Bhairavi Mistry.

Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

Two exhibitions were held last month, which due to circumstances, were not discussed on time. But in the larger interest of Art, its passionate promoters and supporters everywhere, here is a roundup of the events. Celestial took place in Le Meridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre, Garhoud, Dubai (July 11 – 20) and Magnanimous was held in Manzil Downtown, Dubai (July 15 – 28). The former was inaugurated by VIP Guest Shaikh Awad Bin Mohammed Bin Sheikh Mejren, President of Emirates Travellers, with the Chief Guest being Abdulla Ali AlMubarak, President and Founder of Commercial Business Brokers.

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Bhairavi Mistry, who organised the shows, said that her motivation was to promote emerging talent. In Celestial, “the artworks displayed were inspired by spontaneous intuition and were naturally expressive and tenderly graced with divine love,” she says.

“The language of art is celestial in origin and can only be understood by the chosen. The artist interprets artistic creation from a spiritual perspective to reflect truth, virtues and the beauty of Heaven. “When you touch the celestial in your heart, you will realise that the beauty of your soul is so pure and so vast, that you have no option but to merge with it.

You have no option but to feel the rhythm of the universe in the rhythm of your heart.” Magnanimous comes from Latin magnus “great” and animus “soul” — so it literally describes someone who is big-hearted. “An artist is magnanimous through his/her artwork; they give happiness to the viewer or the buyer. Artists are always great souls, as, through their creative pieces, they interpret feelings of happiness, joy, blissfulness and the greatest feeling of giving,” Mistry says. Since the exhibition was held during the auspicious occasion of Eid, the artworks emphasised the feeling of “giving”. All the artworks displayed in the exhibition reflected the theme. Bhairavi Mistry shares her stories with Gulf Today

 Colours fly in this abstract work.

How do artists erase boundaries?

Through their artworks ... as there is always a story behind an artwork. Artists from different cultures come together ... erase boundaries through their artwork. An artist also creates emotional, soulful bonds, through his or her artwork.

You have worked with artists of many nationalities. Was art alone sufficient to bring them together? Didn’t they themselves have cultural boundaries and baggage?

No, Art was alone sufficient to bring different nationalities of artists together. Even though there were different cultures, it was the medium through which we got connected.  There was an emotional attachment to the artworks which helped me and viewers get more connected to the souls of the artists, even though we belonged to different cultures.

After a painting ends at the frame, what makes its boundaries endless?

Ending a painting is just an illusion of the eye! An artwork possesses endless boundaries, which the artist created for the beholder, through which he gets emotionally attached to the artwork. An artist triggers the beholder’s emotional and spiritual senses through its artwork.

What is it about Middle East art that attracts you? 

There are different things which attract me in Middle East art such as its different styles and forms. Especially, the traditional form of art such as calligraphy, helps one to travel back in the past.

Their art may be magnanimous, but artists could be mean-hearted. Comment.

No one is mean-hearted ... the situation makes an artist mean, maybe. Art is so pure, it is always magnanimous. It always gives happiness to the beholder through the creativity of the artist. It creates a blissful feeling in the ambience where the artwork is placed.

Artists paint to make a living and for fame and not for being magnanimous. Comment.

Yes, artists paint for a living, but they are also magnanimous. Their art gives blissfulness to the beholder and also the buyer. I never am judgmental, as there is a story behind every person who is an artist.

What made you a professional art promoter?

Our family business was of wooden carving artifacts, started by my grandfather. So I always had a soft corner for art from a very young age. It is a kind of hereditary thing, passed from my grandfather to my father and then to me. My dad, Suresh D Mistry, taught me to find inspiration from every moment we live in life. I learn art every day, through every moment I travel. Each and everything should be an inspiration ... it’s just that our souls have to get connected. You learn Art your whole life. An artist gets inspired everyday through everything he sees around him. He is blessed with the artistic vision which helps bring his or her concept into reality.  Hopefully, I am taking our family business to an international level through a different perspective. I also wish to explore different forms and styles of art in future.

Isn’t it time you had an art space for yourself?

Yes, having an art space is in my bucket list ... Insha Allah soon ... right now, I am taking baby steps towards my vision ... I want to explore different prime locations in Dubai to win potential buyers, art lovers and art collectors, so my artist family is more and more inspired and motivated to create more blissful artworks. This way, we will get visibility — which would also help us more when we have our own gallery.