Oman culture: A stunning first for the ROHM

As His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Minister of Heritage and Culture, cut the ribbon at the great glass doors that lead to the Grand Hall of the Royal Opera House, the delicate sound of a gently played oud could be heard. Then, a procession of dignitaries followed the Prince and the Artist into the Grand Hall where they did not find artwork on walls or easels, but on a magnificent series of seven folding screens arranged like giant angular fans.
The imagery of waves opening like flowers or bursting clouds erupted from and flowed across the screens like the awakening of Spring, or like primordial beginnings of mysterious unknowns. No-one could say exactly what they were sensing and seeing, except that light was emerging from darkness, perhaps a long time ago.
This is the essence of Lou Zhenggang’s art and the secret of her phenomenal success – that she depicts simultaneously the ancient and contemporary spirit of China. Her declared aim is not to create beauty; it is to make powerful artwork. Nevertheless, the current exhibition is, in equal measure, powerful and beautiful.
It is hard to imagine art that could stand on its own merits amid the architectural and decorative splendour of the ROHM’s Grand Hall – but Wan Ziang - Harmony & Nature does exactly that. Rigorous training in the formal Chinese art of calligraphy from the age of three underlies the exacting approach that Lou Zhenggang takes to rendering abstract portrayals that have the ring of realism. Her renown is international, with more than thirty solo exhibitions, and a number of tours outside China – in Australia, the USA and France.
His Highness Sayyid Kamil Fahad Al Said, Member of the Board of the Royal Opera House noted that the Exhibition is deemed an historic occasion because it “marks the first such event to be held at the Royal Opera House Muscat...and opens a new era in which the Royal Opera House as the Sultanate’s premier cultural institution hosts the visual as well as the performing arts with the aim of stimulating further development of the nation’s vital creative sector.” And so we can look forward to more exhibitions of some of the world’s finest art at the ROHM.
The exhibition, Wan Ziang - Harmony & Nature, continues at the ROHM until the 17th of December.
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