The History of Omani Women in the Fine Arts Movement

Abstract

Omani women have not been too far behind in the fine arts movement that first began in the mid 1970s in Oman. Women's participation in fine arts was marginal and limited only to Muscat the capital. However, during the 1980s and 1990s, a number of prodigies appeared and became role models for the fine art movement in Oman. The first female participation at a fine art exhibition was at an exhibition held in October 1989. Since that time women's participations were obvious. The Omani Fine Art Society (OFAS) was established in 1993 and the presence of the female fine artists further intensified. The creation of this society encouraged women to practice fine arts. Today, the number of women registered at the OFAS outweighs the number of men, which makes the Omani women artists an appropriate case to be investigated. Therefore, this research focused on the history of the fine arts movement in Oman in general and the history of Omani women artists in particular, with reference to famous women and their artworks. The result of this study shows that the Omani women involved themselves in modern and contemporary arts, using different artistic styles, as well as implementing installations, photographs and video arts by using mysterious stories, spiritualism, cultural traditions and motifs that define their identity and experiences through their artworks.