moment, painting became her primary language, a means of translating perception, memory, and emotion onto canvas. With a strong narrative sensibility and a passion for vibrant imagery, Fakhro’s work is rooted in storytelling. Over the past 25 years, her paintings have evoked...

Mariam Jumaan is an Engineer by profession, and a self- trained artist. Mariam believes that her engineering background supports her art journey. Engineers find different solutions to the same problem, and it is this multifaceted view of the world that Mariam tries to bring to her art. Using different media and forms, she tries to present any single idea in a multitude of ways. Since Mariam started her art journey, she has been trying out a variety of media including acrylic on canvas,...

Marwa Rashid Al Khalifa is a Bahraini artist whose practice moves fluidly between mixed media and photography. With a strong inclination toward experimentation, she continuously explores new material possibilities, incorporating diverse elements into her work to expand both its visual and conceptual boundaries. Her artistic language is rooted in an introspective and sensory approach, often evoking a quiet, spiritual aura. Through layered compositions and subtle material interplay, Marwa...

Born in 1986 in Bahrain, she received her Bachelor's Certificate in Art from the University of Bahrain in 2008. Her artistic journey has been marked by consistent participation in prestigious exhibitions and cultural events across the Gulf region and beyond. Beginning with the Annual Exhibition of Fine Art in 2010, she went on to present her first solo exhibition titled “Lady Bird” that same year. She has been a regular contributor to the Bahrain Culture Authority’s annual...

Mohammed Al Mahdi was born in Bahrain in 1976; he lives and works in Bahrain. An artist and designer, Al Mahdi’s acrylic paintings are characterized by his subtle interpretations of dreams and visions, likened to those of children. The soft pastel colors inscribed on the canvas with meticulous precision would be mistaken from a distance color pencils and chalk drawings made by children, but on close inspection reveal bright surfaces of color in which sensations of apparent depth and light...

Far removed from classical ideals of beauty, the figures in the work of Syrian artist Mohamad Omran reveal a more unsettling dimension of humanity—imperfect, vulnerable, and at times grotesque. His subjects carry the marks of lived experience, where the body becomes a site of tension, distortion, and raw psychological presence. Born in Damascus in 1979, Omran graduated from the Department of Sculpture at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Damascus University in 2000. He later pursued his...

Mona Almoataz is an architect and Bahraini artist, born in the Kingdom of Bahrain. She began her artistic journey in 2016, learning art independently by attending workshops both locally and internationally. Her work focuses on representing women and integrating them into society, expressing their beauty and optimistic view of the world. She employs various mediums in her art, particularly printmaking as a core material. Mona has participated in several group exhibitions from 2018 to...

Noof Alrefaei a Bahraini artist born in Dubai in 1983 and returned to her motherland The Kingdom of Bahrain at the age of 12. She earned her bachelor degree in Law at the year 2009 from the Kingdom University at Bahrain. As artist, her artworks are known for being inspired from life incident related to her or around her. Moreover, 90% of her artworks are carries hidden messages as it carries a case or a matter for others to analyze and to reflect a matter that bother her. She always says...

As a Bahraini artist, Noora has been passionate about colors since childhood, growing up in a family of artists and creatives. She strives to develop her own artistic style, using various painting techniques to explore the human experience and its connection to the surrounding environment. Her love for visual arts, particularly painting, has also influenced her work in corporate relations and event management, shaping her professional choices. She consistently seeks to infuse artistic and...

Omar AlShahabi is an Iraqi-born artist who lives and works in Qatar. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Baghdad University, where his early formation laid the foundation for a practice that has since developed across regional and international contexts. Over the years, AlShahabi has established a consistent exhibition presence, with numerous solo shows across the Middle East. His recent exhibitions include presentations at Katara Art Center (Doha, 2023), Al Markhiya Gallery (Doha, 2022),...

Born in Muharraq in 1966, Omar Al Rashid’s work usually reflects tradition, customs and Arabic heritage. Through his paintings of Arabic women draped in black cloaks/Abayas and colorful fabrics that lay on women bodies, Al Rashid was seeking to depict Arab women in their traditional dressings. Colors, light and patterns in his latest series of oil on canvas wear a romantic dimension; it embodies something more mystical and intimate. The artist presents in 20 paintings a palette of...

Shooq AlShawi (b. 1988, Bahrain) is a Bahraini, London-based painter currently working from her studio in the city. Her practice centers on abstract, gestural compositions, primarily executed in oil and oil stick on canvas. She holds a BA (Hons) from the University of the Arts London, London College of Fashion (2010), and completed a Foundation in Art and Design at Newcastle College in 2006. Painting since an early age, AlShawi has developed a visual language that is both intuitive and...

Tagreed Albaghsi is a Saudi-born artist based in Al Ahsa, where she lives and works. She holds a BA (Hons) in Science and Education and is a founding member of the Saudi Society for Fine Arts, as well as a member of the Fine Arts Qatif Group. Albaghsi’s practice is centered on portraiture, distinguished by faces often divided into contrasting hues. This visual duality reflects an ongoing tension between socially accepted and unaccepted aspects of the self. Her figures frequently...

Born in 1974, Lebanon, Zena Assi lives and works in Beirut. She graduated with honors from l’Academie Libanaise des Beaux Arts (ALBA) in advertising, worked in the field for two years and taught in different universities. Her contemporary work on canvas, that draws inspiration from the relations and conflicts between the individual and his environment, has been part of numerous collective and solo exhibitions in Beirut, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain. She received two awards in 2009, and...