ART DUBAI EDUCATION PROGRAMME MARCH 21-24, 2018 MADINAT JUMEIRAH
Art Dubai is held under the Patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai
CONTENTS
8
WELCOME TO ART DUBAI
9
VISITING THE FAIR
16
ART DUBAI 2018 GALLERIES
24
ART DUBAI CONTEMPORARY
29
ART DUBAI MODERN
34
ART DUBAI RESIDENTS
38
ART DUBAI EDUCATION
WELCOME TO ART DUBAI
Art Dubai is an international art fair with roots in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. The 12th edition of Art Dubai takes place March 21-24, 2018 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This year’s edition features 105 galleries from 48 countries, making this edition the largest and most globally diverse to date and reinforcing its position as the most global of art fairs and the preeminent platform to discover new artists, galleries and emerging trends. Alongside the contemporary gallery halls, guests are able to discover Art Dubai Modern, the only platform dedicated to showcasing museum-quality works by modern masters from the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. For the first time this year, visitors can discover the works of 11 artists who have taken part in the inaugural Residents gallery programme, which saw international artists create work for the fair during a 4week residency in the UAE. Art Dubai also features the most extensive collateral programming of its kind, which includes Art Dubai Projects; Global Art Forum 12, the most significant annual arts conference in the Middle East and Asia, which this year focuses on the power, paranoia and potentials of automation and is entitled “I Am Not a Robot”; The Room, a largescale immersive installation and series of performances, which is being taken over by the artist collective GCC this year; the unveiling of The Abraaj Group Art Prize, the most significant art prize in the region, which celebrates its 10th anniversary and has been awarded to Lawrence Abu Hamdan, whose commission will be presented alongside works by three shortlisted artists in an exhibition curated by Myriam Ben Salah; and the annual Art Dubai Modern Symposium, a series of talks and presentations focusing on Modern masters from the Middle East, South Asia and Africa who have been producing works throughout the 20th century.
8
VISITING THE FAIR
LOCATION Madinat Jumeirah, Al Sufouh Road, Umm Suqeim, Exit 39 (Interchange 4) from Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
PUBLIC OPENING HOURS Wednesday, March 21 Art Dubai Ladies Preview** Global Art Forum Art Dubai Modern Symposium VIP Opening*
1-4pm 2-6:30pm 4-8pm 4-9:30pm
Thursday, March 22 Global Art Forum Art Dubai Modern Symposium Art Dubai Programme and Gallery Halls
2-6:30pm 4-7:30pm 4-9:30pm
Friday, March 23 Global Art Forum Art Dubai Programme and Gallery Halls
2–6pm 2-9:30pm
Saturday, March 24 Art Dubai Programme and Gallery Halls
12-6:30pm
*By invitation only **Art Dubai Ladies Preview is held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of UAE Gender Balance Council, President of Dubai Women Establishment, and wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.
9
ADMISSION
Tickets to Art Dubai can be purchased online or onsite during the fair at the Welcome Desks. Our public days are March 22-24, 2018. 1-Day Pass (valid one day, either March 22, 23, 24): 60 AED if purchased online, 90 AED if purchased onsite 3-Day Pass (valid all days, March 22-24): 100 AED if purchased online, 150 AED if purchased onsite Children 18 years old and under are admitted free of charge. University students can also enter free upon show of student ID.
ART FAIR ETIQUETTE PLEASE DON’T • Touch the works (for your own safety and that of the artworks) • Bring in any food, drinks or chewing gum to the gallery halls. These are strictly prohibited • Use crayons, pens, markers or wet material in the gallery halls • Lean on walls or pedestals, and do not use them as writing surfaces • Run in the fair premises (to ensure your own safety and that of the artworks) • Bring oversized bags and backpacks in the gallery halls PLEASE DO • Take photographs of the artworks and exhibitions. You can use #AD18 or tag @artdubai on Social Media • Use only pencils for writing or sketching • Silence your mobile phones and use a soft voice so that other visitors are not distracted • Ask questions and engage with fair staff, gallery staff and others • Bring your family and friends to the fair, and help spread the word and welcome the community
10
ABOUT ART DUBAI
Art Dubai is the leading international art fair in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. The 12th edition of the fair takes place March 21-24, 2018 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates This year, Art Dubai presents a select, yet diverse line-up of 105 galleries from the UAE and around the world, across three sections: Contemporary, Modern and Residents, as well as an extensive collateral programme.
WHAT IS AN ART FAIR? Generally speaking, an art fair is a trade show—i.e. a place for people in the art world to network, to buy and sell artwork, and to exchange information. These art world professionals range from dealers and art advisors to collectors and curators. However, art fairs are so much more than that! Art fairs are wonderful visual events that are open to the public, and allow a chance to meet galleries, artists, curators and other art professionals on a personal and democratic level. Alongside this trade show are often not-for-profit programmes and parallel projects that exist to support individual artists and artist collectives that operate outside of the commercial market—allowing them the opportunity to showcase their work to a much larger public.
11
ART DUBAI AIMS TO
• Be seen as an important meeting point for the various Middle Eastern, South Asian and African arts scenes • Play an essential role in connecting the international art community— from galleries and artists, to sponsors, patrons, collectors and public institutions—and offer the opportunity to engage with the most comprehensive line-up of artists from across the region and the world • Be a ‘fair of discovery’—Art Dubai hosts 105 galleries from 48 countries and over 400 artists and contributors representing 84 nationalities THE ETHOS OF ART DUBAI Art Dubai is an international art fair with its roots in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, and is deeply committed to the development of the local UAE and regional art scenes by: • Having one of the largest non-commercial programmes of any global fair, including commissioned projects and performances, artists’ residencies, film, talks programmes and awards • Hosting the largest education programming of any such event worldwide, providing opportunities for children through to students, graduates, collectors and enthusiasts Despite the fact that it is recognised as one of the most globalised meeting points in the art world today, Art Dubai places an emphasis on maintaining its intimate, human scale while foregrounding quality and diversity. This Guide offers a starting point for visitors who wish to know more about Modern and Contemporary art in the context of Art Dubai. The guide will draw upon a selection of artworks from each section at Art Dubai (Modern, Contemporary and Residents) to illustrate key features within Modern and Contemporary art relevant to the international art scene within a regional context.
12
ABOUT MODERN ART
Modern Art (and Modernism) are loose terms given to a succession of styles and movements in art and architecture which dominated Western culture from the 19th century up to the 1960s and into the late 1970s and 1980s in some regions. These terms are usually associated with the rejection of past traditions in a spirit of experimentation. The term ‘Modernism’ claims universality, yet derives from the particular context of Western art history. As a specific period in the development of Western art, it nurtured an avant-garde that went against the academic establishment supported by the state. Modern art is often associated with a break with the art forms of the past, and stands for progressive innovation. Modern artists experimented with new ways of seeing, and the use of new and unusual materials. Movements associated with Western notions of Modern art include Impressionism, Expressionism, Cubism, Surrealism, Futurism, Bauhaus, Pop Art, and Op Art. However, this classification is not strictly applicable as such in other parts of the world as Modern art movements in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia lead a slightly different path. Artists in those regions have started breaking traditions in the early 20th century, and their practices reflect their respective cultures as well as the history of their regions. In the case of Arab artists, Modern art helped to unite them in their desire to rediscover their heritage, which, although never absent as part of their inherited daily culture, was not immediately recognised or appreciated. However, their individual efforts to decipher its inherent symbolism led them to forge a historical language common to the whole region1. South Asian artists, notably those in Pakistan, tended to draw upon wider Persian and Islamic cultural and religious contexts, whilst situating themselves as “modern cosmopolitans addressing the quandaries of the self in modernity2”. North African artists created work that was distinguished by drawing on the region’s signs and symbols, making use of these as metaphors for colonial policies, which imposed foreign languages and cultures upon the region’s local inhabitants. Influenced by “a rich Islamic heritage as introduced to the region by Arabs in the seventh century”, these artists had access to a multitude of symbols and visual language aids that helped to express themselves in an otherwise oppressive colonial and post-colonial era3.
1
Source: http://www.encyclopedia.mathaf.org/en/essays/Pages/Record-or-Arab-Art-Again.aspx
2
Source: https://books.google.ae/books?id=QbrqCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA3&l pg=PA3&dq=modern+art+south+asia&source=bl&ot s=WNxRuyZhd6&sig=3tXd7FqftlCucjK27pNscYv-Uf0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiE_qzN_ cnKAhUF9x4KHYovACg4FBDoAQg3MAU#v=onepage&q=modern%20art%20south%20asia&f=false
3
Source: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/nasp/hd_nasp.htm
13
On the other hand, Modern art in the wider African continent became a reality not so much due to Western-style education, but rather because of individuals to whom art as an autonomous practice became a medium for expressing their subjectivity and coming to terms with their sociopolitical circumstances4. Contributing to this amalgamation of styles, focuses and traditions were the internationally educated artists that brought back Western models of Modern art to their home countries—often causing a hybridity of movements and styles to occur. Keep this in mind when looking at the artworks on display in Art Dubai Modern, and use your eyes to investigate the works of art; what are they depicting? Who inspired them? Are they reminiscent of somewhere else? What role did music, poetry and literature play?
14
4
Source: Chika Okeke, Modern African Art, 2001
ABOUT CONTEMPORARY ART
Strictly speaking, the term ‘Contemporary art’ refers to art made and produced by artists living today, working and responding to a global environment that is culturally diverse, technologically advanced, and multifaceted. Questions such as “What is art?” and “What is the function of art?” are not new. When experiencing Contemporary art, viewers are encouraged to use different criteria when looking at artworks. Instead of asking, “Do I like how this looks?” viewers might ask, “Do I like the idea this artist presents?” or “What was the initial aim or concept of the work, and has the artist fulfilled this?” Having an open mind goes a long way towards understanding, and appreciating, the art of our generation. An extensive range of media enables contemporary artists to reflect and comment on our ever-changing society. When engaging with Contemporary Art, viewers are encouraged to set aside questions such as, “Is a work of art good?” and focus on queries such as “Is the work aesthetically pleasing?”, placing a consideration on whether art is “challenging” or “interesting”. Contemporary artists may question traditional ideas of how art is defined, what art consists of, and how it is made - creating a link that allows an exchange of information, whilst sometimes rejecting styles and movements5.
5
Source: http://getty.edu/education/teachers/classroom_resources/curricula/contemporary_art/background1.html
15
CONTEMPORARY GALLERY HALL 1
A13 C6 C17 A15 C18 A7 C10 B14 B9 A3 A9 B1 B8 C2 A14 C4 B3 B2 A12 B4 C5 C9 B10 A8 C7 A10 C3 C8 C13 B12 C16 A4 B11 C11 B6 C14
16
Addis Fine Art, Addis Ababa / London Agial Art Gallery, Beirut Aicon Gallery, New York Artside Gallery, Seoul Artwin Gallery, Moscow Aspan Gallery, Almaty ATHR, Jeddah bäckerstrasse4, Vienna / Galerie Michael Sturm, Stuttgart Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York / Aspen Galleri Brandstrup, Oslo Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney / Ikkan Art Gallery, Singapore / Pace Art + Technology, Menlo Park Carbon 12, Dubai Galleria Continua, San Gimignano / Beijing / Les Moulins / La Habana Dastan’s Basement, Tehran Elmarsa, Tunis / Dubai Espacio Valverde, Madrid Experimenter, Kolkata Selma Feriani Gallery, Tunis / London Saskia Fernando Gallery, Colombo Gallery 1957, Accra Gazelli Art House, Baku / London Green Art Gallery, Dubai Hafez Gallery, Jeddah Leila Heller Gallery, New York / Dubai i8 Gallery, Reykjavik INDA Gallery, Budapest Kalfayan Galleries, Athens / Thessaloniki Khak Gallery, Tehran Galerie Dorothea van der Koelen, Mainz / Venice John Martin Gallery, London Meem Gallery, Dubai Victoria Miro, London / Venice Galerie Mitterrand, Paris Mohsen Gallery, Tehran Galleria Franco Noero, Turin Gallery One, Ramallah
A6 C1 B13 A5 A1 A2 C15 A11 C12 B5 B7
Giorgio Persano, Turin Plutschow Gallery, Zurich Galerie Polaris, Paris Project ArtBeat, Tbilisi Katharina Maria Raab, Berlin Revolver GalerÃa, Lima / Buenos Aires Sanat Gallery, Karachi SANATORIUM, Istanbul Sophia Contemporary, London Galerie Tanit, Munich / Beirut The Third Line, Dubai
SOLO/DUO PRESENTATIONS MULTI-ARTIST PRESENTATIONS
17
CONTEMPORARY GALLERY HALL 2
E4 F4 D10 E1 D8 F8 E6 D1 D2 D6 F1 F5 F2 E10 F3 D9 F7 F6 D4 E3 D5 D7 E2 E5 E7 E9 E8 D3
18
Ab-Anbar, Tehran Piero Atchugarry Gallery, Pueblo Garzón Ayyam Gallery, Dubai / Beirut Galería Elba Benítez, Madrid Canvas Gallery, Karachi Custot Gallery, Dubai Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Dubai Galerie Imane Farès, Paris GALERIST, Istanbul Grosvenor Gallery, London Gypsum Gallery, Cairo Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London / Berlin Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai Galerie Lelong & Co., Paris / New York Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco Officine dell’Immagine, Milan Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo / Singapore / Shanghai Rosenfeld Porcini, London Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Hamburg / Beirut TAFETA, London TEMPLON, Paris / Brussels Vermelho, Sao Paulo VOICE Gallery, Marrakech x-ist, Istanbul Zawyeh Gallery, Ramallah Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery, Luxembourg Zilberman Gallery, Istanbul / Berlin
SOLO/DUO PRESENTATIONS MULTI-ARTIST PRESENTATIONS
19
GALLERY HALL 3 MODERN
* Solo or two-artist presentations M1 M12 M3 M13 M9 M4 M6 M11 M2 M8 M7 M15 M16 M10 M14 M5
20
Agial Art Gallery, Beirut* Akara Art, Mumbai* Albareh Art Gallery, Manama* Aria Gallery, Tehran Le Violon Bleu, Tunis* DAG, New Delhi / Mumbai / New York Elmarsa, Tunis / Dubai* Grosvenor Gallery, London Hafez Gallery, Jeddah* Karim Francis Gallery, Cairo Mark Hachem, New York / Paris / Beirut Gallery One, Ramallah* Perve Galeria, Lisbon Sanchit Art, New Delhi Ubuntu Art Gallery, Cairo* Wadi Finan Art Gallery, Amman
21
RESIDENTS
22
R9
1x1 Art Gallery, Dubai Poonam Jain (Born in 1989 in Bangalore, India. Lives and works in Bombay, India)
R8
Erti Gallery, Tbilisi Tato Akhalkatsishvili (Born in 1979 in Tbilisi, Georgia. Lives and works in Tbilisi, Georgia)
R4
Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, Seattle Zohra Opoku (Born in 1976 in Altdöbern, Germany. Lives and works in Accra, Ghana)
R2
Galerie Kornfeld, Berlin Farshad Farzankia (Born in 1980 in Tehran, Iran. Lives and work in Copenhagen, Denmark)
R3
Lakum Artspace, Riyadh Faris Alosaimi (Born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 1991. Lives and works in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
R5
The Mine, Dubai Yasuaki Onishi (Born in 1979 in Osaka, Japan. Lives and works in Osaka, Japan)
R7
Öktem&Aykut, Istanbul Jennifer İpekel (Born in 1988 in Istanbul, Turkey. Lives and works in Istanbul, Turkey)
R1
Orbital Dago, Bandung Iabadiou Piko (Born in 1984 in Prabumulih, Indonesia. Lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia)
R6
ROBERTO PARADISE, San Juan José Lerma (Born in 1971 in Seville, Spain. Lives and works between Chicago, Illinois and San Juan, Puerto Rico)
R10
The Rooster Gallery, Vilnius Kristina Alisauskaite (Born in 1984 in Klaipeda, Lithuania. Lives and works in Vilnius, Lithuania)
R11
Tyburn Gallery, London Victor Ehikhamenor Born in 1970 in Udomi-Uwessan, Edo State, Nigeria. Lives and works between Lagos, Nigeria and Maryland, USA)
R6 R11
R3 R8
R5
R10
R2 R7
R4
R9
R1
ENTRANCE
TERRACE
23
CONTEMPORARY
Art Dubai Contemporary is extraordinarily diverse. The 2018 fair features 78 galleries from 42 countries, from the world’s most influential galleries to dynamic young art spaces. Likewise, the artists range from emerging and upcoming practitioners from lesser-known art capitals to household names. The works they present covers all artistic media—including painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, video, photography and performance. Always aiming to foreground quality and a curatorial approach, Art Dubai has a close relationship with its galleries: the artists they represent and the works they select reconfirm year-on-year the fair’s role as a site of discovery and diversity. Art Dubai Contemporary features commercial galleries working in the primary market and established for at least two years.
24
ART DUBAI CONTEMPORARY SELECTION COMMITTEE
All applications are reviewed by Art Dubai’s Selection Committee, comprised of gallerists and guest curators. The committee discusses each application, basing their final selection on the curatorial strength of the gallery exhibition programme and the gallery’s submitted proposal. Isabelle van den Eynde Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Dubai Ursula Krinzinger Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna Glenn Scott Wright Victoria Miro, London / Venice Andrée Sfeir-Semler Sfeir-Semler, Hamburg / Beirut Guest Curators Dr. Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath are internationally recognised independent curators and academics, and co-founders of Art Reoriented, a multidisciplinary curatorial platform based in Munich and New York. They are also the co-chairmen of the Montblanc Cultural Foundation in Hamburg.
25
ADDIS FINE ART BOOTH A13 ADDIS ABABA/LONDON
Girma Berta is a young, self-taught and award-winning fine art photographer. Using only his phone, Berta captures daily life in Addis Ababa and in his Moving Shadows series, juxtaposes solitary figures against vibrant and colourful backgrounds, creating unique artworks which exemplify the contrasting colors and personalities on the streets of his home town.1 Berta believes that “the best camera is the one that’s always with you” which is why he always uses his own phone to take photographs – the discretion of this practice helps him capture more unique moments within his work.2 Berta's use of digital media is in itself a commentary on the digital revolution underway across Africa, representing the vibrancy of the millennial African.
Girma Berta Moving Shadows II, VII 2017 digital archival print 40 x 40 cm (Edition of 7+1AP) 90 x 90 cm (Edition of 4+1AP) Courtesy of the artist and Addis Fine Art
26
1 2
https://addisfineart.com/artists/49-girma-berta/biography/² http://nataal.com/girma-berta/ http://nataal.com/girma-berta/
KRISTIN HJELLEGJERDE GALLERY BOOTH F5 LONDON / BERLIN
Soheila Sokhanvari is an Iranian-born artist who creates often mysterious and humorous works layered with bizarre narratives and political historiesš.Through the use of joyful colours and vibrant patterns, Sokhanvari takes the banal and gives it a new life. Her use of magical realism and metaphor belies the complex political undertones of her work, allowing her to take a step back and examine events from her native country through the lens of distance and time².Her investigative work uses the narratives of individuals, through the use of family photographs and found imagery to explore notions of collective trauma.
Soheila Sokhanvari This Mad Mad Universe 2018 Egg tempera on calf vellum Framed 30 x 40 cm Actual size 14.5 x 19.5 cm Courtesy of Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery
1 2
https://kristinhjellegjerde.com/artists/50-soheila-sokhanvari/overview/ http://kristinhjellegjerde.com/exhibitions/18/overview/
27
VERMELHO BOOTH E2 SÃO PAULO
Cinthia Marcelle is a Brazilian artist known for her installations, performances and videos, which stage forms of everyday life and labour to produce poetic situations¹. She uses regular materials that can be found anywhere, such as dust, sand, carpets and work tools; objects that are familiar to us and which are easily recognised both in conscious and unconscious processes. The artist's ‘state of alert’ about the things that surround her gives her the sensitivity to absorb the ephemeral meaning of everyday life experiences².
Cinthia Marcelle PII-from the series Da parte pelo todo 2015 White latex paint snow on shovel Edition 1-1 Courtesy of Eduardo Fraipont and Vermelho
28
1 2
https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/3606 http://www.galeriavermelho.com.br/en/artista/88/cinthia-marcelle
ART DUBAI MODERN
Art Dubai Modern is devoted to modern art from the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, presented by regional and international galleries, which will showcase museum-quality works by masters whose work has been influential throughout the 20th century. The fifth edition of Art Dubai Modern will feature a record 16 galleries exhibiting from 14 countries and will for the first time, offer galleries the opportunity to present tightly curated collective exhibitions, in addition to solo and two-artist shows by artists from the 20th century (up to the year 2000).
29
ART DUBAI CONTEMPORARY SELECTION COMMITTEE
Art Dubai Modern is advised by a specialist Advisory Committee, made up of renowned curators and historians including: Dr. Iftikhar Dadi is a curator, author, essayist and artist and associate professor in Cornell University’s Department of History of Art and Chair of its Department of Art. Catherine David is an art historian, curator and museum director and Deputy Director of Musée National d’Art Moderne at the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. Vali Mahlouji is a London-based curator and critic, director of the Kaveh Golestan Estate and an independent advisor to the British Museum. He is also founder of the curatorial think tank Archaeology of the Final Decade (AOTFD). Dr. Nada Shabout is Professor of Art History and Director of the Contemporary Arab and Muslim Studies Initiative at the University of North Texas, USA. She is the founding president of the Association for Modern and Contemporary Art from the Arab World, Iran and Turkey (AMCA)
30
AKARA ART BOOTH M12 MUMBAI
Piraji Sagara was an Indian artist known for his unique burnt wood paintings. He held Master’s degrees in art from the J J School of Art in Bombay and from 1963, he taught art at the School of Architecture, CEPT in Ahmedabad where he was born¹. Throughout his career, he worked in watercolour, pastel, copper and brass cut-outs and wooden boards. His abstract wood paintings were known for their authentic expression and unique use of material and technique².
Piraji Sagara Untitled 1974 Beads and paint on burnt wood 58.42 x 59.69 cm Courtesy of Akara Art Gallery
1 2
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Artist-Piraji-Sagara-no-more/articleshow/29320398.cms Courtesy of Akara Art
31
ARIA GALLERY BOOTH M13 TEHRAN
Farideh Lashai was a prominent Iranian artist and writer known for her painting, sculpture, installation and stop motion. Her work was engaged with both the political and social conditions of Iran¹.She studied art and literature in Vienna and Frankfurt, later working as a writer and translator, more specifically on the texts of German playwright Bertolt Brecht². Lashai was a prolific female artist in Iran, having held over 100 solo and group exhibitions in both public and private collections including the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art³.
Farideh Lashaei Untitled 1985 Mixed media on cardboard 52 x 75 cm Courtesy of Aria Gallery
1
32
2 3
https://sharjahart.org/sharjah-art-foundation/exhibitions/farideh-lashai http://sharjahart.org/sharjah-art-foundation/people/farideh-lashai http://artasiapacific.com/News/FaridehLashaiIranianArtistDiesAt68
UBUNTU ART GALLERY BOOTH M14 CAIRO
Samir Rafi was an Egyptian artist who was a key figure in the Surrealist movement in Egypt and a prominent member of the Contemporary Art Group, an artist collective founded in 1946š. Rafi was strongly influenced by elements and forms of Ancient Egyptian art, which he adapted to his symbolic and surrealist style of painting. His work throughout the years have featured depictions of everyday Egyptian life, animal imagery and distorted scenes of nature².
Samir Rafi Untitled 1960 87 x 132 cm Oil on board Courtesy of Ubuntu Art Gallery
1 2
https://www.barjeelartfoundation.org/artist/egypt/samir-rafi/ Courtesy of Ubuntu Gallery
33
ART DUBAI RESIDENTS
This year Art Dubai introduced a new gallery programme dedicated to solo presentations from invited galleries whose artists took part in a 4-8 week residency. The programme took place in the UAE and encouraged artists to immerse themselves in the local art scene to create a body of work, which merged their distinct artistic practice with their surroundings. The final works are on show in the new section of the fair, presented by the artists’ respective galleries. Residents 2018 presents an intimate selection of 11 solo gallery presentations by artists from around the world working across all media.
34
1X1 ART GALLERY BOOTH R9 DUBAI
Poonam Jain investigates spaces and cities she comes to inhabit using delicate intricate formats to comment on issues that concern a young woman in a city, as well as personal narratives that discuss art history and socio-political concerns. Works by Jain take on a numerical vocabulary that manifests itself in delicate architectural forms. She proposes a feminism that doesn't necessarily depend on an animosity with the feminine. She proposes an intellectual argument that is precise and mathematical in its opposition to the arrived understandingยน.
Poonam Jain No Name (letter to me series) 2016 Gypsum powder, adhesive and wooden planks 255 x 496 cm Courtesy of 1x1 Art Gallery
1
Courtesy of 1x1 Art Gallery
35
MARIANE IBRAHIM GALLERY BOOTH R4 SEATTLE
Zohra Opoku is a German/Ghanaian multidisciplinary artist living and working in Accra. With a keen and disciplined eye for textile and design, Opoku employees installation, sculpture and photography at the helm of her practice. She conceptualises West African traditions, spirituality, the thread of family lineage as they relate to self-authorship and the politics of her hybrid identity. A globalised social consumption and the commodification of all things African are a driving force in what she sees as the nemesis of her thesis, and the relevance of cultural credentials within this state of being1.
Zohra Opoku Debie 2017 Screenprint on canvas &cotton, black tea dye, thread, acrylic 230 x 140 cm Courtesy of Zohra Opoku and Mariane Ibrahim Gallery
36
1
Courtesy of Mariane Ibrahim Gallery
ORBITAL DAGO BOOTH R1 BANDUNG
Iabadiou Piko, an Indonesian artist born in Prabumulih but lives and works in Yogyakarta, portrays memories of daily life in an abstract, figurative, and poetic atmosphere. Using the medium of painting and photography, his work is abstract, figurative, and intuitive, inspired by people he meets, experiences and places he has been. Piko captures memories, feelings and imagination as a visual diary – his work is an allegory and metaphor of what goes around his life. As a self-taught painter who majored in Art Photography, Piko is heavily inspired by his surroundings – expressing and translating reality into paintings using a rich visual language.
Iabadiou Piko Menjaga Ruang 2016 Acrylic, bitumen, oil and pencil on canvas 160 x 145 x 5 cm Courtesy of Orbital Dago
1
Courtesy of Orbital Dago
37
EDUCATION AT ART DUBAI
Education has been the heart of Art Dubai since its launch in 2007; the fair now has the largest education programming of any such event worldwide, providing opportunities for children through to students, graduates, collectors and enthusiasts. Art Dubai Education includes our flagship community school Campus Art Dubai; Art Dubai Fellowship; artist-led children’s programmes; a year-round internship programme; artists talks; the critically acclaimed Global Art Forum and the Modern Symposium.
CHILDREN & TEENS 2018 The Sheikha Manal Little Artists Program was launched at Art Dubai 2013. A partnership with The Cultural Office, the programme features artist-led workshops, tours and other projects, the programme provides access to skills and ideas for UAE-based children and teenagers aged 5-17 with the long-term aim to encourage young people to get involved and excel in the arts. The children’s programme is held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of UAE Gender Balance Council, President of Dubai Women Establishment, and wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs UAE. CAMPUS ART DUBAI Campus Art Dubai (CAD) is a school for artists, curators, writers, architects, designers and cultural producers based in the UAE. Meetings occur over weekends and feature courses, talks, workshops, taught and led by a local and international cast of academics, critics, curators and artists. The course provides a space for critical thinking and the exchange of ideas and skills, with participants encouraged to collaborate, debate and challenge. Campus Art Dubai 2017-18 was led by writer/curator Murtaza Vali, anthropologist Uzma Z. Rizvi and artist Lantian Xie. Titled “Theme, Format, Mood, Setting”, CAD 6.0 interrogated the idea of ‘genres’ and their constituent elements—theme/format/mood/setting—as means to think through the many ways in which places like the Gulf can be envisioned. Genres, much like categories and classifications, come with their own histories and engender certain emotional responses. Drawing from a variety of media across literature, cinema, and sound, CAD 6.0 encouraged imaginings of Gulf as genre.
INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME Since Art Dubai’s internship programme was initiated in September 2007, over 650 students and recent graduates from 40 nationalities and 20 educational institutions have participated in the scheme. Our 38
interns have gone on to find further work experience opportunities and permanent placements within Art Dubai and its partner organisations. One third of the interns have been UAE nationals, and the remaining came from countries from across the Arab world and elsewhere. Internships are typically intensive three-month placements during which participants engage in a particular area of the organisation. In 2017, Art Dubai launched its Summer Internship Programme. The onemonth internships give participants an introduction and overview of Art Dubai. Participants rotate across various departments within Art Dubai, developing skills that relate to the overall planning of the fair. ART DUBAI FELLOWSHIP Art Dubai Fellowship is a programme for exceptional writers working in the Arab world and beyond, coming together for a week-long series of intensive workshops during Art Dubai. Twenty-six fellows have participated since 2011; together, they form a dynamic alumni group, with several continuing to collaborate and support each other, beyond their experiences on the programme. Led by writer and curator Tirdad Zolghadr, the 2017/18 programme is programmed over two years, and focuses on ‘artists as writers’.
39
40