News Desk
At the National Art Gallery in Malé this week, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu walked quietly among walls alive with color. He was there for “Ihusaas,” a solo exhibition by Abdulla Faiz, whose impressionist canvases have long celebrated the Maldives’ heritage while stretching into scenes from other shores.
Faiz, born and raised in Malé, works in oils—thick, layered, and quick with the brush—capturing the shimmer of a lagoon or the weight of memory with the same loose precision. The 50 paintings here, on view through Aug. 18, move between sunlit atolls, bustling harbors, and imagined streets far from the Indian Ocean, all bound by what the artist calls “feeling, care, and a free mind.”
The title, “Ihusaas,” means “feelings” or “emotions” in Dhivehi, a clue to Faiz’s preoccupations. His seascape “Simple in Appearance and Mighty at Sea” leans into the Maldives’ maritime heritage with a bold, luminous palette. Another piece, “The Elegance of Tradition,” frames island life in warm, rhythmic strokes. “I strive to touch the hearts of viewers, collectors, and art enthusiasts,” Faiz said, as the president paused before several works, then signed the exhibition’s guest book.
Faiz’s career has been marked by a deep connection to place—Malé, Sri Lanka, Dubai—and a restless curiosity. He has shown internationally, collaborated with resorts to bring his work to travelers, and spoken openly about his desire to paint in cities as varied as Cairo, Paris, and New Delhi. His 2023 exhibition “Journey” drew praise for its nostalgic pull, a thread continued here.
