OmanPride: Gailani Art Retreat concludes most successful season

The Gailani Art Retreat, a platform for artists and art lovers to express themselves, concluded its run for the season last Friday. Gailani Art Retreats are art therapy sessions that take place monthly at the Grand Hormuz Hotel in Muscat.

Started by Ibrahim Gailani in 2013, it is a creative platform, where artsy folks and art followers meet each other in a positive atmosphere, meditate with music, and paint their hearts out in celebration of their eccentricity.

These art retreats are not just painting workshops with canvases and paint brushes, but they aim to help participants understand themselves better and have a different perspective on life, and its goal is to share people’s passion with the world and explore interesting stories.

Those who take part in the retreat are promised a judgment-free session, where they can share their dreams and desires, their deepest secrets, as well as face their worst nightmares and tragedies. Topics that were discussed this season included Validation, Making the Shift, Find A Way, and Thrive.

The event was well attended by art admirers, spirituality seekers, and those who just wanted to have a good time in a congenial atmosphere. “This season was the most successful we had in terms of the number of attendees and the venue of Hormuz Grand ... it gave a true feeling of escape,” said Gailani.

The art retreat typically accommodates 25 people, and is a full-day session that is open for anyone who is at least 16. Those who join the session are given topics and asked to express themselves using art. After the session is over, participants are asked to share their beautiful creations and stories, if they wish to do so.

The artist is working on reinventing the retreats to suit everyone’s needs. “For the next retreat, we will break it into three types. We will target the youth and have a special low-cost student version for those in their early teens between 13-15 years; another one for young adults, and a third group for adults only,” the artist revealed.

One doesn’t have to be an artist to join. The only requirement is to have a canvas and a paintbrush, a judgement-free attitude, and a story to tell, either to you, or to the world. Stay tuned for the next season, as it promises to be a killer.
–[email protected]