Against the Tides 2017, the annual art exhibition organised by Woman2Woman is celebrating Valentine’s Day with a twist, by showcasing artworks based on the theme of loving and appreciating oneself.
“As Valentine’s Day comes along, everybody is obsessed with expressing love for someone else, or seeking love from others. We wanted to change that and asked our participating artists to contemplate the idea of ‘self-love’ instead. We have received incredible artworks from painters, photographers, and even chocolatiers and bakers, expressing their interpretations of this theme, which range from finding inner peace through spirituality, to taking care of the home and family,” Zareen Khan, founder of W2W says.
The event, which is in its seventh edition, features more than 60 artworks in various media, by amateur and professional artists. “Since it is very difficult, and expensive for artists in the UAE to display their work in a local gallery, we want to offer them a platform to showcase their talent to a wide audience. We are happy that fifty percent of the artists participating this year are exhibiting their work in public for the first time,” Khan says.
The participating artists include Afshan Quraishi, Anya Akhtar, Dagmar Braendle, Dr. Nafisa Sayed Motiwala, Gwyneth Rasquinha, Haafiza Syed, Erum Abdullah, Kavita Sriram, Jyoti Sethi, Linda Mohamed, Nissa Riyas, Samar Kamel, Shytal Gosami, Shiba Khan, Tripti Purewal, Yuvika Garg, baker Aisha Ahmed, and chocolatier Hemmali Narsiaan.
Each artist is presenting their unique take on the theme. Explaining what self-love means to her, artist Anya Akhtar says, “It is the ability to gently nurture yourself in ways that allow you to blossom and grow. When we find the ability to build acceptance within ourselves, we can give to others from a place of fullness and completion, and in so doing allow forgiveness, strength and creativity to flow through us.”
First time participant, Kavita Sriram says, “In the last two years, I have worked on 40 paintings, but this is the first time I have got an opportunity to display my work. The theme is much needed these days to show people that rather than seeking emotional support from others, they can be strong by themselves.”
Against the Tides 2017 will run at Cartoon Art Gallery, Al Quoz until February 21.
