Kandima Maldives Turns Island Art Exhibition into a New Model for Marine Conservation Funding

The Dhirun biodiversity exhibition brought Maldivian artists and resort guests together, with an additional 30% on artwork sales directed to conservation in Dhaalu Valla.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The Dhirun exhibition linked an island-wide art experience at Kandima Maldives with funding for biodiversity protection.
• UNDP identifies 19 participating Maldivian artists in the core programme and a 30% buyer contribution above the artwork price for conservation.
• Featured pieces explore marine species, mangroves, coastal erosion and the relationship between nature and island livelihoods.
• Although the exhibition officially closed in September, Kandima agreed to keep displaying works until the new year.

A tropical resort can serve as more than the setting for an art show. At Kandima Maldives, a biodiversity-themed exhibition has put that idea to the test, pairing an island-wide trail of paintings and installations with a scheme that turns artwork purchases into contributions for local conservation.

The Dhirun: Art for Biodiversity initiative, developed with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under its Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN), brought original work to the Dhaalu Atoll resort from July to September 2026. The resort’s latest artist-focused account describes contributions from more than 20 Maldivian and international creatives; UNDP, describing the core programme, identifies 19 participating Maldivian artists. The project received support from the Government of Canada and builds on Kandima’s KULA Art Initiative.

Visitors encountered art addressing coral reefs, coastal erosion, marine wildlife and the connection between the islands’ environment and everyday life. Rather than confining the work to a conventional gallery, the resort presented it as a trail through its grounds, making biodiversity a visible part of the guest experience.

Five artists interpreting the islands’ changing environment

In Dhirun, mixed-media artist Fathimath Aala Abdullah Salih portrays a woman in traditional dress whose hair transforms into an ocean inhabited by whale sharks, turtles and manta rays. The title means “life” in Dhivehi, and the imagery connects the sea to Maldivian livelihoods and cultural identity.

Ali Rishwaan, also known as Cartman Ayya, approaches biodiversity from the shoreline. His acrylic painting Reflections of Resilience depicts herons beside calm mangrove waters, drawing attention to wetlands as both habitats and protection for vulnerable coastal ecosystems.

Ahmed Shauraf takes a more interactive route with Vanishing Rays. The installation features suspended copper-wire manta-ray pendants offered for purchase. Each removal leaves an empty hook, and the remaining pendants become more expensive as their number declines. A live register tracks the effect, making the relationship between scarcity, commercial value and species loss central to the experience.

In Nature’s Treasury, Aminath Rifga Mohamed places a yellowfin tuna at the centre of a composition surrounded by whale sharks, rays, reefs and island plants. Its imagery links fishing heritage and the visitor economy to the natural environment. Nishaza Mohamed uses 3D mixed media and resin in Thundi to show a whale beneath a coastal landscape where a narrowing beach signals the threat erosion poses to nesting habitats and vegetation.

Across these different media, the works are less concerned with presenting a single scenic image of the Maldives than with exploring what environmental change means for the country’s culture, coastal settlements and tourism-dependent economy.

How an artwork purchase contributes to conservation

The exhibition also tested an approach to funding nature protection. Under the model detailed by UNDP in its September assessment, artists receive their full base asking price, while buyers pay a further 30% allocated to conservation. Kandima waived its sales commissions, and the intended beneficiary is conservation work in Dhaalu Valla, developed with local community partners including the Kudahuvadhoo Island Council.

The official exhibition closing took place in September, but this did not mean every artwork was removed. UNDP reported that Kandima opted to continue displaying the pieces until the new year, allowing the same sales mechanism to raise further funds. The partners also see potential for similar collaborations elsewhere in the Maldivian resort sector; that broader rollout remains an ambition rather than a confirmed programme.

A continuing role for art in the guest experience

For Kandima, Dhirun extends a creative programme in place since the resort opened in 2017. The KULA Art Initiative includes an annual festival, artist residencies and sessions at the KULA Art Studio, where guests can take part in hands-on creative activities. Its separate support fund receives USD 1 for every resort room night and helps local schools and artists through equipment, internships, scholarships and educational opportunities.

The exhibition suggests one way the hospitality sector can connect visitors with the ecological challenges of the places they visit, while directing a defined share of spending towards conservation. Travellers looking to explore the destination’s environmental context can also consult Visit Maldives for broader destination information.