De Buck Gallery presents “Spotlight: Rashid Al Khalifa,” a focused exhibition celebrating the profound creative journey and innovative spirit of artist Rashid Al Khalifa. This overview offers a unique opportunity to explore the artist’s mastery of material and form, particularly his groundbreaking “convex canvas” and recent explorations in aluminum.
Through a curated selection of works, “Spotlight” delves into Al Khalifa’s philosophical interplay of light, perception, tradition, and modernity, showcasing how his five-decades-long practice consistently pushes the boundaries of visual art. While a recent exhibition highlighted his unique circular compositions and precision (as explored in this article), the pieces presented here offer a broader view of his journey and artistic philosophy. Prepare to engage with art that invites contemplation, challenges perception, and reflects the vibrant interplay of culture and environment.
About the Artist & Practice
Rashid Al Khalifa (b. 1952, Bahrain) is a leading interdisciplinary visual artist and a pivotal figure in the contemporary art landscape of Bahrain and the wider Middle East. As Chairman of Bahrain’s National Council for Arts and honorary president of the Bahrain Arts Society, his influence extends far beyond his studio.
Al Khalifa’s artistic trajectory is marked by a relentless pursuit of innovation. Beginning in the late 1960s with landscape paintings influenced by European Impressionists, his early works captured the atmospheric beauty of Bahrain’s desert and sea. By the early 1990s, his style had evolved into controlled, decorative imagery, embracing geometric abstraction, hard-edge painting, and vibrant color fields. The 2000s saw a synthesis of these earlier elements, leading to a profound conceptual shift from 2006 onwards.
A defining characteristic of Al Khalifa’s practice is his pioneering work with the convex canvas. This unique form, extensively explored and showcased in his seminal 2010 exhibition “Convex: A New Perspective” at the Bahrain National Museum, allows him to manipulate light and shadow in extraordinary ways. The curved surfaces interact dynamically with ambient light, creating ever-shifting perceptions and highlighting his intricate, multilayered relief techniques.
