Ambidextrous Drawings S1 #3

In Ambidextrous Drawings, Rashed AlAraifi captures spontaneous compositions using an ambidextrous method that he has experimented with over the past three years. The artworks specifically aim to capture prosperous moments of Bahrain in the 1930s to 1950s, and draw from the artist's memory of stories and narratives told from previous generations of his family, as well as archival materials gathered throughout his life. By using two contrasting colors, the viewer can trace the movement of the artist’s two hands working in tandem, and provides us an insight into the methodological process of combining stories and archives into compact visual memoirs.

The first series of Ambidextrous Drawings reveals cultural aspects of Bahrain's social landscape, specifically moments of human interaction and exchange. The artist was inspired by the proverb "one hand does not clap", which reflects their method of creating the works using both hands. Symbolically, this visualization of the proverb acknowledges the blossoming of Bahraini culture at that time, which thrived on local souqs and international trade. The artist further emphasizes this connection by choosing Khadi paper, a cotton-based woven fiber handmade in India, a country that traded extensively with Bahrain during this period.

Artwork size: 30 x 30cm.

Price includes floating mount behind glass framing