Jamal Abdul Rahim studied art in India and then, following a brief career as a fisherman, he moved to Bahrain to concentrate on producing works of great colour, variety and humour. Inspired by Middle Eastern culture and the bold, contemporary styles of Miro and Warhol, Jamal’s style is engaging and uplifting. Jamal fashions sculptures out of bronze, uses hand- made paper to create prints featuring squirls and embossed calligraphy, and applies acrylic on leather to create paintings magnificently diverse in style and colour. One of Bahrain’s most established and highly regarded contemporary artists, Abdul Rahim’s work has been shown across the Middle East in more than 16 Arab and international exhibitions. Jamal’s works have been sold at auction. Jamal is an artist of many facets. Some of his work has a curiously Warholesque quality. He might take a well known figure or image, for instance the Mona Lisa, and then imbue it with colour, texture (through the use of oils) and often symbols of the Middle Eastern culture (a veil). Others may cite Miro as a prevailing influence. Black and white canvasses are dashed, splashed or stroked with colour. Simplistic sun imagery lies alongside squirls and waves which overlay photo etchings. Jamal’s modern touch, which is often applied in a seemingly random fashion, is only found in the most confident of artists.
In this exhibition, Jamal Abdul Rahim wil present his new venture into sculpture.