Oman based artist showcases work to the world

Muscat based artist Ibrahim Gailani just returned back after successfully exhibiting from December 4-9 in Miami, Florida at one of the serval art festivals happening during the internationally acclaimed Art Basel Miami Beach Art Week that is a week of the biggest celebration of art anywhere in the world. Art Basel Week in Miami is one of the largest celebrations of art that happens anywhere in the world. The entire city of Miami is transformed into showcases of art and artistic performances. It’s as if the entire world of artist, art curator and collectors from Europe, South America and the Far-East all descend at the same time.
The city is dotted with large white tents that showcase different Art Shows like Context, Un-titled, Scope Miami, Aqua Miami, Red-Dot, Spectrum and others.
Artist Gailani was chosen by art gallery Steidel Fine Arts to represent their international artists’ collection at the Red Dot Miami Art show. Gailani along with a Dubai-based artist were the only Middle-East based artists selected by Steidel to be showcased.
For Gailani this was something beyond a dream. "To be in Miami during art Basel and showcase at Red-Dot was something that I couldn’t have even dreamt of when I started professionally exhibiting my art five years ago. I would stand during the festival and pinch myself to see if it was true," he said.
Elaborating further on the perception of art and artists in GCC and the region he said, “What was wonderful is how well the art was received and a chance to talk to such a large group of people about Oman and the art scene in general of the Middle-East. For me it’s all about representing a positive image of this region to the west and showing that there art artists who live here who have a modern contemporary voice and a unique aesthetic that is a par with the taste levels of the west – so in a way one has to be an ambassador of awareness”.
Gailani also touts to good timing and a bit of luck as the co-owner and curator of Steidel Fine Arts, Maxwell Chapman was going through the show catalogue of Art-Vancouver where Gailani had won the Best International Artist Exhibitor Award and that caught their eye and he booked Gailani for Red Dot Miami at Art Basel week.
With over 5,000 galleries exhibiting during that week and an estimated customer visits of over 85,000 people this festival is like the “Oscar Awards Night” for any artist who exhibits their work and Gailani hope to use the platform to reach a wider western audience.