EXHIBITION CATALOGUE 2025-2026

Maldives; A Simple Story

Maldives; A Simple Story examines the layered narratives of the Maldives, presenting the islands as a living archive of culture, history, folklore, and individual experience. Departing from previous exhibitions at Veyoge Gallery Villas, which were organized through open calls, this iteration investigates how a single artist can transform an entire villa into a fully immersive solo exhibition. Fifteen artists were invited to inhabit the villas and reinterpret the spaces under a unifying curatorial theme, producing works that resonate with both personal and collective histories. The exhibition asks: how can architecture, environment, and human presence converge to tell a story? Each artist spent time within the villa, engaging with its walls, corners, and the rhythms of its inhabitants and visitors before creating site-specific works that transform domestic space into a narrative landscape. The resulting visual artworks and immersive, interactive installations oscillate between the poetic and the provocative, offering interpretations of Maldivian life that are both intimate and expansive. While united under a single curatorial theme, the final works revealed a striking diversity of expression. From explorations of marine and botanical ecologies to investigations of cultural practice, folklore, family lineage, and selfhood, each villa presents a distinct chapter in the collective story of the Maldives. Through these immersive interventions, the exhibition foregrounds art as a means of reconstructing memory and identity and of opening dialogue between local narratives and an international audience. Maldives; A Simple Story reflects on a place, identity, and storytelling. It’s testament to the capacity of art to render the familiar into something extraordinary. - Nadee Rachey, Curator -

A ' Fannuverin, Fathuruverinnah' Initiative

The Suvāsthi Gallery by Oaga Art Resort, through its CSR initiative "Fannuverin Fathuruverinah," provides a platform for local talent, enabling artists to earn revenue with each villa stay and connect with a global audience. Oaga redefines luxury by blending art, culture, and hospitality, showcasing the Maldives' largest art collection across its Pool Villas. Guests are immersed in Maldivian creativity, with opportunities to purchase artwork and contribute to the recognition of local talent.