For more information on the work of the Søren Dahlgaard, visit the link: http://kunstdk.dk/kunstner/soren_dahlgaard

The exhibition was open till 3rd June, during weekdays from 1100 till 1600 and 2000 till 2300.

Painting Dreams is a display of his more recent works.

Also exhibiting is a photography series, namely, “Eloquent Hands”, which had been first exhibited in the Esjehi Gallery in 1992.

The exhibition will stay open till 20th May 2010 during weekdays from 1100 till 1500 and 2000 till 2300.

In collaboration with Maldives High Commission, UK, National Centre for the Arts and the National Art Gallery- Male’, a presentation reviewing and summarizing the works done in an exhibition organized by the Royal Commonwealth Society in affliation with the Maldivian High Commission, UK, was held at the National Library’s American Corner, on the 28^th of January 2010. The exhibition by the name, “Maldives – A Peace of Darkness’ presented works of three Maldivian artists; Moosa Mamdhooh, Samah Ahmed and Naushad Waheed.

In the presentation, the High Commissioner, Dr. Farah Faizal expressed her views on the ‘Maldives – A Peace of Darkness’ and the impressive works done by Naushad Waheed, Samah Ahmed. Furthermore, she offered to assist Maldivian artists in promoting Maldivian Art. Moosa Mamdhooh revealed some of his own insight on his work.

The concept of artistes’ workshops is not new, however multidisciplinary congregation is unique wherein artistes from varied disciplines work together under one roof. Artistes - be they painters, dancers or musicians have their own unique styles of working, most often their own set inspirations, different backgrounds and schools of thought, but when they are put together for a workshop and share creative energies with other «thinking» minds - a new synergy is born and it was this rare synergy that was celebrated at the week long SAARC artist camp organized by SEHER for ICCR.

The camp was held at one of the most picturesque locations in the subcontinent - Jaisalmer. Jaisalmer as a city is known for its color, its history, and interestingly is situated close to the Indo-Pakistan border with many similiarities emerging in music, culture and lifestyle. The idea came about when, along with ICCR we were told to create an event to celebrate the spirit of SAARC for the upcoming summit through culture - we converge on the concept of getting painters from all the SAARC countries to work at Jaisalmer.
As we are all aware, visual art is growing at a phenomenal pace in the sub-continent with artistes showcasing their works all over the world. Inviting artistes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka was not that difficult as there is substantial interaction between these nations, but we are hardly aware of the plethora of talent that exists in Afghanistan, Maldives and Bhutan. We attempted to give thse artistes a holistic experience through interactive sessions with art specialists like Roobina Karode and Abhay Sardesai as well as lecture demonstrations on Indian classical music, dance, poetry and literature. The participants interacted at a personal, cultural and professional level - learning from each other’s skills, adopting newer techniques, sharing fresher ideas that made it a worhtwhile experience for the entire group.

I thank the ICCR for having supported this concept all through and the help that my team at SEHER recieved at every step of its implementation. I am also delighted that this exhibition will be showcased in the SAARC capitals after the Summit. It will give the people of these countries a chance to see how creativity and harmony are linked so closely and how experiences like this artistes’ camp can increase people - to - people contact between neighbours.

Sanjeeve Bhargava
Founder Director, Seher

Link: http://www.kopenhagen.dk/interviews/interviews/interviews_2008/interview_soeren_dahlgaard/

In 2010 Søren Dahlgaard will make new Dough portraits in Los Angeles and exhibit them at Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Santa Monica.

More venues in different locations around the world will be added to the list and a publication is planned to sum up the project.

This event was made possible with the generous support from Kaimoo Travels & Hotel Services Pvt. Ltd

Operator of Embudu Village, Summer Island Village, Equator Village, Kam Hotel, Mookai Hotel & Mookai Suites

&

Sri Lankan Airways

His paintings exhibited at the National Art Gallery are placed in threes, as best as they can be placed in a hall that is limited with space. They show green, white, and blue landscapes, often with exaggerated surroundings, depicting Eagan’s unique painting style inspired by Impressionist works which broke down conventional methods of painting. Some are semi realistic with intricate details as in Miskithu Valhu. Others more exaggerated with fiery blue skies in Bah’theli and wild contours of white sand in an otherwise peaceful setting in Funghi Viyun. The sudden changes in landscape using bolder brushstrokes, according to Eagan, come from the light and mood of his space at the time of painting.

There is a sense of freedom in the way the women in his paintings walk through the shady pathways, collecting water from the wells, sweeping the leaves with an iloshifathi, pausing to pick a fruit from a tree, all the while wearing mostly short sleeved dresses of different bright colours. It is hard to ignore the sense of longing felt for a time when most of us would run around like the children in the paintings, in between the houses with no walls, following the elders to the water well, collecting dried coconuts, following the resident rooster around. The paintings show the lives of people who were more in touch with their natural surroundings.

The purpose of this work by Eagan is to document a life lived not so long ago. A life lived according to the values and standards accepted by the community. The different dress colours are meant to represent different individuals who learned to co-exist within a community. Bodu beru used to be a festival of exchanges through music, which involved the whole community, men and women, young and aged, where expressions of humour is enjoyed, where love is proposed through songs and accepted by a dance.

The emotions felt through the paintings are still in memories of the living. The actual settings of the paintings are still visible in very few islands. But not without minor connotations of a globalised culture here and there. That was the ideal life as some of us would like to remember it. Or was this life ideal only because it is visualised through our selective memory?

A discussion with Eagan led to a series of questions. What will a foreigner visiting the islands make of these pictures if they have seen Maldives today? How does a Maldivian born fifteen years ago interpret the paintings? What would be the impression created in the painting called Ala’ Olhu if the woman was wearing a black buruga, instead of the blue dress and kandiki that is tied up in a knot at her knees?

Theyo Kulain Dhivehi Raajje runs at the National Art Gallery from 21 May 2009.

Reviewed by Ifham Niyaz
14 June 2009