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The British Omani Society hosted the Private View of the BOS Art Group exhibition on September 26th 2024, which showcased artworks from four emerging artists from Oman: Almuntasir Nasser, Majid Al-Amri, Ahmed Al-Qasimi, and Sara Al-Hosni.
It was an evening to remember for us at the Society, as it was great for us to have the chance to showcase great Omani art to a UK audience and hopefully open the door for future collaborations and opportunities for emerging Omani artists.
It was particularly exciting for the BOS artists themselves, who were ecstatic to showcase their artworks in an exhibition for the first time, as well as being able to interact with the attendees and talk about their thought process with all their different artworks.
“It’s such a relief,” BOS artist Sara Al-Hosni said. “When you are doing so much work and all of it is put into a frame, it’s like you can breathe and be happy with it. Even though it’s never complete for me.”
“It’s a really great feeling to share our art with others”, BOS artist Almuntasir Nasser said. “And we certainly need to support the artistic culture in Oman.”
It was a fitting way for them to end their trip in the UK, after previously spending two weeks studying with renowned British landscape artist Lucy Corbett at The Welsh Academy of Art as part of their month-long visit to the UK. Lucy has been impressed by the talent and commitment of her Omani pupils. “It has been a pleasure to work with such talented, creative and charming young artists” she said.
BOS artist Ahmed Al Qasimi from Al Suwaiq, who teaches at the Ibn Duraid School highlighted the benefits of the artists’ trip. “Coming to Wales has helped me develop my composition and perspective. It has also improved how I extract colours from what I am painting. I have learnt to be bold and brave in my painting and look forward to bringing what I have learned back to Oman when we all return,” he said.
Another important aspect of the trip was their visit to a wide range of galleries and art establishments in London to further inspire their creative spirit and build their understanding of the art world. The galleries they visited included the V&A, the National Portrait Gallery, Leighton House Museum, and the National Gallery. Their visits were curated in an incredible programme developed by Robin Start, Art Advisory at The Park Gallery in London, who wanted to showcase Oman’s emerging artists globally and help strengthen the arts in the Sultanate.
The BOS artists appreciated the programme as it allowed them to learn about a wide variety of artists from different time periods, as well as different painting techniques, all of which will inspire their future works.
“It was inspiring to see all the different artists and painters throughout history,” said BOS artist Ahmed Al Qasimi. “These works have a big role in how history and historical events are portrayed. It was great to see how their personalities are expressed through art. I hope that one day my art can be showcased in future galleries in a similar manner.”
The BOS was proud to be a first step in helping showcase these artists with the BOS Art Group exhibition, where our members and guests were able to appreciate these great emerging Omani artists and have their artistic vision be shared with an international audience in the UK for the first time. We hope this will be the first of many exhibitions to come as the Omani art scene develops and more Omani painters can shine through.
We would would like to extend our thanks to the generous sponsors of this exhibition including Renaissance Services SAOG, The London Speakers Bureau, and The Oman British Friendship Association, as well as some generous anonymous private sponsorship.