The foyer of the National Theatre in Abu Dhabi is once again buzzing, this time with an impressionist exhibition from Spanish artist Alicia Grau (Barcelona, Spain 1955). The exhibition closes on Saturday 2nd April so this is your last chance to get down there and have a look.

Her work is being shown as part of the ‘Hispanic Arabian Project’ supported by Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage in collaboration with the Spanish embassy.

Her paintings are strongly textured oil on canvas, depicting simple childhood scenes in some work and streetscapes of Abu Dhabi in others. The childhood pictures in particular are enhanced by the thickness and texture of the paint, giving a sense of volume and depth and the light pastel colours add a nostalgic and dreamlike quality to the work.The image of a child playing with a kite on an empty beach evokes fond memories of innocence and play to the observer, and there is a strong sense of calm and space about the paintings.

Grau’s streetscapes of Abu Dhabi, however, do not benefit so much from the use of light colours, and combined with the lack of human subjects, seem more like a distant, passing view than a real engagement with the city and all its diversity. Technically skilled as they are, they do not draw the viewer in to the scene in the same extent as her other paintings.

Having said this, the exhibition is well worth a look.

Zarina Yusaf