MUSCAT: The Sultanate of Oman’s pavilion at the Biennale Arte 2022 in Italy reflects the creativity and diversity of arts and culture in Oman.

Sayyid Said Sultan Al Busaidi, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth’s Undersecretary for Culture and Commissioner General of Oman’s pavilion at the biennale told Oman News Agency (ONA) that Oman’s participation in the biennale for the first time is an opportunity for pioneering Omani artists to present various forms of fine art.

The Sultanate of Oman’s first national pavilion at the Venice Biennale, ‘Destined Imaginaries’, offers a view into the country’s vibrant creative landscape and cultural ambitions. 

Among the national debuts at the Venice Biennale 2022, the pavilion of the Sultanate of Oman stands out for its diversity of artistic talent. 

The pavilion boasts a group exhibition entitled Destined Imaginaries displaying new bodies of work by three generations of Omani contemporary artists Anwar Sonya, Hassan Meer, Budoor Al Riyami, Radhika Khimji, and the late artist Raiya Al Rawahi. Each artist has developed these works, an abstract timeless habitat of future relics with insights, during the extraordinary events of the past two years.

The septuagenarian Anwar Sonya, the oldest of the participating artists, is regarded as the founding father of Omani art and is most renowned for his vibrantly coloured paintings that depict the development of rural life in his nation.

This participation in the biennale will boost the production of Omani creative works, said Al Busaidi, who pointed out that the presented artworks will be returned to Oman after the end of the Biennale Arte in November 2022 and will be presented at exhibitions in some governorates.