“Whimsical her art is. Sabina Manik’s paintings have a common peculiarity. The bold and blurry backgrounds, vibrant patterns of an Indian summer, simple brush strokes that complete a form or figure, all but few accompanied by melodic lines of text that are sometimes vivid, sometimes sensibly ambiguous. Her depictions of love, freedom, and desire all but seem impulsive in an untried yet convincing manner. These are her explorations of self, exclamations of being independent in love, and aspirations to find peace through simplicity in life. These are paintings at the pure state of self expression.

Sabina Manik’s exhibition ’Whimsical Poetry’ running at the National Art Gallery from 16 April onwards includes her works from 2007 and 2008.  Looking around each individual piece on display, it is hard to ignore the flow of story from each painting to the next. They start with a certain confusion, drama, leading to exploration, understanding, and acceptance. They show experiences of varying colours, endurance or perhaps absorbance of a foreign culture, and then the realisation of a space in time that is peaceful and true to the self.

Love, of one’s place in time and the things that surround, seem to be the ruling topic. After all, this is the theme that she strives to live her life by. Sabina believes that it is the story of love that is always sought through art. Just like she believes that anything can become beautiful through art.

Sabina has been painting and writing for as long as she can remember. This has been her outlet for self expression, which proved quite important especially after she opted to settle in these islands almost three decades ago. Her poetry comes simultaneously with her artwork, as referenced in the exhibition title. She says her words are ‘just words’ as in patterns or strokes that she uses to express a feeling in each painting. She supposes that words are made redundant in the face of more dominant visuals, just like the spiritual symbol of the mosque that resembles Maldivian culture, a symbol often used in her drawings.

Whimsical Poetry is Sabina Manik’s first show of her paintings in the Maldives. Her next artistic project is a collection of English poetic expressions in the manner of Japanese Haiku, each accompanied with her spontaneous paintings depicting her experiences of a life lived here and elsewhere” (Niyaz, 2009).

Niyaz, Ifham. 2009.