Abdul Ghafoor Behroozian inaugurates the arts exhibition at the Fujairah Tennis and Country Club.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Illustrating creativity through a myriad of mediums, the art exhibition ‘Different Vision’ got underway at the Fujairah Tennis and Country Club (FTCC) on Thursday.

The seven-day long exhibition received a huge response with the visitors attending the event in droves. The event is being organised adhering to all COVID-19 precautionary measures and protocols, as mandated by the authorities.

Abdul Ghafoor Behroozian, Chairman of the Fujairah Tennis and Country Club, who inaugurated the exhibition said the “objective behind the art exhibition is to empower artists and promote cultural retreats which socially engaged art projects.”

The exemplary work of Dr Awatef Salah and Bojana Marinkovic are on display for the visitors. Marinkovic creativity is in contemporary art while Dr Awatef, who is a Cairo-based multi-award-winning visual artist, paintings are expressive.

Dr Awatef holds a PhD degree in Environmental Decoration Projects from the Faculty of Applied Arts, Helwan University. She also works as Assistant professor at the faculty.

Hania Reggi says art spreads a spirit of healing, happiness and hope.

The painter, who at times dabbles in photography, has her work exhibited at galleries, festivals, and museums locally and internationally.

Last year, her photos were shown at the annual exhibition hosted by Emirates Society of Photography held at the Expo Centre Sharjah.

Dr Awatef’s work exhibits the impact of heritage on artistic creativity. She has also published a scientific paper named: ‘The heritage element as one of the sources of contemporary creativity’ which expresses Siwa Oasis through handcrafted games such as the doll and the camel in several different scenes as if they tell a story.

Bojana gave an insight into what prompted her to take up painting. “Few years ago, I was encouraged by a friend to start painting as a form of therapy since I was having a lot of stress at work. I enjoyed painting so much that I started painting for up to eight hours straight. I loaded my friends’ homes with paintings. People started asking me to paint for them. It is rewarding and motivating to be recognized by your work.

“I started taking art courses and having consultations with professional artists. During one course, I met my dear friend Dr Awatef. We are so different in many ways; from completely diverse cultures and worlds, yet we share the same passion for art and that made us close. I am very honoured to have had the chance to participate in an exhibition with such a talented artist,” she added.

Bojana’s paintings are inspired by nowadays-hot topic ‘how social media influences people's lives by setting up high standards in every field’.

“It is just overwhelming. Social media is influencing the self-image of young women. They are losing their unique features by trying to copy Insta stars,” Bojana remarked.

Bojana want’s to embrace imperfections and inspire the audience to celebrate uniqueness. Behind her every painting there is a story and emotions attached.

At the current exhibition, she is presenting a few arts inspired by UAE culture and history. Impressed by the diversity of UAE society, Bojana through her photography shows children of diverse cultures in their national dresses.

Hania Reggi, senior sales and marketing manager, said: “Amidst the current pandemic, where our social, cultural ties, our environment and education have been shredded, art has survived. It remains at the helm and has proved to be a universal language. It spreads a spirit of healing, happiness and hope.”