Sea

Hala AL KHALIFA

Artist/ Painter

Director General of the Culture and Arts Directorate at the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities

I have often been attracted to the dome shaped metal mesh that is a common site on the shores of Gulf. These metal shapes would be stacked on the shores, either ready to be taken on board the boat, or just came back from a journey to the bottom of sea. It’s an old and clever device which is used to catch fish. Once a fish enters the mesh it’s trapped and there would be no way to escape.

In this body of work, I explore the legacy of pearl diving, and the rich yet dangerous relationship that was the lifeline for many families living on the shores of the Arabian Gulf. The dome mesh or the fish trap takes another form in which a conceptual re-interpretation takes it to another level, becoming a metaphor of entrapment.

Dark skinned, strong bodied men dived in search of the precious pearls have lost their lives in the deep turquoise seas that surrounds our sandy shores, whether in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait or the UAE it was the same story, coated with triumph and grief. If the sea could speak about who dove in and never saw the light again...if thoughts and prayers of these last moments before death could be told or shared.

This show is a tribute and a memorial for our ancestors who lost their lives at sea and the legacy and heritage of pearl diving.

Sea 3

Sea 4

Sea 5

-----> Discover the exhibition "Sea" on ICESCO Creative