By Majd Othman

KUWAIT: An art exhibition opened on Tuesday at the Contemporary Art Platform (CAP) titled "Students of the Visual Arts". Teacher Dima Ali Quttaineh said participants include a number of talented children, adding she wants to show their creative artworks over the next two weeks. She explained the exhibition showcases the art of dedicated and passionate students exploring freedom of expression.

"As an artist, I always believed in talented people, especially when I met many of them in the beginning of my artistic journey, who hoped their paintings could be displayed at art galleries. Therefore, I felt the importance of supporting others to become artists and not give up on their dreams. This is how I started my journey in teaching art and decided to adopt the idea of supporting artists to publish and show the beauty of their works," Quttaineh said.

KUWAIT: Dima Ali Quttaineh with some of her students. – Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat.

"Despite the difficulties and struggles in the beginning of my artistic journey, it was important to share this experience with my students to help them improve their talents, in addition to my constant attempts to give them the freedom to express themselves, which helps them draw with more creativity," she said. "The ages of participating artists start from six years. While they try to apply different concepts in their paintings, my main role is to guide them to reach the most creative result, hoping they will continue their journey in the field of art."

Students participating in the exhibition are Lara Al-Barrak, Nourra Al-Husaini, Lama Al-Husaini, Hussain Esam Adel Al-Kazemi, Mohammed Hashem Al-Refai and Hussain Hashem Al-Refai. Hussain Al-Refai, 7, told Kuwait Times he is thrilled to participate in the exhibition to show the paintings he is proud of. He said his most wonderful painting took him two days to complete, adding his mother and teacher Dima helped him.

Mohammed Al-Refai, 12, said: "My artworks displayed at this exhibition are a mix of my old and new paintings. Because I like Picasso, I try to imitate his art in a simple way, in addition to adding my own touch." Hussain Al-Kazemi, also 12 years old, said: "I don't think a lot about the idea - I just start drawing randomly and the painting is ready." He said every artist creates a different atmosphere to paint.

Caroline Rogers, a teacher, told Kuwait Times: "It is just amazing that the children had such an opportunity over the summer to do these different types of artworks. It is amazing for the children to show what they have done! I spoke to some of the young artists, who were very passionate about the artworks they created. I was completely astounded by the art and colors and the process of creating this art."