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Isolation and communication is the theme of Reverberations, an exhibition at Dubai Media City

"A painting does not have to be pretty or perfectly done," says Rin Colabucci, "Paula Kearney and I chose to paint from the soul." Their work is currently on display at the Dubai Media City Building 2.

Born in post-war Hiroshima and daughter of a Japanese master craftsman, Colabucci cannot remember a time when she was not surrounded by art. She attended a Buddhist nursery school, a Christian boarding school and a Shinto university where she studied philosophy and religion. She says her eclectic education is reflected in the diverse moods and feelings evident in her paintings.

Paula Kearney, who is Irish and studied Fine Arts at the College of Marketing and Design in Dublin, later transferred to the National College of Art and Design where she graduated.

Art for Kearney is not decorative work. It must "say something to somebody. I know art communicates," she explains, "and Rin and I both have expressive styles." Kearney works fast with big brush strokes and gets her inspiration from Irish art which is often dark and brooding.

Kearney admits her style has not changed radically since she started painting. Her works evolve around figurative forms and she says she uses paint and drawing materials as a way of searching for effective configurations of form, line and colour.

"I have not been influenced by the sand, desert and wadis, they do not inspire me," says Kearney, adding "my mood is expressed in my paintings and I want to say something in my work. I don't just want to create a picture."