Florence, Keil Space serves as a cultural bridge between Italy and Bahrain

An interesting cultural diplomacy initiative was sealed in Florence : Sheikha Hala Mohamed Al Khalifa, director of the Culture and Arts Directorate of the Bahrain Culture and Antiquities Authority, was appointed “Global Ambassador” of Keil Space for Advanced Art. Keil Space, founded by London-based artist Sam Keil under the auspices of the Keil Foundation and developed under the strategic direction of Mohamed Ogbi, recently obtained the patronage of the city of Florence, consolidating its role in the Florentine and international cultural scene.

The sheikh’s entry as global ambassador is intended to expand a platform that is intended to be a cultural ecosystem, geared toward transformative engagement. Not just an exhibition venue, but an infrastructure where art is configured as an inner education and tool for awareness.

An artist educated between the United States and the United Kingdom (she graduated in 1999 from Tufts University in Boston and received a master’s degree from the School of Fine Arts in London in 2002), Sheikha Hala has built over time a trajectory that weaves artistic research and cultural diplomacy, with a focus on the enhancement of local identities and the role of women in Bahrain’s creative sector. Sam Keil, now active in Florence, on the other hand, develops a research on perception that fuses art, science and memory, rooted in an academic training of excellence and a tradition of craftsmanship linked to the British Crown. It is in the encounter between these two experiences that the new alliance is defined.

The visit to Keil Space(more on that here) is articulated as a sensory progression. It is not about observing works, but about entering an environment in which sight, smell, hearing and bodily perception are activated simultaneously. Three generations of bronze works guide the visitor in a narrative that combines matter, light, sound and fragrance. The story is not made explicit, but is revealed gradually, room by room. Darkness forces the eye to adapt, light sculpts volumes, sound amplifies the physical presence of the works, and fragrance creates an emotional threshold.

At the end of her visit, Sheikha Hala said in an interview that she felt touched on a completely different level. “I don’t think I have ever experienced something like this in my life. The way the story is revealed is unique. It is deeply connected to the personal journey of the artist. It evokes many levels of emotion. All my senses were active. I kept asking myself: what will happen next? Here art is not an object to be contemplated at a distance, but an experience to be traversed.”

Under the direction of Mohamed Ogbi, Keil Space was conceived as a cultural system in which art becomes spiritual infrastructure and social innovation. Ogbi argues that art can transform perception, that perception shapes identity, and that identity defines humanity’s presence in space. In this dialogue between Florence and the Gulf, a shared belief is affirmed: art is not decoration, but a tool for awareness.

Sheikha Hala’s journey spanned the three generations of bronzes presented within the space. In the first generation of bronzes Sheikha Hala sensed a “theatrical” force: “I had never seen a collection of bronzes presented in this way. There was great drama. The figures seem suspended between love, conflict and tension. The winged works draw the eye, almost beckon. their language resonated with me as an artist.” With the second generation, and particularly with Sabre, the register changes. Form becomes more abstract, more essential. Perception shifts from narrative emotion to spatial energy: “The light created a dramatic effect and the music influenced my emotions.” It is in the new generation that the experience reaches its most intense point. Colors, layered surfaces and textural vibrations generate an almost meditative suspension: “Closing and reopening my eyes, I was fascinated by the pigments and surfaces, which reminded me of fragments of the body and memory. There was a great beauty and power in being surrounded by that image.” Matter becomes memory. Bronze suggests skin. The surface evokes inner traces. Perception becomes intertwined with bodily sensibility. In a personal message addressed to Sam Keil, Sheikha Hala writes, “Thank you for allowing us to embark on a journey that tells how you think, how you work, and how your path crosses generations.”

Florence, Keil Space serves as a cultural bridge between Italy and Bahrain

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