b. 1967, Manama, Bahrain; lives and works in Bahrain
Mohammed Al Mahdi was born in 1976 in Manama, Bahrain. He is a prominent Bahraini artist known for his acrylic paintings that employ soft pastel hues in his paintings. From a distance, his art may appear childlike, but upon closer examination, they reveal vibrant surfaces that conjure sensations of depth and luminosity. Al Mahdi’s paintings often possess a blurred and misty quality, creating a deliberate sense of distance between the viewer and the subject matter.
Al Mahdi began his artistic journey at an early age when, as a child, he stumbled upon charcoal on the street and adorned his neighborhood walls with his creative expression. Years later, after a life-altering accident that left him bedridden for an extended period, he turned to art as a therapeutic outlet. Over time, he honed his distinctive style, using it as a means of storytelling, drawing inspiration from ordinary moments with a dreamlike quality. In Al Mahdi’s artwork, figures and personas dissolve into symbolic realms that transcend the conventional boundaries of self-image, immersing viewers in profound emotions. Al Mahdi’s paintings tread a fine line between lived experiences and the boundless realm of imagination, embarking on a captivating exploration of memory, both personal and historical. Once this journey begins, there is no return to figurative representation. The artist becomes entwined in his creative process, and the canvas transforms into a human landscape where the apparent stability of life’s constructs implodes, defying conventional interpretation. Al Mahdi’s art transcends temporal and geographical confines, offering an open-ended, creative interpretation of the visual world.
He is recognized as one of Bahrain’s foremost emerging artists, with his work featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions across Bahrain, Kuwait, Syria, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland. Notably, one of his paintings, a poignant tribute to a toddler who mysteriously disappeared in Bahrain, is showcased at the Bahrain National Museum.