Raya mansoor Working with color and form as a way of exploring movement, mood, and space. My paintings are intuitive and process-led, shaped by natural change and emotional states. Raya Mansoor is an Economics graduate and self-taught artist from the Maldives, represented by Oevaali Art Gallery. Her work blends abstract, expressionist, and contemporary styles, creating a distinct visual language. Raya’s early work explored the beauty of ocean life. As her artistic journey evolved, she shifted towards more expressive and bold uses of color, creating pieces that evoke energy, movement, and emotion. Raya’s work invites collectors to experience the profound connection between nature, feelings, and color.
Layered surfaces, colour fields, brush-led marks, irregular edges. Medium-scale works created as part of a series, progressing through layered stages. Warm neutrals, colourful, oil and acrylic. Broad colour areas with gentle movement.
2025, In Good Company 2026, Bloom at Dusk 2026, Bloom at Dawn 2025, Wildflower Recent Works 2025, Interrupted 2024, Nautilus 2024, Folk
Shimmering Sun Through Dusk Safe and Sound Older Works Works from Glimpse of Light, 2022 In my practice, I attempt to capture that natural chaos with a minimal and polished finish. I come to the canvas with free flow, building each layer upon the last and informing the next. Process & Studio Practice Recently, I have been working in natural light, often outdoors or in open, naturally lit spaces. The process includes paint tests drying in daylight, early stages of works developed before layering begins, and repeated forms built through regular studio sessions in natural settings. Surface details are observed during resting phases, alongside the tools and materials used in ongoing studies.
Exhibitions Group Exhibition | Mondoir Gallery, Dubai, 2025 This exhibition presents the works of two sisters, articulated through distinct yet interconnected visual languages. Held in dialogue, the paintings trace parallel journeys shaped by shared history, memory, and emotional proximity. The exhibition considers growth as a relational process, marked by closeness, distance, and continuity, and reflects on identity as something formed alongside others, through time and change. Cracks & Bloom Group Exhibition | Galeria Azur, Berlin, Germany, 2026 SESSION 01 marks the inauguration of Galerie Azur Berlin as a space for intersection, experimentation, and transition. In dialogue with the audiovisual pulse of the Berlinale, this first exhibition unfolds as an inaugural gesture that understands art not as an isolated object, but as an expanded field where material presence and moving image continuously interact. Session 01 Group Exhibition | Oevaali Art Gallery, Singapore, 2025 Terra E Mare reflects the lived reality of archipelagic existence, where nothing is entirely fixed, and everything is shaped by tide, time, and terrain. To live between earth and sea is to exist in a space of rootedness and drift. Featured artists explore how the ocean comes alive, how the land holds stories, and how both elements conspire to shape our identity, habitat, and way of life. Terra E Mare Group Exhibition | Oevaali Art Gallery, Maldives, 2019 Oevaali Art Shop’s 2019 exhibition Oceanic draws from the geography and marine life of the Maldives. Presented in acrylic, clay, and resin, the exhibition revisits and reinterprets works from the original Island Collection, marking a considered revival of early studio themes and forms. Oceanic Group Exhibition | Oevaali Art Gallery, Maldives, 2022 This exhibition presents a collection of paintings made with acrylics and mixed media, capturing the sun rays and moonshine; symbolizing light, hope and trusting the journey. Glimpse of Light Group Exhibition | Oevaali Art Gallery, Maldives, 2018 Heritage through Folk, presented by Oevaali Art Shop, brings together works by over ten Maldivian artists, each engaging with folk narratives, tradition, and inherited symbolism. Through diverse visual languages, the exhibition reflects the complexity of Maldivian identity shaped by indigenous ancestry, oral history, and mysticism. Heritage Through Folk
Looking Ahead Looking ahead, I plan to extend my ongoing works and develop them into a series over the next one to two years. On-Going I am working across small, medium, and large-scale works. The palette is broad and natural, drawn from island colours and sunlight. Each session adds layers of acrylic and oil.
Oevaali Art Gallery, Maldives / Singapore raya@oevaaliartshop.com