"Unveiling Visions 2023" Maldives Contemporary Art Exhibition ends today (20 August 2023).

Is it worth checking out? I did a few days ago but until last night I was not sure what I should write about it. I thought and thought and thought and my thinking rested on the fact that this art exhibition, curated by prominent Maldivian artist Afzal Shafiu (Afu), a classmate of mine in Majeediyya school, could not save it from being unable to thematically flow in a logical tour, something that was also notable in the recently concluded art exhibition by Maldivian Impressionist painter Abdullah Faiz.

But one may conclude that if it's a solo exhibition, the artist's works can be curated to a seamless flow, which is not what actually happened at Faiz's exhibition, and I voiced my opinion, to a friend who pointed out that Faiz's display was erratic, that it could have been because Faiz's exhibition was practically jumping across the things that made an impact on his life, as aptly titled "Journey", on which one can witness a wide range of art which fits his thoughts rather than necessarily ordering them in a cohesive flow.

And I noticed that a similar "issue" was faced by the "Unveiling Visions 2023", although this time it was an exhibition displaying the works of multiple artists which, like Faiz's, jumped from one unrelated piece to another, and I didn't see how it can be curated to a smooth flow because it was an exhibition of a variety of themes from a variety of Maldivians.

But this was exactly why I found "Unveiling Visions 2023" interesting and it had a pleasant effect on me actually: it was like entering and exiting multiple unrelated dreams due to the absence of any flow in the curating process, because I suppose that such a curating cannot be possible as the exhibition was displaying a variety of themes from a variety of Maldivian artists. Thus this trip of jumping through various artists' realities and fantasies was awesome.

Sadly, I cannot convince some of my friends to pay a visit even on this last day of the exhibition which is today (20 August 2023) because literally you have to pay for entry: that's MVR 25 if you are a Maldivian and USD 2 if you are a foreign tourist. Entry is free if you are below 12 years of age or visit in your school uniform.

Titled "Maldives Contemporary Art Exhibition", and held at the National Art Gallery (NAG) in Maldives' capital Male', I asked one of my friends who is boycotting this exhibition about his thinking behind not been bothered to check out some of the best artworks by both established and young and new Maldivian artists.

He replied that this is the 6th such exhibition organized by the Maldivian non-governmental organization (NGO) Maldivian Artist Community (MAC) and that he was taking a stand for his principle that art should be free for viewing.

This reminds me of a friend saying that if anything is for free, without any value placed on it, people will believe that it's not a credible thing or service and therefore, something should be charged, even a small amount to make it considered as having value.

I don't have much connection with MAC, so I am not sure why they are charging an entry fee. I thought it was like football teams given a share of the money from spectators who buy tickets to watch their game. I then thought whether MAC was going to share the finances generated from the entry fee among the artists even if their artworks were not purchased by art collectors and enthusiasts.

But this is all my personal speculation and should not be treated as true. I could of course ask MAC about it, but I am of the view that my journalism career doesn't matter now as there are many young and budding Maldivian journalists writing for more than 90 Maldivian news websites. I am just happy being a private blogger in my small personal corner of the world after burning out from two decades of professional journalism.