When artists set aside their pallete of colours and focus on using just black and white, the result can be magical. Using these two dynamic hues, a group of international artists in Oman have created a myriad of artistic expressions with robust interpretations that can render all other colours pale.

The Spring Salon 2023 at Matti Sirvio Art Galleria, in Jawharat al Shatti, which opened last evening, has a unique theme – Black is White, Black and White, Black or White. The exhibition was inaugurated under the auspices of Rasmia Noor Mohamed al Zadjali, of RASMA, an art and artistic lifestyle consultancy.

The exhibition features 62 artworks by 45 artists, including 16 Omani artists. The participant artists are from India, China, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Philippines, USA, Russia, Pakistan, Korea, UK, Germany, Finland, besides Oman.

The title initiates different approaches to the theme of black and white recalling Russian artist Kazimir Malevich’s sensational ‘Black Square’ painting from 1915.

“In a world where black is no more black, and white is no more white, the artists are challenged to continue creating meaningful visuals,” says Matti Sirvio, proprietor of Matti Sirvio Art Galleria and curator of the exhibition.

Explaining the concept and guidelines to the participants, Sirvio said, “In the aftermath of Postmodernism the precise, clear concept of truth is still distrusted. Black and White represents to me the classical concept of human observation.

“Without a contrast nothing can be defined. Undefined meaning makes no sense. If everything is true, then nothing is true. When man proclaims his inability to differentiate black from white, boy from girl and truth from lies, he has fallen to the bottom again. It’s time to go back to square one. In today’s world of art, I feel the longing to go back to meaningful communication.

About the artists’ portrayal of the theme, he said, some of the participating artists have already expressed their dilemma about the content. Others are still simply experimenting more with the visual elements without any deeper engagement with the content

Disclosing his own understanding of Malevich’s Black Square, he said it has inspired many artists the same way like Mark Rothko’s or C Y Twombly’s paintings inspire by their bold freedom to claim their right to be displayed.

“They will never be appreciated nor sought after by the masses. For those who hunger for the same kind of freedom they are a never-ending inspiration and joy,” Sirvio observed.

When asked if he subscribed to the view that Malevich’s Black Square is considered the cornerstone of abstract art, Sirvio said, “The origins of abstract art go far beyond Malevich. God breathed into the dust of the earth and made man a living soul. That is the beginning of abstract (non-material) art.”

The Spring Salon will be on at the gallery till May 31.