'Muharraqi: Father and Son' art expo His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has called for the need to use art as a means to mobilise the international public opinion to take interest in the kingdom's advanced political, economic and human rights strides.
He pointed out that the artistic noble message should be adapted to promote the values of love, peace, tolerance, fraternity and patriotism, urging all Bahraini artists to take advantage of every opportunity to highlight the homeland's landmark achievements and counter attempts to deliberately distort its image.
He called on Bahraini artists to use their artistic works to address the threats facing the Bahraini society, particularly terrorism, stressing that the government is capable of facing terrorists, but art can play a major role in boosting its efforts in combating it.
Speaking as he opened today the "Muharraqi: Father and Son" art expo, held at the Bin Matar Building in Muharraq, HRH Premier urged younger Bahraini fine artists to be inspired by the experience of Abdulla Al-Muharraqi and create a kind of merger among generations in order to preserve the kingdom's leading fine art position.
He added that Abdulla Al-Muharraqi will always remain a source of pride for all Bahrainis thanks to his patriotic contributions and efforts to earn international praise for the kingdom at regional and international gatherings.
He affirmed that Abdullah Al-Muharraqi is acknowledged as the pioneer and founding father of modern fine art in Bahrain, noting that his paintings reflect his sound visions on local, regional and global issues.
HRH Premier paid similar tribute to Khalid Al-Muharraqi, the son, who was inspired by his father's school of art and added modern technology to it to produce a perfect blend between modernity and tradition, noting that his innovative artistic techniques have captivated audiences well beyond the kingdom and earned him innumerable local and regional awards.
HRH Premier toured the expo and was briefed by artists Abdulla Al-Muharraqi and his son Khalid Al-Muharraqi on the exhibited paintings.
The Prime Minister expressed admiration of the displayed paintings reflecting the artists' creativity, the Bahraini society's rich cultural heritage and the Bahraini people's genuine values, dedication and diversity.
He said that caricature has been among the artistic tools in which Bahraini artists excelled and used to describe real life and express their opinions in a distinctive way that they could not have achieved had they used thousands of words.
HRH Premier highlighted the importance of the artistic message in shaping human consciousness, consolidating the principles of belonging to the nation and promoting the values of love and tolerance among its citizens.
He affirmed that the fine art movement in the kingdom has succeeded in projecting to the world the kingdom's "civilisational and cultural message and long history of diversity, openeess and moderation."
Fine artist Abdulla Al-Muharraqi extended sincere thanks and appreciation to HRH Premier for patroninsing and attending the opening of the exhibition
He credited the remarkable success of the cultural and artistic movement in the kingdom to HRH Premier's constant support to artists and keenness on creating a positive atmosphere that encourages them to be innovative and produces works that reflct the kingdom's rich history and civilisation.
Source: BNA