Exhibition to look beyond cancer, through pictures

Manama, Nov. 13 (BNA): A charity art exhibition held to help young children with cancer was so successful that the artist is already drawing up plans for another show within weeks. "I am working on having the exhibition on February 4 as it coincides with World Cancer Day," Dayana Al Shaikh said. "This time, it will be a photo exhibition featuring photographs, and each of them will have its own story to share with the local and international communities," Dayana, a well-known painter and photographer said. Last month, Dayana, who has been fighting cancer and campaigning for the struggle against it, held a charity exhibition to raise funds for Child's Wish Society, a Bahraini charity that grants wishes to children suffering from illnesses. "Letters of Hope", a collection of unique Arabic calligraphy paintings, also shed light on Dayana's personal experience in fighting cancer with unshakable faith and immovable hope. The exhibition, a powerful combination of optimism and beauty, featured several paintings that were all sold within hours of the opening. "I am deeply grateful to all those who have shown me their support, be it in person or through messages and prayers," Dayana said. "It was a momentous occasion for me, but, more importantly for the young hearts and minds who need every cheer and every support we can provide. The exhibition showed me again that our world is beautiful thanks to the commitment and devotion of those who people it, and that it is also amazing thanks to their care and compassion," she said. Dayana said that the presence of Isa Al Hammadi, the information and parliament affairs minister, at the opening of the exhibition was a great indication of his support for noble causes and for Bahraini artists. "I am grateful he took time off his busy schedule and spent a long time at the exhibition, looking at the paintings, asking questions and mingling with the visitors," she said. "I am also grateful to the diplomats who came and showed their own care and support and that of their communities. The presence of Turkish Ambassador Hatun Demirer and US Ambassador William Roebuck was really heart-warming. I am grateful to all my relatives and friends, as well as to the other visitors to the exhibition who voiced and expressed support," she said. Dayana has been using her skills in photography and painting to highlight the beauty of natural landscapes and sites and to share messages of resolute hope and unwavering fortitude. More than 12,500 people follow her account on Instagram (dayanna_bh) where her depiction of natural landscape and her messages about the fight against cancer and the prayers for cancer fighters are often praised by her followers. "The way she takes her pictures gives them a magical dimension that enchants you immediately," one follower said. "You may have seen the place dozens of times, but when you see it in her picture, you have the impression you are looking at something new, something magical that keeps you staring and wondering how you had never noticed how beautiful it really is. The place suddenly oozes peace and serenity and you find yourself strongly attached to it and happily relaxed." The international community marks World Cancer Day on February 4 in a hopeful bid to raise awareness about cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. World Cancer Day was founded by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to support the goals of the World Cancer Declaration, written in 2008.