ABQ honours mothers through art

Muscat – The most touching bond in the world must be that of a mother and child.

ABQ Education Group is celebrating the beauty of motherhood this Mother’s Day through their unique and touching art exhibition currently on display at the historically rich Bait Al Zubair Museum in Old Muscat.

There are more than 2 billion mothers worldwide and motherhood has been a popular artistic theme since the early ages, with some of the most famous paintings and sculptures being depictions of The Madonna and Child. Many artists today continue to explore maternal relationships, illustrating their unique, unconditional bond.

This exhibition appropriately begins with art pieces done by the youngest students from the three ABQ International Schools, ABQ Azzan Bin Qais, ABQ Sohar and ABQ Seeb. The exhibition showcases the works of more than 50 students.

ABQ Education Group Chief Executive Office, Humayun Kabir says, “There is something truly special about the relationship between a mother and her child. We decided to not only include artworks by our older, more experienced art students in this exhibition. We specifically wanted to include pieces from all age categories as it so beautifully reflects the warmth and compassion of the maturing mother-child relationship.”

Similar to a language, art is a form of expression. Its message may be symbolic or religious, historical or political, but the purpose of art is not simply to communicate a message, but more importantly, to elicit an emotional response.

ABQ Education Group Chief Learning Officer, Sigve Austheim says, “ABQ Schools offer art as a subject up to Grade 12. Art has a wide range of uses and influences on its students. It improves motor skills. Simple things like mastering a paintbrush or using crayons and pencils help develop fine motor skills, especially in younger children. Studying the arts also helps improve academic performance, not just through creativity, but it also improves learning in areas like maths and science, as well as the literary field.”

Bait Al Zubair is the ideal setting for this unique exhibition. This beautifully restored house displays the Zubair family’s collection of Omani artefacts that spans a number of centuries and is considered to be the finest privately owned collection. It is one of the country’s architectural icons and in 1999 was the proud recipient of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos’ Award for Architectural Excellence, the first time it was awarded in Oman. It initially started as a private museum but opened its doors to the public in 1998.

The exhibition will be on display from Sunday, 20 to Thursday, 24 March 2022 between 9 am and 5 pm.