MUSCAT : The exhibition, “Narratives of Color – Contemporary Vision,” which runs until August 31, features Her Highness Sayyida Afra bint Talal Al Said, Anwar Sonya, Hassan Mir, Idris Al Hooti, Hussain Obaid, Bashayer Al Balushi, and Suha Salem, along with the symbolic presence of the late Omani artist Musa Omar. The exhibition draws its presence from a variety of artistic mediums and styles, including narrative textiles and abstract paintings, which typically present characters with a collective connection to the past and present.

Visitors to the annual summer exhibition, which this year blends tradition and modernity, at the Stal Art Gallery in Madinat Sultan Qaboos, Muscat, will engage in a lively, open dialogue about the evolving artistic identity of the Sultanate of Oman. They will pause to witness the works of Her Highness Sayyida Afra bint Talal Al Said, embodied in a narrative context entitled “Shadows of Oman,” within a series of paintings that blend traditional Omani fabrics with natural motifs of palm frond shadows. These unique scenes highlight the harmonious nature of Omani culture and its stimuli, and the deep connection to nature and the fabric of local life. Her works move between the physical and the emotional.

In the visual artwork “Shadows of Oman,” textiles speak of heritage, culture and its manifestations, and moments that express reality. The artistic interaction between shade and colour contributes to contemplation, presenting a technique with a calm, almost spiritual rhythm. Here, Her Highness Afra presents memories, landscapes, and emotions filtered through texture, colour, and visual harmony.

Regarding this artistic presence, Her Highness notes that her participation marks an important artistic milestone, as it is her first at Stal Art Gallery, one of the art spaces that supports the contemporary visual arts movement in the Sultanate of Oman. She adds that this artistic experience reinforces her artistic path, which is moving toward experimentation and innovation, through working with fabric and employing different materials and textures that give the work a unique and distinctive character.

Her Highness Sayyida Afra Al Said explained that art, for her, is a special emotional state, and through it—in its entirety—the artist is uniquely able to translate their inner experiences and contemplations of the world around them. In essence, it is not merely a technical practice, but rather an encapsulation of life, an intensification of emotions, and an embodiment of what the soul captures before the eye.

Anwar Sonya, known for his unique expressive artistic style, also participates with paintings that evoke memories that are closer to human nature in the Sultanate of Oman. He explores Omani customs and traditions with a renewed spirit, especially those that contributed to shaping the spirit of the culture.

Through his works, he translates the “raw” artistic energy and symbolism of these events in the contemporary Omani environment into realistic colour paintings, presenting a visual language that embodies a sensual tradition deeply rooted in Omani heritage.

Idris Al Hooti also presents a series on Muttrah’s identity and its nostalgic alleys. Within its historical context, which suggests complete harmony in the Muscat Governorate, there is an artistic journey where lush palm trees form shadows against the backdrop of buildings that remain etched in memory, and streets that transcend quiet moments scented with memories. His brushwork conveys a sense of contemplation of Muttrah’s past, and the paintings invite reflection on spaces that have disappeared or changed over time, yet have not fallen from collective memory.

Hassan Mir presents a series of paintings exploring themes of identity. Works such as “Father and Son” and “Omani Women Gather” combine visual and expressive harmony to convey themes of the Omani family, its unity and spiritual interconnectedness, collective memory, and spiritual continuity. There is an invisible depth to the paintings, where the rhythm of emotions and cultural and human threads that bind generations together, writing autobiographies not devoid of nostalgia.

Commenting on the contemporary exhibition hosted by Stal Art Gallery, artist Hassan Mir said, “This year’s exhibition presents a selection of works from the collections of prominent Omani artists, in addition to distinguished contributions from young artists. This diversity creates a rich impact for reading different colour and technical experiments, and exploring how colors express the artists’ visions and their personal questions regarding reality, self, and identity.”

Hussain Obaid presents compositions rooted in ancient Omani visual symbols. His works blend history with the spirit of abstraction, inviting visitors to decode motifs inspired by Omani social patterns, the heritage that accompanied humanity’s relationship with the sea, and desert icons, including the almost eternal relationship between humans and their land. These works take shape in a gradual progression that connects the past with visual language.

In a nearby corner, the exhibition continues the presence of the late Musa Omar, whose recent series, “Departed Hearts,” reflects his engagement with the environment, creating circular, textured compositions that blend seamlessly with the physical terrain. The presence of his works, as seen by his artist friends, is a quiet tribute to his beautiful memory.

Elsewhere in the exhibition, Suha Salem presents a new Cubist-inspired series, “Dispersion.” Her paintings explore the mental and emotional fragmentation of modern life and the daily contradictions and repercussions it faces. Dispersion is made more appealing by the overlapping geometric shapes, sharp angles, and deconstructed forms that are more present and expansive in her paintings. These paintings reveal hidden aspects of life and the harmony, contradiction, ambiguity, and attempts to discover the other that lie beneath the surface of daily experience.

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