National Museum Bahrain

Winged Victory of the Gulf (c) Agassiz

Outdoor Sculpture Garden

National Museum of Bahrain

Manama, Bahrain

 

    The Gulf States exhibit a brilliant almost gardenlike culture (oasis would be too predictable) notable for the graceful lines and the natural hues that seem to pervade all aspects of life from the music to the clothing to the buildings to the artwork.  The seas of unending sand, giant dunes and dust-storms unify their curves and dominate the landscape as the wind from the Arabian Desert merges the slowly creeping dunes and the lazy, if persistent, repetitive action of the slow Gulf waves. 

    The Outdoor Sculpture Garden at the National Museum of Bahrain in Manama, most effectively demonstrates this principle. 

    The second quiet strength of this art collection is that it is entirely indigenous -- these are not the works of Matisse and Rembrandt purchased at foreign auctions with unlimited oil revenues, but rather the quiet, assertive voice of an emerging art culture.

The Python (c) Agassiz

    I need to confess that I have two pieces that are by far my favourites which I have nicknamed Victory of the Gulf and the Python which to me represents the giant serpent Python that was once thought to encircle the globe of the ancient Greeks -- the snake that Hercules amazed the world by lifting so many negligible feet off the ground.  The resemblence of this Python to an oil pipeline is probably not a coincidence to be dismissed.

     Before we move on, I would like to comment on the materials of the sculptures.  These sculptures are constructed of natural materials -- stone and wood, and are often placed or composed to interact with the classical natural elements -- earth, wind, water, or fire.  Even in a Postmodern organic environment, it is still a bit foreign to deal with all organic sculptures -- comtemporary movements around the world are currently pre-occupied with plastics, condom wrappers, and video screens.  Yet, in this deeply foreign environment, we encounter forms and materials with which we are completely familiar and comfortable.  These sculptors would be more comfortable with Britain’s Henry Moore or Montana’s Debra Butterfield. 

The Pearl Diver (c) Agassiz

(c) Agassiz

    One exception is the Pearl Diver, an outdoor sculpture poised against the seafront temporarily confusing one as to the underwater gymnastics of the figure and one’s own need for air (is one above or below the water?).  The form of Pearl Diver is deceptively simple.  One’s first intuition is that it is too simple and lacks artistic merit, but as one contemplates the scene, one realizes that a simple concept is necessary else the piece would be lost in the neighboring bustle of the real world – at which point the work becomes a metaphor for the heritage soul of Bahrain as a form quietly slipping in and out and in-between the busy-ness of Bahrain’s modern business districts and ports.  One then finds oneself quietly hoping that eventually, the form will survive the busy-ness and reassert itself.

    Inside, the exhibits lend themselves more towards the ancient, pre-Islamic archeological heritage of the island, which many claim reaches back to the days of Noah.  Entire tombs have been transported into the museum along with artifacts such as the bronze bull’s head.

    To my tastes, the greatest treasure inside is the pottery collection – not something to breeze through quickly.  The forms and textures of the pottery are highly refined and original to the island, again bringing the organic soft shapes and colours of the desert into this busy modern cultural center on the Gulf.   

Ancient Pottery Collection, Bahrain, (c) Agassiz

Ancient Pottery Collection, Bahrain, (c) Agassiz

Ancient Pottery Collection, Bahrain, (c) Agassiz

Ancient Pottery Collection, Bahrain, (c) Agassiz

    I always recommend that when one encounters a new culture, that he or she stop at a local diner to enjoy the food, and then head off to the local art museum to identify the local cultural archetypes, symbols, and artistic self-understanding.  In this case, the Bahraini people are to be commended for being so true to themselves for unlike so much else that one encounters in the Gulf, the art here is both organic and of local origin.