Music and performative arts are the main focus with many of the events featuring local musicians, bands and performance acts. Throughout the festival, artists will be producing paintings on the wall and graffiti art accompanied by live music performed by young and upcoming talents. One of our main international guests to appear at this year’s Elham Arts Festival is Saudi musical poetry sensation May Kutbi who combines her strong writing skills with a sense for a fused musical experience. Her poetry/music is captured in her latest offering, a CD entitled “Ashiqat”.

Musicians featured this year include Ala Ghawas, The Tryout, Silverlake, Faceless Man, Hasan Hujairi, Ali Malik and many more. Artists showcasing their work also include Moosa Silwadi, Yasmine Rasool, and young photographer Hasan Alkhunaizi.

The festival will introduce for the first time the concept of “spoken word” art form, a free-flowing linguistic expression combining creative writing, poetry and even rapping. Hip-hop artists Hotline and DBoy will take part.

Another event that will be introduced for the first time during this event will be the Megamix histories 303, which will be an interactive workshop to create multi-media narrative using video, music, dance and other art mediums. And will be instructed by American Artist Steven Mykietyn, who returns to Bahrain After participating in last years festival.

And just like last year, Elham will be ending the festival with a musical concert which will be held in the cultural hall on the 20^th, the concert is a follow up to last years successful “Museland” concert, and will be entitled “Museland V2” . it will feature the likes of young alternative rock band Silverlake and experimental folk singer Alaa Ghawas and others.

Elham’s art festival is aiming to provide a platform for all young Bahraini artists to showcase their talents in front of a live audience and established artists in the country, and all those who are artists or have an interest in different forms of arts are invited to come and experience this unique festival.

“This is going to be an exciting event where everyone who has an interest in art or creativity can come and join in,” said festival organizer and Elham founder Ali Al Saeed, “We want to create a vibrant atmosphere and provide a place for young people to show their skills, engage with art and just interact with each other,”

Workshops open to the public, on creative writing, music, and performative arts will also be held throughout the festival’s 15 days period,

The Elham Arts Festival will be held from May 5 to the 20th with the majority of events being hosted at Qal’at Albahrain Site Museum. Full details will be announced soon and you can view the website www.elhambahrain.net for updates. You can also find us on Facebook.

If you wish to participate in any of the workshops or receive more information about the events you can email elhambahrain@yahoo.com or call 39595454

About:

Elham: Elham is an art group that was establishied in 2006 with the aim to provide a monthly forum for artistically minded people, and gives both expats and Bahraini artists traversing the creative spectrum a platform to showcase their work, in addition to monthly sessions at gallaries, museums and cafes.

The Elham Arts Festival: now in its third edition, the Elham Arts Festival was introduced by Elham with the purpose of providing an interactive cultural environment that enriches people’s lives and give them a unique experience, last year’s festival had the slogan “Art to the people” and it was a true celebration of all sorts of Art, it was attended by hundreds of Art enthusiasts.

Here are some of the highlights to look out for:

Fallen Into Harmony: May 5 to 20 @ The Art Center – “Art exhibition featuring the amazing works of Moosa Silwadi, Yasmine Rasool, Sarah Aradi and many others!”

Spoken-Notion May 6 @ Bahrain Fort Museum – “First of it’s kind spoken word event, where poetry, rap and verse combine to create a unique verbal and musical experience. Featuring hip-hop artist Hotline”

Live Art Sessions May 6, 7 & 8 @ Bahrain Fort Museum – “Evenings full of live music, art performances and live painting. Watch art being made in front of your eyes, and be part of the creation!”

May Kutbi May 7 @ Bahrain Fort Museum – “Don’t miss out the Bahrain debut of this phenomenal Saudi poet/singer performing some of her songs and launching her Ashiqat CD”

SonicInk May 14 @ Bahrain Fort Museum – “An interactive sound workshop in which everyone is invited to create music, led by Bahraini musician Hasan Hujairi”

MuseLand V2 May 20 @ The Cultural Hall – “A live music concert featuring a group of local bands playing rock, blues, folk and alterntaive music. Headlined by the one and only Bahraini musical sensation Ala Ghawas.”

Full programme will be posted in the next few days. For any queries contact us on elhambahrain@yahoo.com

This is the very first workshop conducted by the best-selling, award-winning author, open to members of the public. The workshop will be held in an open platform format over four session (each two hours long) – more details on the workshop will be send to potential participants.

FEES: BD40

Send your contact details and a little bit about yourself (and your writing) to elhambahrain@yahoo.com or ali.alsaeed@yahoo.com

DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION MARCH 15
SEATS ARE LIMITED – reserve your place today!

Participants will have the opportunity to learn more about the skills, techniques and styles of writing fiction, focusing on short stories and novels, and be encouraged to produce new writing or complete a work in progress during the workshop. They will also get an insight into the process of writing and its essential components such as plot, character, pace and tone. Al Saeed will also give tips to budding writers on the current trends in the publishing industries and the various ways of getting published.

“My approach to writing is not academic. So the workshop won’t be linear, but instead will build on the idea of honing your imagination as a skill and get you to lose your inhibitions as a writer,” explained the award-winning writer, “It should be fun, after all.”

Al Saeed is the award-winning author of three critically-acclaimed books, QuixotiQ, Moments and Sad Man Dancing. The workshop is being held in conjunction with the launch of his latest book, a creative non-fiction book titled, The Randomist. He has also conducted talks and workshops in Bahrain and abroad. His work has been published internationally in various literary journals, magazines and anthologies.

The workshop is one of several events building up to Elham’s upcoming major event, the third edition of its annual alternative arts festival held between May 5^th to 15^th. The Elham Arts Festival 2010 will feature a wide range of performative and visual arts, live music, film screenings, art exhibitions, talks and a number of workshops conducted by local and international artists.

“All our workshops, including this one, will focus on producing work, collaboration and interaction. They will be a unique experience for the participants,” said Elham event manager Sarah Sulaiman, “Participants in this workshop will also have the opportunity to take part in the festival and read their work to the public.”

The sessions for the creative writing workshop by Al Saeed will be held on Saturdays from 10.30am to 12.30pm at a venue yet to be confirmed. Registration fee is BD40 and is open until March 15. Seats are limited. To register send an email to elhambahrain@yahoo.com or contact 39416121.

Egyptian Bahrain-based artist Jehan Saleh, who has been working with Albareh Art Gallery for the past five years, held her first solo exhibition at the Bahrain Contemporary Art Society last year. Jehan has been a student and observer of the many great artists who have passed through Albareh throughout the years. Her work embodies both sensitivity and transparency that reflect her own personality.

Joining Jehan is a young, bright Bahraini talent. Masooma Al-Noaimi is a 16-year-old student, whose paintbrush knows no limits. Her abstract paintings, filled with vibrant colors, usually speak of her past experiences. Her work will always hold strong and inspiring messages. She has participated in many art fairs and competitions, seeking new experiences to enrich her skills. “After all,” she says. “To me, art is the easiest language and paints are my survival tools”.

Poetry is the other field in which Masooma has ventured into from an early age since the age. She enjoys writing both, English and Arabic Poems. Masooma has also recently started to get behind her camera’s lens more often. Her photography captures the beauty of those unseen moments of everyday life.

Born in New Jersey, Mohammed Elmeshad, was exposed to American culture and literature from an early age. He had his first writing book at the age of five. After spending six years in Egypt during which he began to pen his stories, fiction, prose and doodles, as a teenager. After a short stint in Bahrain, Mohammed returned to the US to persue his higher studies in Washington DC and then spent two years with the Peace Corps in Benin and West Africa. Mohammed is currently “working on a desk in a cubicle in Bahrain”. Mohammed will read some of his fiction at the event.

“We’re always on the lookout for new talent and hope that people make the most of it. We want people who are serious about their art and who are committed, always open to bring in new, fresh ideas and challenge the perception of art and creativity,” Elham founder and organizer Ali Al Saeed said.

Those interested are encouraged to get in touch via email at elhambahrain@yahoo.com. The evening will commence at 7.30pm. All are welcome and entrance is free.

Submit your music for consideration in our upcoming second volume of the critically-acclaimed compilation CD ‘MuseLand’, launched last year and featuring the likes of hot talent Ala Ghawas, The Tryout and Silverlake. And if that’s not enough, your band can end up performing LIVE on stage in front of hundreds of fans as part of Elham’s major arts festival in May 2010.

Deadline for submissions: 28 February 2010

1) Open to ALL local bands/musicians
2) Email MP3 format in high quality (up to 3 songs each)
3) Must be ORIGINAL recording (NO covers accepted)
4) Include all contact details with your submission (name, email, mobile)

The event will bring together a host of talents, both recognized artists and new promising talents, led by Bahraini artist, sculptor and architect Moosa Silwadi, who had recently held his latest solo exhibition at Bin Matter House. Silwadi will be talking about his work, which is inspired by his unique architectural designs, while playing some live music.

Through the course of his career, Silwadi worked as an interior, exhibition designer and architect all of which enriched his artistic and practical perception and experience. The mystery of deconstruction, the rhythm of flamenco music and the coffee shop aroma of espresso influenced and strengthened the fluidity of his work and expression.

Accompanying him on the night will be newcomer Dinara Kadirova, the 24-year-old University of Westminster graduate who had only picked up the brush a few months ago and started producing some startlingly strong, abstract and figure-based paintings. Another debutant making an appearance is David Hollywood, who will recite some of his poetry.

The evening will conclude with a photography presentation featuring some of the finest images taken by the participants of the group’s third Photographers’ Day Out, which was held in December and led by Lebanese artist/photographer Camille Zakharia and Bahraini photographer Ahmed Al Zayer.

Al Riwaq Art Space, which officially reopened to the public last month (December), was the first venue to host Elham’s events when the group was first established in late 2006. “We’re excited about going back to Alriwaq, especially with their new wonderful space. We’ve always been proud of the great support we’ve been getting since we started from everyone but specifically Al Riwaq Art Space and Albareh Art Gallery, who also played a great part in promoting us in the last couple of years,” explained Elham founder Ali Al Saeed.

ELHAM22 will start at 7pm and everybody is welcome. Entrance is free.