Curated by Nadine Al Shaikh
Traces of Time
The Art of Becoming
Nadine Gallery – Art & Design Lounge is proud to announce the open call for Bahraini women artists to participate in the 5th Edition of the Bahraini Woman Annual Exhibition, presented under the evocative theme:
“Traces of Time – The Art of Becoming”
Taking place in December 2026 in celebration of Bahraini Woman’s Day, this edition invites Bahraini Women Artists to reflect on one of life’s most powerful forces: time & change.
Time changes us. It shapes our stories, transforms our perspectives, leaves memories behind, and quietly reveals who we are becoming.
Through painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, and contemporary artistic practices, we invite Bahraini women artists to explore transformation, identity, memory, growth, change, and the passage of life—interpreting the theme through their own unique artistic language.
What traces has time left on you?
What has it transformed?
And who are you becoming?
This is an invitation to turn those reflections into art—and to leave your own trace within a collective celebration of Bahraini women and their creative journeys.
Artists are encouraged to interpret the theme freely and authentically through their own artistic language. Your work may explore growth, identity, memory, change, resilience, transformation, heritage, relationships, or the passage of time.
A detailed concept narrative and thematic guidance are provided below to inspire your interpretation.
Concept & Curatorial Statement
Time — it moves, dissolves, and rebuilds.
Change — it reshapes, renews, and redefines.
Together, they form the rhythm of existence: a silent pulse that guides our stories, molds our emotions, and traces our becoming. “Traces of Time – The Art of Becoming” brings together a collective of artists who explore how life transforms through the quiet and the sudden, the seen and the unseen.
Each artwork in this exhibition acts as a fragment of a larger timeline — a visual echo of transformation. Through painting, sculpture, photography, and design, the artists reflect on how moments pass, how memory alters form, and how creation itself becomes an act of preserving and surrendering to change.
The exhibition does not seek to capture time, for that is impossible. Instead, it embraces its movement — its erosion, growth, and return. The surfaces of each work carry traces of the artist’s hand, like layers of history compressed into a single breath. What was once a thought becomes material; what was once certain fades into something new.
In this shared space, time is not linear but fluid.
It folds upon itself like fabric, where yesterday and tomorrow touch, and where emotion lives between what was and what is becoming.
“Traces of Time” invites viewers to slow down — to witness how art mirrors the human experience of impermanence. It asks: How do we measure change? In years, in losses, in awakenings? And perhaps more importantly, what do we choose to carry forward, and what do we let go?
As the viewer moves through the exhibition, they encounter stories of growth, resilience, nostalgia, and transformation — visual languages that bridge the personal and the universal. Together, they form a collective reflection on time’s tender cruelty and its quiet generosity — how it teaches us that everything shifts, yet somehow, essence remains.
Who We Welcome
We invite submissions from:
• Women artists of Bahraini nationality or women married to Bahraini nationals
• Artists working across painting, sculpture, mixed media, photography, textile art, installation, digital art, and other relevant visual art practices
• Artists at all stages of their careers — emerging, mid-career, and established
Whether your practice is rooted in tradition, contemporary expression, experimentation, or new media, we welcome your unique perspective on the art of becoming.
Submission Requirements
Please submit the following:
• Artist’s Full Name
• Artist Statement
• Short Biography, including selected exhibitions and relevant artistic experience
• 1–2 Artwork Images that relate to or are suitable for the exhibition theme
• Original Artwork — submissions must be original works created by the artist and not reproductions or copies of other artists’ images or paintings
• Artwork Details: Title- Dimensions- Medium – Year of creation – Short Description or concept of the work.
• Contact Information: Mobile Number- Address- Email address
Participation fees:
BD 77/-
(You can select from 3 options to pay the participation fees.)
1- Full amount, or
2- Four monthly instalments, or
3- By donating an art work to the Gallery’s collection, not larger than 1x1m and not smaller than A4 size. (last option is for selected artists only, and pre-arranged with the curator. Discuss this option with the curator)
Note: Artists’ pictures for the booklet, will be taken by a professional photographer assigned by Nadine Gallery. You just need to show up.
Submission Deadline
Thursday 15th October 2026 (11 pm)
We encourage artists to take this opportunity to share a work that carries a story — a trace of where you have been, a reflection of where you are, or a vision of who you are becoming.
For Inquiries
Email: support@nadine-gallery.com
Mobile/ WhatsApp: + (973) 39520200
