As part of the exchange program, Ria Keburia Foundation welcomes artists from Bahrain selected through an open call organized in collaboration with The Art Station and RAK Art Foundation. The residency explores the theme of cosmopolitanism in the context of the impoverishment of humanity, encouraging artists to reflect on cultural exchange and global challenges through their work.
Salman Alnajem is a Bahraini artist whose practice is based on compiling found images into collage-like digital sketches, which he then translates into paintings. His work follows a process he calls "abstract symbolism," where the placement of each symbol informs the next. During the residency, he plans to explore the universal presence of the Sphinx in different civilizations and create sculptures using ceramics and papier-mâché.
Nada Almuqahwi is a Bahraini contemporary abstract artist and interior designer. She primarily works with raw materials such as jesmonite, cement, and gypsum molding, creating playful and colorful compositions with fluid shapes. Her art reflects universal human emotions such as loneliness, love, fear, and hope. During the residency, she looks forward to learning from the local art scene and developing new ideas through collaboration and cultural exchange.