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Quintessence


Quintessence

Q Gallery Berlin

28 June – 22 August 2025

Berlin, Germany

Rashid Al Khalifa began his artistic career as a landscape painter and over the decades, the style of his work has transitioned, from landscape painting, to abstraction, to minimalism followed by structural, architectural installations that are at times kinetic in nature. Despite the difference in his style or medium over the years, there is an undercurrent that flows through his practice, which illustrates Rashid’s observations of the changes in the landscape that surrounds him.

Rashid’s desire to document the landscape of Bahrain, which has undergone such a dramatic transition over the years, can be seen throughout his work. The colours and light that filter over the land at sunrise and sunset are so unique to Bahrain and Bahraini culture is experienced through the traditional architecture as well as through certain customs and traditions, some of which continue to be practiced today. It is this awareness of the interconnectedness of traditional architecture, the environment and the culture, that motivated Rashid to paint and document that  synergetic relationship.

 

Bahrain takes pride in its historical sites, such as the Bahrain Fort, the ancient burial mounds, the coastal areas and ports, as well as the traditional architecture. Such places are deeply rooted in the heritage and identity of the country and the people, and it is through such places and spaces, that Bahrain communicates its own, unique narrative.

With change and transition however, there comes loss and there are several sites, many of which Rashid documented in the past, that no longer exist. In turn, certain practices or traditions have disappeared. Yet Rashid is not one to romanticize about the past, rather, he adapts and looks towards the future. He aims to present this philosophy in his work whereby he honors certain traditions by contemporizing them. This can be seen throughout his aluminium installations as he incorporates elements of traditional architectural motifs into works such as ‘Waves V’, (2023). The symmetry and repetition of traditional pattern that features on the walls and interiors old buildings is studied, simplified, and perhaps returned to its elemental nature in works such as ‘Pale Blue Folds’ (2025) and ‘Coral’ (2025). Devoid of any colourful, visual distraction, the purity and simplicity of form in ‘Grey Circle’ (2015) casts a subtle shadow, depending on the transiting light across its surface and the angle at which it is perceived and similarly, ‘Cusp’ (2020), a white circle with two crescent shaped slits, evokes the crescent moon, an important motif but also one that in many spiritualities and faiths, symbolizes transition, transformation, and change.

Rashid’s hanging mobiles, inspired by the mashrabiya or ornamental latticework that adorns the windows of old homes, recall a distinguishing feature of Gulf Architecture, one that was multifunctional; aesthetically pleasing but also practical. Indeed, Rashid’s work itself imparts the same kind of versatility whereby he fabricates his works with clear intention: to pay homage to the past, and to honor the design aesthetic of the future.

Waves V, 2023, enamel on aluminium, 120 x 360cm

49 Black and White Circles, 2024, enamel on aluminium, 45 x 45 cm

49 Olive Green Circles, 2024, enamel on aluminium, 45 x 45 cm

64 Circles in Charcoal Grey, 2024, screen print, 76 x 56 cm

64 Circles in Lime Green, 2024, screen print, 76 x 56 cm

64 Circles in Royal Blue, 2024, screen print, 76 x 56 cm

64 Circles in Teal, 2024, screen print, 76 x 56 cm

Cusp,2020, enamel on aluminium, 120 cm (d)

Grey Folds, 2024, enamel on aluminium, 45 x 45 cm

Mobile Column VIII, 2025, enamel on stainless steel, 120 x 90 x 90 cm

Pale Blue Folds, 2024, enamel on aluminium, 45 x 45 cm

Yellow Mobile, 2025, enamel on stainless steel, 120 x 90 x 90 cm

Copper and Charcoal, 2025, enamel on aluminium, 45 x 45 cm

Copper, 2025, enamel on aluminium, 45 x 45 cm

Charcoal, 2025, enamel on aluminium, 45 x 45 cm

Silver, 2025, enamel on aluminium, 45 x 45 cm

Oriel (Coral Red), 2025, enamel on aluminium,120 x 120 cm

Oriel (teal Blue), 2025, enamel on aluminium, 120 x 120 cm