Three collections of beautifully crafted oil paintings, that have never been shown in public were unveiled at the Meydan hotel yesterday.
The paintings, property of the Kataria Foundation, were all done by Svetlana Osobik, a talented Ukrainian artist who is sponsored by the Kataria family to create private works that will form the family's heritage.
"The pieces are far too precious to be on sale," explains Shital Kataria, "but we decided to share them simply for the benefit of art enthusiasts."
Collector Shital Kataria and guests enjoy the artwork
The exhibition was a collaboration between the Kataria foundation and Pegas Art Gallery, owned by Dr Dinara Rakhimbaeva, who says that their goals were completely aligned.
"It is rare to find collectors who have real passion about the art for art's sake," says Dr Rakhimbaeva. "The artist too is very talented and she expresses each culture in such a unique way we are proud to be exhibiting her."
Svetlana Osobik and Dr Dinara Rakhimbaeva at the opening of the show
Osobik herself spends many hours researching her topic before she begins to paint and when she does, she says it is a spiritual experience. "When I paint, I give my hand to God and then, when I see the images, I pull them out of the colours. I love to open each layer of my painting and make sure there is a lot of depth in each one."
* Love and Culture is on display only until the end of the day in the ballroom in the Meydan Hotel. There will be another show later in the year in Abu Dhabi
