“Tamkeen” targets Bahrain’s art scene as one of many promising economic sectors
“Tamkeen” targets Bahrain’s art scene as one of many promising economic sectors
In line with its efforts to support all sectors in the Kingdom of Bahrain and increase their contribution to the national economy, Tamkeen emphasized the importance of fostering the arts sector, one of the many promising sectors in the kingdom.
The ongoing support provided by Tamkeen to the sector is an assertion of the contribution and potential of arts and culture in what has become known globally as the “creative economy” or “creative industries”. From facilitating cultural exchange to growing the tourism industry, the sector has the potential to create new job opportunities and initiate art-based businesses to aid in economic diversification and more.
Sustainability of economic growth is strongly dependent on innovation, and the arts sector
A number of Bahraini artists commended Tamkeen’s support of the art initiatives, among them Taibah Faraj who said that she benefited immensely from Art Bahrain Across Borders (ArtBAB) Initiative.
“This initiative helped me not only reach a wider
For her part, said artist Faika Al-Hassan stated, “ArtBAB is a very important platform for Bahrain and its artists to highlight the Kingdom of Bahrain on the global stage. It also made it easy for artists to be present in exhibitions and countries where it would have been difficult otherwise.”
Al–Hassan went on to express her wishes for the program to continue because that art is an integral component of culture and that people’s level of awareness is measured through the lens of its culture. She applauded the level of organization of the program and support given which led to numerous success stories and widespread interest of global audiences in international exhibitions.
Another artist that was supported through this opportunity provided by Tamkeen also highlighted how the Bahraini fine arts scene was promoted on international platforms through several prominent
exhibitions which offered a large number of Bahraini artists the opportunity to showcase their works globally in places such as Paris, India
As part of its support of the art movement in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Tamkeen launched the ArtBAB initiative in 2016 to facilitate and enhance cooperation between Bahraini artists and renowned names in this sector, as well as support their participation in prestigious international exhibitions to promote
To date, Bahraini artists have sold over BD 605,000 worth of artworks with the help of the ArtBAB initiative. This includes the participation of 29 Bahraini artists in an exhibition held in London in 2016 which achieved total sales of BD 50,000. 2017 saw a total of 37 artists participate in exhibitions in Moscow, India, England and Bahrain with total sales reaching in excess of BD 105,000. This was followed in 2018 with 43 participations in India, Paris
In addition, Tamkeen conducts regular meetings and consultations with Bahraini artists and representatives of the art landscape in the Kingdom to discuss potential development opportunities to meet the growth targets of this sector and enhance its competitiveness internationally.