Unveiling Visions — a continuing success

With the opportunity to shine on the national stage, the exhibition this year featured 64 participants with slight changes to their requirements over past iterations, allowing for unique and timeless pieces to be enjoyed by all.

The year 2021, being the one right after COVID-19 ravaged the world, proved to be a challenging time for all events, and the ‘Unveiling Visions’ exhibition was no exception. However, with the determination and drive of the many talented people involved, the exhibition has been a noted success, albeit with a few obstacles that could have been best avoided.

Over 150 participants expressed their interest in the exhibition, and from amongst them, over 80 were first shortlisted — this was through judging their work, their social media presence, and overall artistry —  of whom 64 eventually went on to participate. The exhibition doubles as a sales platform as well, with the artists given the opportunity to value their work and earn through the sales of their works. 

This year, physical frames were optional and left to the discretion of the participants, and the maximum size restriction was extended to six feet, beyond the previously described 2-5 feet length limitation. Although there were six categories, the awarding of ‘Vibrant Artist’ did not include the sculpture category as there were not enough participants to create a fair judging. The five remaining categories, painting, calligraphy, drawing, mix media, and digital art, all had winners selected

NCA should receive due praise in the work they have done in both appropriating and preparing the gallery, and also in the management of the entire event. It was pivotal in ensuring smooth collaboration between the Maldivian Artist Community and the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Heritage.

There will, as usual, always be take-aways in terms of experience on what needs to be improved for the next year; and this year presented some repetitive difficulties. First and foremost, the National Gallery proved a hard venue to secure. In addition, renovations that were to be done over two years ago are still not completed. Lighting remained a major issue, as visitors noted how it was not adequate for such an exhibition, permeating the venue with an overall lacklustre feel, where vibrance should have been key, thus taking away from an all encompassing experience. 

The fact that the event was delayed on the part of the National Gallery dealt a depressing blow to the artists. Given how it was at the end of the year, many resort-owners and managers were not able to participate. Some of the artworks displayed over the past few years had made themselves all the way over to different resorts and hotels, including the top 15 artworks being exhibited at Kandima Resort, yet this year that opportunity was absent.

The team also notes how the lack of a permanent exhibits does not foster the love for the arts that the nation sorely needs. Given how the National Art Gallery is technically implied to give such support, the lack of such a platform in place is generally disappointing. This disappointment is particularly evident in the face of overwhelming support by the public for the yearly exhibition. 

Friends, family members, art lovers and prospective art buyers are given the chance to interact and connect with the artists, and they attended in droves. To further expand on the artistic experience, the exhibition team also incorporated live painting and sculpting, as well as art-related talks throughout the course of the event. This year a catalogue was also successfully printed and utilised, with a virtual gallery also set up for all to peruse. 

As for the sales, this year’s statistics were drastically lower. Where first day sales had been between 10-20 pieces in years prior, 2021’s third day had only seen ten sales concluded. However the artists and the team themselves, are not worried — nor do they judge the success of the event from this metric.

The organising teams hope to expand their horizons with more art related events, such as exhibitions, seminars, workshops, and even festivals, over the course of the coming year. While ‘Unveiling Visions’ would remain as the crowning event, it is expected that with further cooperation between NCA, MAC, and the administration, art may one day cease being restricted to the National Gallery. Given the immense Maldivian talent already visible on social media, the public hopes that such talent may one day be given due recognition and the honour they deserve, hopefully ushering in a golden age of Maldivian art that has been a long time in the making.