Art Week Guide 2016

Page 1

1


Butterfly clip pink gold, pink, mauve and purple sapphires, diamonds.

Haute Joaillerie, place Vend么me since 1906

DUBAI: The Dubai Mall - Mall of the Emirates ABU DHABI: The Galleria, Al Maryah Island 800-VAN-CLEEF (800-826-25333) ABU DHABI: Etihad Towers + 971 2 681 1919 2 www.vancleefarpels.com


ARTDUBAI.AE

GALLERIES: CONTEMPORARY, MODERN, MARKER: THE PHILIPPINES • GLOBAL ART FORUM • THE ABRAAJ GROUP ART PRIZE • ART DUBAI PROJECTS: COMMISSIONS, RESIDENCIES, FILM, RADIO • EDUCATION Art Dubai’s 2016 campaign references the fair’s ten year anniversary. artdubai.ae/visual-identity




TABLE OF CONTENTS THE OFFICIAL GUIDE TO THE MARCH EVENTS OF DUBAI ART SEASON AND ART WEEK 2016 Art Week Manager Michel Bechara Art Week Assistant Sana Haroon AbdulMajeed Designer Sehyr Ahmad Logo & Cover Design Ryan Miglinczy Printer Raidy Emirates Printing Group Strategic partner

Introduction & The March Events: Dubai Art Season . . . . . . . 7 Introduction: Art Week . .10 Introduction: Dubai Design District . . . . . . . . .13

INSTITUTIONS . . . . 15 Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority. . . 16 Alserkal Avenue. . . . . . . . 18 Barjeel Art Foundation. . 21 Emirates Fine Arts Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Jean-Paul Najar Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Maraya Art Center. . . . . . 24 Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation . . 27 Salsali Private Museum. . 28 Sharjah Art Foundation . . 30 Sharjah Museums Department . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Tashkeel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 The Farjam Foundation . 40

Supporter Policy and Leadership in the Culture Sector. . . . 42

UNIVERSITIES . . . . 47

American University in Dubai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 The Art Gallery at New York University Abu Dhabi . . . . 50 University of Sharjah . . . 52 Zayed University. . . . . . . . 53 6


GALLERIES . . . . . . 54

1x1 Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Andakulova Gallery . . . . . 56 Art Couture. . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Art Sawa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 ARTSPACE . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Ayyam Gallery . . . . . . . . . 60 Carbon 12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Citizen E Art Gallery . . . . 63 Cuadro Gallery. . . . . . . . . 64 Custot Gallery Dubai . . . 65 Dubai International Art Centre; Gallery 76 . . . . . . 66 East Wing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Elmarsa Gallery. . . . . . . . 68 Empty10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 FN Designs. . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Gallery Ward. . . . . . . . . . . 73 Green Art Gallery. . . . . . . 74 Grey Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Gulf Photo Plus . . . . . . . . 76 Lawrie Shabibi . . . . . . . . . 77 Leila Heller Gallery. . . . . 78 Meem Gallery. . . . . . . . . . 80 Opera Gallery . . . . . . . . . . 81 Pro Art Gallery . . . . . . . . . 82 Salwa Zeidan Gallery . . . 83 Sconci Art Gallery . . . . . . 84 Showcase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Swiss Art Gate UAE. . . . . 87 The Empty Quarter . . . . . 88 The Majlis Gallery . . . . . . 89 The Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 The Mojo Gallery . . . . . . . 91

The Third Line . . . . . . . . . 92 thejamjar . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Total Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 XVA Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

FAIRS & FESTIVALS . 98

Art Dubai. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Design Days Dubai . . . . 110 Dubai Photo Exhibition. 118 SIKKA Art Fair . . . . . . . . 120

ART & DESIGN INITIATIVES . . . . 123 Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre. . . 124 Alliance Francaise . . . . 125 Antidote. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Art in the City: ArtBus. . . 127 Art Nights at Gate Village . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 ATOUT FRANCE. . . . . . . 129 Caravan & Star Too . . . 130 Fikra Design Studio & T.ZED Architects . . . . 133 Ginza Group & de Pury de Pury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Kataria Art Collections. 136 La Petite Maison . . . . . . 137 Magic of Persia Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Rafia Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Royal College of Art; RCA Secret Dubai . . . . . 142 s*uce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Satellite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 The cARTel . . . . . . . . . . . 146

AWARDS . . . . . . 147

Abraaj Group Art Prize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Hamdan International Photography Award . 150 Urban Commissions . 152 Van Cleef & Arpels The Middle East Emergent Designer Prize. . . . . . . 154 Innovation in Creative Industries . 156

CREATIVE SPACES 160

1971 - Design Space. . 161 Comptoir102 . . . . . . . 162 Iwan Maktabi . . . . . . 164 LASVIT . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 MB&F M.A.D.Gallery . 166 o’de rose . . . . . . . . . . 167

JOURNEYS. . . . . 169 Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood . . . . 170 Al Quoz. . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Downtown Dubai & DIFC . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Dubai Design District170 Dubai Fetival City. . . 171 Jumeirah & Al Wasl 171 Jumeirah Lake Towers . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Nad Al Sheba . . . . . . 171 Sheikh Zayed Road . 171 Abu Dhabi . . . . . . . . . 171 Sharjah. . . . . . . . . . . . 171 7



DUBAI ART SEASON The Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated entity that promotes heritage, arts and culture, brings the largest-to-date showcase of city-wide art and cultural events to mark the third edition of the city’s umbrella arts initiative, Dubai Art Season during March and April. The two-month Dubai Art Season is the definitive initiative that aims to highlight the city’s global credentials in the arts scene, and brings together artists from around the world for an unmatched celebration of talent, creativity, innovation and cultural diversity. With several artistic initiatives and installations held across key locations throughout the city it engages the community with the creative industry by activating public spaces, outdoor art projects, exhibitions, panel discussions, and performances. The third Dubai Art Season is headlined by SIKKA Art Fair (March 13 to 24, 2016), the Middle East’s first-of-its-kind entirely commissioned visual arts and performing arts programme that will include GCC-based artists for the first time this year. The Dubai Culture initiative highlights regional talents and the newest trends in the Gulf region’s arts and cultural landscape. Adding to the headline roster of events, Art Dubai (March 16 to 19, 2016), Design Days Dubai (March 14 to 18, 2016), Emirates Airline Festival of Literature (March 1 to 12, 2016) and the Middle East Film & Comic Con (April 7 to 9, 2016)

9


DUBAI ART SEASON THE MARCH PROGRAMME EMIRATES AIRLINE FESTIVAL OF LITERATURE 1 to 12 March Intercontinental Event Centre, Dubai Festival City

HEALING MUSIC CONCERT 3 to 14 March The Village, The Dubai Mall

The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature is the Middle East’s largest celebration of the written and spoken word, bringing people of all ages and backgrounds together with authors from across the world to promote education, debate and above all else, love of reading and writing.

Everything is in a state of vibration including our bodies. Each organ and system vibrates to a certain note and frequency, and radiates in specific light and colour. As the human body is made of more than 70% of water – sound can be most beneficial; just by surrendering to the sound flow, our bodies pick up naturally what is needed to reach the perfect state of balance and inner peace.

ART ON BOULEVARD 1 to 30 March Emirates Boulevard

PICASSO & MIRO 7 March to 17 May Burj Khalifa Annexe

Art on Boulevard is an art initiative from Dubai Holding to provide a platform for regional and international artists to display their work during Dubai Art Season.

A journey through the artistic lives and works of two of the most important cultural icons. Visitors will discover the evolution of styles, techniques, and the influences that drove the changes, including the confluence of the two artists over their five decades’ friendship.

DUBAI CANVAS 1 to 14 March The Beach, Jumeirah Beach Residence A festival of 3D art from artists around the world will be on display at The Beach, JBR.

10

DUBAI FOOD FESTIVAL 8 to 11 March Peanut Party Creative involves the use of abstract materials and that include recycling


what’s left from the food we eat. A fun and easy workshop mainly for kids to explore their creativity with food. Kids will be shown examples to explore and mold peanut shells into creative characters. Pacake People With precise timing and a little creativity, pancake batter is a creative way to create different types of characters, artistically. INVISIBLE MAN 14 March Dubai International Financial Centre & 16 March Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood The Beijing-based artist is sometimes called “The Invisible Man” because in nearly all his art, Bolin is front and centre — and completely unseen. He aims to draw attention to social and political issues by dissolving into the background. REDBULL BC1 & REDBULL CURATES 16 to 19 March Jumeirah Beach Residence Red Bull BC One is the most important one-on-one B-Boy competition in the world. Every year, thousands of dancers across the globe vie for a chance to represent at the World Final. Sixteen B-Boys will earn the right to enter into an all-out battle on the Red Bull BC One stage, but only one will be crowned the champion.

DUBAI INTERNATIONAL KITE FESTIVAL 17 to 19 March The Kite Beach The festival calendar of the second edition of Dubai International Kite Festival is joyful & eclectic. Assuring new heights in family fun, the festival will be defined by several spectacles that will leave visitors agape in excitement. PIXEL FOREST / PIXEL BALLOONS 22 March to 7 April Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard 81 wirelessly controlled LED balloons create a floating pixel forest, an outdoor canopy of balloons. The installation is voice activated live by Leah Siegel of Leisure – her beautiful voice echoing like a choir of angels. Dressed in white, she walks through the forest, painting the balloons with her voice. Wind patterns reveal as the balloons shift simultaneously like a school of fish, a flock of birds, or cattails blowing in the wind. BIRD WINGS 24 to 30 March The Dubai Mall An augmented reality experience where viewers see their shadows transformed into winged beings.

11


ART WEEK Art Week, initiated by Art Dubai Group and supported by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) and Dubai Design District (d3), is a central week-long event in the region’s cultural calendar, playing an important role in bringing together and showcasing Dubai’s creative achievements and ambitions. This annual celebration of art, design and culture, running from 13 to 19 March in 2016, returns with an expanded programme of exciting events that celebrate the diversity and dynamism of the city’s art scene. Art Dubai, Design Days Dubai and SIKKA Art Fair, as well as Art Nights at Gate Village, Alserkal Avenue’s Programmes and the Galleries Night, RCA Secret Dubai, the Global Art Forum and the wider programme of shows and initiatives, all contribute to establish Dubai as an essential meeting point firmly-positioned on the global art map. Consequently, the emirate’s artists, galleries and cultural institutions continue to build international audiences of intellectuals, professionals, collectors, patrons and enthusiasts. Running alongside the programme in Dubai are a number of key events across the other emirates, put together by leading cultural organisations from the UAE: Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah Museums Department, Barjeel Art Foundation, Emirates Fine Arts Society, Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, and New York University Abu Dhabi, among others… In this year’s guide, two figures from the local cultural sector share their insights on the art scene in the UAE: Riem Ibrahim talks about ‘Innovation in Creative Industries’; and, Ayeh Naraghi looks at ‘Policy & Leadership in the Culture Sector’.

12


The 2016 guide is available in print, online and through an interactive mobile app. Visitors that register their details on Art Week’s website (artweek.ae) obtain complimentary tickets to Design Days Dubai on Friday 18 March and to Art Dubai on Saturday 19 March. Access to all other venues listed in the Guide is free of charge, unless stated otherwise. Furthermore, and with such an extensive programme, the Art Week’s social media channels help visitors navigate the roster of events; follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

13


DUBAI DESIGN DISTRICT Dubai Design District (d3) is a dedicated destination of innovation, collaboration and inspiration. Our sole purpose is to provide a thriving creative community for the art and design industry, enabling it to grow. Life at d3 encompasses the entire value chain: from emerging local painters to international artists from globally renowned exhibitions to audio-visual installations. Through the cross-pollination of talent d3 enables a new genesis of ideas and a new caliber of creation. d3 will revolutionise the art industry, welcoming artists of all philosophies. d3 was formed to provide an integrated space to encourage creatives to co-exist and collaborate. As a communal district and design collective we celebrate home-grown talent and established brands with equal rigor. With Phase 1 of the project operational with 11 buildings and 45 business partners, d3 is very much open and ready for business. Committed to developing this flourishing creative community, d3’s support of valuable industry events, such as Art Dubai, is testament to this resolution. Offering both a unique location and a new lifestyle experience, by 2018 d3’s one million square foot Creative Community will act as a cultural epicenter for both tourists and residents. Adding a further dimension, the introduction of d3’s 1.8km Waterfront of design-led hotels, boutique retail concepts and outdoor events in 2019, will create an inspirational landscape and picturesque metropolis. d3 will be a source of inspiration and a self-sufficient eco-system.

14


Ideally located d3 is literally the beating heart of the city as it is adjacent to Dubai’s Business Bay and equidistant from the two international airports, ensuring it is a key destination for both local artists, foreword-thinkers and well-travelled tourists. The answer to a growing need, d3 began as an innovative idea. Developed by experts for artists and designers d3 will engage and catalyse the growth of this evolving industry.

15



INSTITUTIONS Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority . . . . . . . . 16 Alserkal Avenue . . . . . . . . . 18 Barjeel Art Foundation . . . 21 Emirates Fine Arts Society. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Jean-Paul Najar Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Maraya Art Center . . . . . . . 24 Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation . . . . . . 27 Salsali Private Museum. . . 28 Sharjah Art Foundation . . . 30 Sharjah Museums Department . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Tashkeel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 The Farjam Foundation . . . 40

17


ABU DHABI TOURISM AND CULTURE AUTHORITY EMIRATI EXPRESSIONS IV: CONVENTIONS OF ARTS

Khaled Mezaina, The Cultural Foundation 1, 2015, Pen on paper The fourth edition of Emirati Expressions: Conventions of Arts exhibits works by fifteen Emirati artists at Manarat Al Saadiyat and throughout the city of Abu Dhabi. The exhibition will feature the work of Emirati artists, whose projects oscillate naturally between design and fine art, combining languages of form and use to produce a communal art practice that is embedded in the social fabric of the United Arab Emir18

ates. Artworks will include wearable textiles, photography, furniture design, interactive installations, paintings, illustrations, large-scale sculptures, and a live studio. Emirati Expressions IV: Conventions of Arts will also present specially commissioned artworks inspired by Abu Dhabi’s diverse and historic social clubs. These interactive spaces dedicated for community engagement are the nuclei to modern


EVENT INFORMATION

12 November, 2015 to 31 March, 2016 Location: Manarat Al Saadiyat Open: Sundays to Saturdays, 09:00 – 20:00 +971 2 666 4442 tcaabudhabi.ae/en

Artists: Ammar Al Attar, Afra Al Dhaheri, Zeinab Al Hashemi, Farah Al Qasimi, Salem Al Qassimi, Maryam Al Suwaidi, Sumayyah Al Suwaidi, Hind Bin Demaithan, Rami Farook, Lamya Gargash, Alia Lootah, Ghaya Bin Mesmar, Khalid Mezaina, Nasir Nasrallah, and Khalid Shafar. cultural institutions within the UAE. The archives of these communal clubs will also be seen on display within the exhibition. Additionally, artists have been invited to produce site-specific works that will be on view within a number of these institutions such as, the Emirates Writers Union, Armed Forces Officers’ Club, India Social and Cultural Centre and Abu Dhabi National Theatre.

ABOUT

The Authority’s mission is to promote the heritage, culture and traditions of Abu Dhabi emirate worldwide. Its activities are designed to support the emirate’s evolution into a world-class, sustainable destination which makes a unique contribution to the global cultural landscape while conserving its singular character and eco-system.

19


ALSERKAL AVENUE GALLERIES NIGHT

Alserkal Avenue Alserkal Avenue Galleries Night is when Contemporary art galleries simultaneously open their doors with new exhibitions. Participating galleries: 1x1 Gallery, A4 Space, Ayyam Gallery, Carbon 12, Custot Gallery, eL Seed Studios, Elmarsa Gallery, FN Designs, Green Art Gallery, Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Grey Noise, Gulf Photo Plus, Ikon House, Jean-Paul Najar Foundation, La Galerie Nationale, Lawrie Shabibi, Leila Heller Gallery, MB&F M.A.D.Gallery, The Mojo Gallery, Showcase, Thejamjar, The Third Line, Salsali Private Museum.

EVENT INFORMATION

14 March, 2016 Location: Alserkal Avenue Open: 14 March, 18:00 - 21:00

20

FARHAD MOSHIRI BOOK LAUNCH/EXHIBITION This spring, Skira will be publishing the first major monograph devoted to the contemporary Iranian artist Farhad Moshiri. An initiative led by Dina Nasser-Khadivi, this double-volume monograph aims to offer the first consolidated critical review of Moshiri’s oeuvre by approaching his work thematically and chronologically over a span of twenty years, and by including works that have never been published before, along with critical essays by Negar Azimi senior editor of Bidoun, Dr. Maryam Ekhtiar from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Vassilis Oikonomopoulos from the TATE Modern, London, and Aram Moshayedi from the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles.

EVENT INFORMATION

14 to 19 March, 2016 Location: Warehouse 61, Alserkal Avenue Open: 14 March, 10:00 – 21:00, 15 to 19 March, 10:00 – 19:00


ٌ ANOTHER DAY LOST ‫غاب نهار آخر‬: 1,826 AND COUNTING… Another Day Lost is a series of installations by Syrian-born UK-based artist Issam Kourbaj, curated by Louisa Macmillan and inspired by the refugee crisis and made out of discarded books, medicine packaging and matches. The overall appearance is that of a vast refugee ‘camp’, constructed from thousands of tiny paper and cardboard ‘tents’, some of which are marked with Kourbaj’s distinctive black lines (based on Arabic calligraphy and traditional mourning ribbons), and encircled with a ‘fence’ of matches. This is the ninth edition of Another Day Lost, which coincides with the fifth anniversary of the Syrian uprising. This installation was first shown in London (July and September 2015), then in New York and Philadelphia (December 2015 – March 2016).

EVENT INFORMATION

ALSERKAL AVENUE PROGRAMMING COMMISSIONS Alserkal Avenue Programming unveils six new site-specific artist commissions that explore the industrial heritage of Al Quoz and generate new points of intersection between the Avenue and its neighbours. Working with Dubai and internationally-based artists, the works intend to critically examine the expanding concepts of home and community taking shape amidst the city’s accelerated development and the superlative-filled imaginary of a globalised city. Artist: Mohammed Kazem, Mary Ellen Carroll, Jessica Mein, Vikram Divecha, Fari Bradley & Chris Weaver.

EVENT INFORMATION

14 March to 23 April, 2016 Location: Various locations, Alserkal Avenue Open: 14 March, 10:00 – 21:00, 15 to 23 March, 10:00 – 19:00

14 to 19 March, 2016 Location: Warehouse 47, Alserkal Avenue Open: 14 March, 10:00 – 21:00, 15 to 19 March, 10:00 – 19:00, Artist Talk & Tour 14 March, 12:00

21


AN INANIMATE VILLAGE Dr. Zahra Al Ghamdi grew up in the Southwestern region of Saudi Arabia surrounded by traditional domestic architecture. The culturally-rich background of her childhood played a key role in developing her artistic and conceptual direction. By creating an echo of the past, she brings it into contact with the present, seeking to demonstrate changes of style and architecture: from traditional techniques and materials to its necessary resources.

Venice in exchange for a Gavin Turk screen-print.

EVENT INFORMATION

14 to 19 March, 2016 Location: Warehouse 60, Alserkal Avenue Open: 14 March, 11:00 – 21:00, 15 to 19 March, 10:00 – 19:00 +971 50 556 9797 alserkalavenue.ae

ABOUT EVENT INFORMATION

14 to 19 March, 2016 Location: Warehouse 59, Alserkal Avenue Open: 14 March, 10:00 – 21:00, 15 to 19 March, 10:00 – 19:00

ART BARTER At a show where money is useless, Art Barter not only makes artworks more accessible, it also questions the notion of the “art market” as bids are based purely on the works’ aesthetic value. Previous barters that have changed hands in the past: a Tracey Emin piece for 30 hours of French tutoring; a Jason Dodge work for a week in a Scottish castle; and, the shipping of artworks to 22

Alserkal Avenue is the region’s foremost arts and culture neighbourhood located in Al Quoz, Dubai. Since it was established in 2007, Alserkal Avenue has grown to become an essential platform for the development of homegrown artistic and cultural initiatives, supporting a vibrant community of contemporary art galleries and alternative art spaces, together with design, media and industrial studios. In 2015 Alserkal Avenue began introducing its own homegrown programme as an arts organisation, dedicated to encouraging new ideas, open dialogue and a more diverse and rich eco-system for art in the region. In 2016 Alserkal Avenue will see the launch of its project space as well as art, design and creative concepts.


BARJEEL ART FOUNDATION HOME GROUND EVENT INFORMATION

25 February to 1 September, 2016 Location: Barjeel Art Foundation, Level Two, Maraya Art Centre, Al Qasba, Sharjah Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 22:00, Fridays, 16:00 – 22:00 +971 6 556 6555 barjeelartfoundation.org

ABOUT

Dia Al-Azzawi, Handala, Image Courtesy of Barjeel Art Foundation The connection one feels to place is an abstract notion, often spoken of in terms of memories, habits, rituals, and experiences. It is elusive, yet always present. Home Ground addresses the struggles associated with navigating geo-political barriers, and explores ways in which identity is shaped by one’s relationship with a particular geography. The works presented in this exhibition have relevance beyond their individual contexts, touching upon themes and experiences that resonate on a global scale.

Barjeel Art Foundation is an independent, United Arab Emirates-based initiative established to manage, preserve and exhibit the personal art collection of Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi. The foundation’s guiding principle is to contribute to the intellectual development of the art scene in the Arab region by building a prominent, publicly accessible art collection in the UAE. The foundation strives to create an open-ended enquiry that responds to and conveys the nuances inherent to Arab histories beyond borders of culture and geography. By hosting in-house exhibitions, lending artwork to international forums, producing print and online publications, and fashioning interactive public programmes, the foundation strives to serve as an informative resource for contemporary art by Arab artists both locally and on the global stage. 23


EMIRATES FINE ARTS SOCIETY NOAH’S ARK The 34th edition of the Emirates Fine Arts Society exhibition presents Noah’s Ark; a conceptual theme that showcases a visually intellectual narrative, highlighting and questioning the coming-together of a diverse population of different ethnicities, cultures, religions as well as creatures, animals, plants, birds and, even, the inanimate. What happens when they all congregate in one place – the earth? What model does the UAE, specifically, represent; a model that diversifies beyond all what the other models of the past human experiences and civilisations once embraced? The flow continues to shape identities, and the survival remains an inadvertent thought towards the future in that constant longing for a stable ground.

ABOUT

The Emirates Fine Arts Society was established in 1980, with headquarters in Sharjah – located at the Arts Square in the heart of Sharjah – and branch in Ras Al Khaimah. The main objective of the EFAS is to support the development of the Arts in the UAE, by nurturing the young talents and emerging artists, and by encouraging the participation in and representation of its members at local and international platforms. In addition to the flagship annual exhibition, the EFAS runs workshops, courses and talks by local, regional and international 24

Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, Sitting Man Series, 2010 - 2015

EVENT INFORMATION

12 January to 21 March, 2016 Location: First part | Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah, Second part | Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi. Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 08:00 – 20:00, Fridays, 16:00 – 20:00 EFAS +9716 5684488 Sharjah Art Museum +9716 5688222 artsuae.ae artists and art professionals, that serve as a continuous formation – cultural, artistic and professional – to its members.


JEAN-PAUL NAJAR FOUNDATION JEAN-PAUL NAJAR: VISION & LEGACY EVENT INFORMATION

14 March to 30 June, 2016 Location: Unit E45, Alserkal Avenue Open: Sundays to Thursdays, 11:00 – 19:00, Fridays and Saturdays, 13:00 – 17:00 13 to 19 March, 09:00 – 19:00 Opening: 14 March, 18:00 – 21:00 +971 55 343 7068 jpnajarfoundation.com

Linda Francis, Neutron Star, 2009. © Bill Orcutt

The Foundation’s inaugural exhibition Jean-Paul Najar: Vision & Legacy, curated by Jessamyn Fiore, will reflect on Najar’s immense care for, and understanding of the artists. Presenting individual masterpieces from the last half century, as well as letters and ephemera from several artists throughout the decades, the show will provide an insightful look into the founder’s lifelong friendships with artists.

ABOUT

The Jean-Paul Najar Foundation for Contemporary Art is a non-profit private museum, gathering European and American abstract art from the 1960s through today. By making its

home in Dubai, the Jean-Paul Najar Foundation is honoured to connect this seminal period of contemporary art history to the extraordinary energy of such a burgeoning international art destination. The Foundation has three main goals: to present its permanent collection, to support its artists and to engage collectors. In so doing, the Foundation is committed to educational programs, ongoing acquisitions, guided tours and “Friends of the Foundation” events. The Foundation’s dedicated space in Dubai is designed by Mario Jossa, of Marcel Breuer and Associates, and is presented in partnership with Alserkal Avenue.

25


MARAYA ART CENTRE AL HARAKA BARAKA: IN MOVEMENT THERE IS BLESSING

Tulip Hazbar, Mountains from The Atlas of Musical Analogies series. Courtesy of Maraya Art Centre

A project commissioned by U.A.E. Unlimited Arab Exploration. The theme of the exhibition Al Haraka Baraka: In Movement There is Blessing explores the rich mix of cultures that have long existed in the UAE and the influence of these cultural migrations. Transitions in geographies and nationalities leave their traces in family names, local dishes, customs, costumes, music, dance and cultural practices. Today this situation continues but on a grander scale since the discovery of oil and the formation of the UAE as a united country. A magnet for migration, the UAE hosts over 75 nationalities today. For the last 26

forty years, the country has been permanently under construction. There is a tangible feeling of impermanence and building and rebuilding, things are accepted as constantly in flux. Artists: Ammar Al Attar, Alaa Edris, Reem Falaknaz, Hazem Harb, Zeinab Al Hashemi, Tulip Hazbar, Hind Mezaina, Khalid Mezaina, Nasir Nasrallah, Walid Al Wawi, with special guest Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim.


Khalid Mezaina, Observations on Trade, 2015 Courtesy of Maraya Art Centre

ABOUT

Maraya Art Centre is a non-profit art space and cultural platform located in Al Qasba, Sharjah, supported by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), with the purpose to promote young artists from the Arab region, and from the international art scene. The Maraya Art Centre was officially launched in March 2010 as one of the UAE’s most spectacular venues for contemporary visual arts. Maraya Art Centre is a three-story art centre established over 1500 square meters, located in the heart of UAE’s cultural capital and includes: Maraya Art Gallery on the third floor; the Barjeel Art Foundation on the second floor, that is the private col-

lection of Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi; and, Maraya Community on the first floor for programmes and educational activities.

EVENT INFORMATION

25 February to 30 April, 2016 Location: Block E, Al Qasba, Taawun Road, Sharjah Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 22:00, Fridays, 16:00 – 22:00 +971 6 556 6555 maraya.ae

27


IMITATION GAME shapes our identity. The artists also investigate these questions with a focus on the idiosyncratic response of the Arab world to today’s global monoculture. They imagine alternative presents and futures as well as making us aware of the histories of the built environment, urban and rural, that surrounds and shapes us.

ABOUT

Tatiana Echeverri Fernandez Fräulein Alba, Aisha And Arij, Ceramic pots, water pump Imitation Game is an exhibition of newly-commissioned outdoor sculpture for Maraya Art Park. The artists explore what makes us human in the digital age. They examine our interaction with the chatbots who increasingly haunt the online world. Memory is one thing that machines are not able to imitate and this is addressed poetically in the exhibition. Exuberant sculptures and installations playfully examine the torrent of consumerism that engulfs our everyday existence and how it 28

Maraya Art Park is a project by Maraya Art Centre that acts as a platform for regional and international outdoor art projects and will be made up out a number of venues located at major focal points in Sharjah. Two sections of the Park are located at Al Majaz Waterfront; the Sculptures Park which showcases projects from local and international artists, designers and architects. As for the Children’s Art Park, it introduces a world of art through sculptures, interactive games, and educational activities to children.

EVENT INFORMATION

11 November, 2015 to 14 May, 2016 Location: Al Majaz Waterfront, Al Buheirah Corniche Road, Sharjah Open: Sundays to Saturdays, 10:00 – 22:00 +971 6 556 0777 maraya.ae


SALAMA BINT HAMDAN AL NAHYAN FOUNDATION LEST WE FORGET: EMIRATI FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS 1950-1999

MINA ZAYED: THROUGH THE LENS OF JACK BURLOT This exhibition takes viewers through a day in the life of people of Al Mina. Personal moments are visually captured by the French photographer Jack Burlot providing an unobserved insight into their ways of living, daily happenings, qualities and characteristics. (Ends 19 March)

Through the Lens of Jack Burlot Exhibition. Courtesy of the artist This exhibition presents a unique exploration of Emirati vernacular photographs through memory and creative expression. For the first time, the public has an opportunity to discover an extensive collection of family photographs and oral histories generated by the first generations of Emirati citizens.

EVENT INFORMATION

19 November, 2015 to 18 June, 2016 Location: Warehouse421, Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi Open: Tuesdays to Sundays, 10:00 – 20:00 +971 2 201 0222 shf.ae

ABOUT

The Foundation is a philanthropic organisation established in 2010 with a mission to invest in the future of the UAE by investing in its people. To that end, the Foundation develops and supports strategic initiatives in the areas of arts, culture & heritage; education; and health. The Foundation also organises a speaker series known as Muntada and supports a range of local and international initiatives under the guidance of its Trustees and in support of the Emirate’s broader development goals. Through its art, cultural and heritage initiatives, the Foundation supports emerging artists and others seeking a career in the arts sector in developing their skills and talents, builds new audiences for arts and culture, connects Emirati artists with international audiences and supports innovative efforts to preserve and share the nation’s cultural heritage. 29


SALSALI PRIVATE MUSEUM GERMAN COOL EVENT INFORMATION

Salsali Private Museum, German Cool

What is ‘German Cool’; is it a pervasive rebellion against repression, oppression and political persecution; an ongoing evolution of cultural and ideological innovation; disdain for authority, orthodoxy and tradition; or, simply, an ineffable, indefinable quality that imbues some of the greatest European art of the 21st century? Whatever constitutes this mercurial asset, it’s clearly possessed in abundance by the artists featured in this group exhibition at Salsali Private Museum. ‘German Cool’ is an exploration of artworks created in Germany and sourced from Ramin Salsali’s collection.

ABOUT

Founded in 2011 in Dubai by Ramin Salsali, the Salsali Private Museum (SPM) acts as a catalyst for creating a new generation of collectors. SPM is not only the first private

30

16 November, 2015 to 1 May, 2016 Location: Warehouse 14, Alserkal Avenue Open: Sundays to Thursdays, 11:00 – 18:00, Saturdays, 13:00 – 17:00 +971 4 380 9600 salsalipm.com

museum for the contemporary art in the region, but also the first collector center in the world to provide a free of charge service to the local and international collectors, allowing them to connect with each other and with artists, galleries and the creative community of the region. SPM is a contribution to the unique process of the development of the United Arab Emirates and Dubai as an evolving hub for the art and culture of the Middle East. SPM‘s collection holds works of contemporary international artists. development of the United Arab Emirates and Dubai as an evolving hub for the art and culture of the Middle East.



SHARJAH ART FOUNDATION DO IT ‫بالعربي‬

do it ‫ بالعربي‬, Visitors activating instruction by Amir Nour. © Alfredo Rubio do it ‫ بالعربي‬is a new iteration of the ongoing publication and exhibition originally conceived by Hans Ulrich Obrist in 1993. For this project Sharjah Art Foundation has commissioned more than 60 artists to write instructions that can be used by anyone to create works of art. At Sharjah Art Foundation, instructions are realised in collaboration with schools, universities, communities and individuals for the exhibition and through Open Day workshops, activations and performances scheduled throughout the duration of the show.

MARCH MEETING 2016: EDUCATION, ENGAGEMENT AND PARTICIPATION March Meeting 2016: Education, Engagement and Participation will take place on 12 and 13 March during a programme of events and exhibition openings from 11 to 15 March. Now in its 9th edition, March Meeting is Sharjah Art Foundation’s annual gathering of artists, art professionals and institutions concerned with art practice and production in the region and internationally.

EVENT INFORMATION

12 to 13 March, 2016 Location: Sharjah Art Museum, Arts Area, Al Shuwaiheen, Sharjah Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 09:00 – 21:00, Fridays, 16:00 – 21:00 +971 6 568 5050 sharjahart.org

EVENT INFORMATION

23 January to 23 April, 2016 Location: Sharjah Art Museum, Arts Area, Al Shuwaiheen, Sharjah Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 09:00 – 21:00, Fridays, 16:00 – 21:00 32

Papy Ebotani, Fanfare funérailles [Funeral brass], 2014-2015


SIMONE FATTAL

Simone Fattal, untitled, 2012, clay, 35 cm diameter each. Courtesy of the artist Curated by Sharjah Art Foundation Director Hoor Al Qasimi, Simone Fattal’s solo exhibition highlights recent works created between 2006 and 2013, including sculptures, non-figurative, simple formations made of clay, as well as works centred on textual compositions. Also included are some of the artist’s “Warrior” sculptures, large standing figures that are representative of those continuously withstanding war and struggle.

EVENT INFORMATION

12 March to 12 June, 2016 Location: Building F, SAF Art Spaces, Sharjah Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 09:00 – 21:00, Fridays, 16:00 – 21:00

1980–TODAY: EXHIBITIONS IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES As presented by the National Pavilion UAE la Biennale di Venezia at the 56th International Art Exhibition 2015, commissioned by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation. The exhibition was conceived by curator Hoor Al Qasimi as a retrospective of contemporary art exhibitions in the country over the last 40 years. Through an unprecedented grouping of over 100 works by 15 artists structured to create dialogues between artists and across practices, the exhibition reflects the diversity and the history of the art scene in the UAE. Artists: Ahmed Al Ansari, Moosa Al Halyan, Mohammed Al Qassab, Abdul Qader Al Rais, Abdullah Al Saadi, Mohammed Abdullah Bulhiah, Salem Jawhar, Mohammed Kazem, Dr Najat Meky, Abdulraheem Salim, Ahmed Sharif, Hassan Sharif, Obaid Suroor, Dr Mohamed Yousif, and Abdulrahman Zainal.

EVENT INFORMATION

13 February to 14 May, 2016 Location: The Flying Saucer, Dasman, Sharjah Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 09:00 – 21:00, Fridays, 16:00 – 21:00

33


THE TIME IS OUT OF JOINT

Ali Cherri, The Disquiet, 2013. Courtesy of the artist and Imane Farès

Curated by Tarek Abou El Fetouh, The Time is Out of Joint is a project developed as a continuation of the exhibition for Home Works 6, Beirut, in 2013. Building on Ibn Arabi’s concept of time as a fluid place and place as a frozen time, the project examines our current and future locations and conditions. It confuses different times, places, cities and artistic events that took place in the past or will take time in the future.

34

EVENT INFORMATION

Exhibition 12 March to 12 June, 2016, Conference 14 to 15 March, 2016 Location: SAF Art Spaces, Various Locations, Sharjah Dar Al Nadwa for the conference on 14 March Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 09:00 – 21:00, Fridays, 16:00 – 21:00


JOANA HADJITHOMAS AND KHALIL JOREIGE This major exhibition of work by Lebanese artists and filmmakers Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige offers an insight into the ensemble of their artistic and cinematic projects from the late 1990s to the present day and includes new commissions. This exhibition is collaboration with Jeu de Paume, Paris; Haus der Kunst, Munich; and IVAM, Valencia.

EVENT INFORMATION

12 March to 8 May, 2016 Location: Buildings J and P, SAF Art Spaces, Sharjah Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 09:00 – 21:00, Fridays, 16:00 – 21:00

ABOUT

Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF) brings a broad range of contemporary art and cultural programmes to the communities of Sharjah, the UAE and the region. Since 2009 SAF has built on the history of cultural collaboration and exchange that began with the first Sharjah Biennial in 1993. Working with local and international partners, we create opportunities for artists and artistic production through our core initiatives that include the Sharjah Biennial, the annual March Meeting, residencies, production grants, commissions, exhibitions, research, publications and a growing collection. Our education and public programmes focus on building recognition of the central role art can play in the life of a community by promoting public learning and a participatory approach to art. All our events are free and open to the public.

FARIDEH LASHAI This retrospective exhibition will include painting and moving image works by the late Iranian artist Farideh Lashai. Lashai was an influential artist whose stop motion animation works often referenced iconic works of art, literature and film while commenting on political and social conditions in Iran.

EVENT INFORMATION

12 March to 12 June, 2016 Location: Bait Al Serkal, Sharjah Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 09:00 – 21:00, Fridays, 16:00 – 21:00 +971 6 568 5050 sharjahart.org

35


SHARJAH MUSEUMS DEPARTMENT ED-DUR..GLIMPSE INTO CIVILIZATION Oil Lamp, 1st Century AD, Ed-Dur, Umm alQuwain

The exhibition organised by Sharjah Archaeology Museum in collaboration with Umm Al Quwain Antiquities and Heritage Department is showcasing 67 unique artifacts from the collections of Umm Al Quwain Museum that date back to the Stone Age. The artifacts include flint tools, delicate jewellery and small, square and cylindrical stone stamps from Tell Abraq, which confirms the long history between the people of EdDur, Mesopotamia and Sindh more than 3000 years ago. The collections focus on the status of Ed-Dur port in Umm Al Quwain and its role in the trade movement in the Arabian Peninsula during the early centuries CE. They also explore the port’s relationship with Meliha in the inland areas of Sharjah, as they both were under one cultural range that created a part of the trade network between the UAE, Iraq, 36

Yemen, India, and the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. The exhibition offers visitors a chance to learn about the important discoveries found in Ed-Dur Temple site – the only one of its kind to be located on the coast. Among the discoveries is an oil lamp, a basin with Aramaic inscriptions, as well as two eagle statues that possibly stood at the entrance of the temple.

EVENT INFORMATION

28 October, 2015 to 26 March, 2016 Location: Sharjah Archaeology Museum, Sharjah


RHYTHM AND VERSES EVENT INFORMATION

16 March to 18 June, 2016 Location: Majarrah Gallery, Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization, Sharjah

Album Leaf with Persian Poetry in Nasta’liq Script. Courtesy The Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia In an unprecedented collaboration between the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization and the Islamic Arts Museum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Rhythm & Verses - Persian Calligraphy from the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia presents a selection of outstanding and rarely seen calligraphic masterpieces produced in Persia from the 10th to the 13th century AH/ 16th to the 19th century AD. The exhibition focuses in particular on the aesthetic splendor of single page

compositions including Quranic verses, spiritual sayings, poems and official declarations. Each was conceived as a unique artwork, its calligraphed text carefully designed to delight the eye, while at the same time echoing the rhythm and musicality of its spoken equivalent. Once keenly collected in the albums of prominent collectors and connoisseurs across Islamic lands, the selected artworks – shown for the first time in the Arab world offer a unique gateway to the most popular and distinguished styles used in Persian calligraphy, namely Naskh & Riqa’, Ta’liq & Nasta’liq, Shikasta and Siyah Mashq. At the same time, they help to highlight the outstanding contributions of some of the most famous Persian calligraphers in history, including Shah Mahmud Nishapuri (died around 9712 AH/ 1564-5 AD), Sayyid Mir ‘Imad al-Hasani (959 AH/ 1552 AD - 1024 AH/ 1615 AD) and Dervish Abdul Majid Taliqani (died 1185 AH/ 1771-2 AD). 37


CONSIDERING DYNAMICS & FORMS OF CHAOS artist Angela Bulloch are associated more with the information theory which basically looks at the universe as the average amount of information in a letter. On the other hand, the concept practiced by Maria Zerres comes in the form of distortions and strategies of abstraction, through strikes of chaos which lead at the same time to a sort of uniformity. With both artists, there is a type of chaos that suggests uniformity.

ABOUT

Maria Zerres, Deer, oil on canvas. Courtesy the artist and Galerie Brigitte Schenk, Germany Considering Dynamics & Forms of Chaos is an exhibition showcasing the work of two artists: Angela Bulloch and Maria Zerres. It introduces the subject of the universe. The universe is the main term that distinguishes movements into/from chaos, which appear in a variety of fields, including physics, theory of possibility, sociology, and information technology. They are usually used in the context of thermodynamics. The concept of entropy or the universe is used as a frame for the works of the two artists. For example, the implementations of the

38

The Sharjah Museums Department (SMD) was established in 2006 by His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, as an independent government department. SMD includes 16 museums covering Islamic art and culture, archaeology, heritage, science, marine life and the history of Sharjah and the region.

EVENT INFORMATION

9 March to 31 May, 2016 Location: Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 08:00 – 20:00, Fridays, 16:00 – 20:00 +971 6 566 5466 SharjahMuseums.ae



TASHKEEL MYTH, NOWHAT? EVENT INFORMATION 12 March to 28 April, 2016 Location: Tashkeel, House 10, Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 09:00 – 22:00 +971 4 336 3313

Jonny Farrow, Unfinished Unfinished Portrait of Daniel Boone by Chester Harding. Courtesy of the artist and Tashkeel

Tashkeel presents First Solo: Jonny Farrow – Myth, Nowhat? The exhibition is a culmination of several years’ work stemming from ideas of history, heritage, how it is constructed, presented, and perpetuated, centred on the legends of the 18th to early 19th century American long-hunter-pioneer-explorer-land surveyor Daniel Boone, and the long shadow his legend casts in the artist’s home state, Kentucky, USA. 40

The series of works represent a consistent engagement in Farrow’s practice with the subject of the creation of America, Americanism, and the resulting domestic wars and forced migrations caused by internal colonial ambition.


CONNECTIVITY Connect. Courtesy of Tashkeel

Connectivity, an exhibition of works that question how technology affects our lives and our relationships, our working practice, and our engagement with the world around us. Increasingly, our lives and relationships are being automatically documented as we live through an age of email, text messages, virtual worlds and social media, with digital distractions affecting every aspect of life - from work, safety and communication to our relationships and health. Selected from an open call, the artworks serve both to encapsulate the theme and to bring out further questions surrounding what it means to be working here and now, in the context of these social and communication technologies.

ABOUT

Dubai and committed to facilitating art and design practice, creative experimentation and cross-cultural dialogue. Placing the artist at the core, Tashkeel supports the UAE’s creative community through studio facilities, artists’ residencies, international fellowships, a programme of exhibitions, events and professional as well as recreational workshops.

EVENT INFORMATION

10 March to 28 April, 2016 Location: Tashkeel, Nad Al Sheba 1 Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 09:00 – 22:00 +971 4 336 3313 tashkeel.org

Established in 2008 by Lateefa bint Maktoum, Tashkeel is a contemporary art organisation based in 41


THE FARJAM FOUNDATION ROSTAM RETURNS: SHAHNAMEH IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Siamak Filizadeh, Return of Rostam II to Fight the Demons of Modern Day, 2009, Digital Print on canvas

Rostam Returns : Shahnameh in the 21st century presents a combination of ancient and contemporary culture. Rostam II - The Return series by Siamak Filizadeh (b.1970) are showcased alongside 14th–20th century Shahnameh miniatures; its source of inspiration, and original artefacts dating back to the 12th century.

EVENT INFORMATION

14 March to 14 June, 2016 Location: Gate Village, Building 4, DIFC Open: Sundays to Thursdays, 10:00 - 20:00 Opening: 14 March, 19:00 – 21:00 +971 4 323 0303 farjamfoundation.org

42

ABOUT

The Farjam Foundation is a private, non-profit, non-governmental organisation. Engaging and fostering cross-cultural dialog, inspired through art and culture, is an integral part of the Foundation’s purpose and mission. The Foundation’s private art collection, The Farjam Collection, accentuates the core of the Foundation’s work, featuring Islamic and pre-Islamic, Contemporary Middle Eastern, as well as Modern and Contemporary Art.

(Right) A Leaf from a Shahnameh, Rostam Fighting a Tiger, 19th century, Iran, Gouache heightened with gold


Jonny Farrow, Unfinished Unfinished Portrait of Daniel Boone by Chester Harding. Courtesy of the artist and Tashkeel

43


POLICY AND LEADERSHIP IN THE CULTURE SECTOR AYEH NARAGHI

Managing Director, Alcove Advisors (Culture and Development Management Consultancy) Policy strategies and views on the best way to support and grow a vibrant cultural eco-system are still divided between two major trains of thought: those who believe in a top-down approach where governments set cultural policy agendas and provide government intervention in the form of publicly-funded cultural institutions, cultural grants, financial subsidies and support programmes; and those who support a bottom-up, or organic approach, where cultural professionals, patrons and artists are encouraged to shape the cultural eco-system through civic and private initiatives. Empirical experience has demonstrated that usually a balance between both works best. Governments set policy agendas and administer enabling regulations while the creative community has artistic and economic opportunity to flourish. Government institutions play a critical role in enabling the sector through regulatory and policy frameworks, but avoid controlling its developmental direction. The case of Dubai has been noteworthy in that the culture sector, largely the arts, initially developed from grassroots movements, mostly commercial galleries, art fairs and auction houses which set up operations from the early to mid 2000s. This flurry of activity in the private sector caught the government of Dubai’s attention, which resulted in the creation of a dedicate government entity, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, in 2008. The Authoriity’s main objective is to help preserve cultural heritage and support the art and cultural infrastructure of the Emirate. Developing and growing an artistic eco-system is challenging in most societies, let alone a city that has been harshly (and in my opinion, falsely) criticised for being inauthentic with a preference for cultural imports. Dubai has faced many challenges in developing its art scene, but has also been at the crossroads for many opportunities. Despite the global financial crisis in 2008, Dubai’s art scene continued to grow with dozens of art galleries opening, and cultural districts such as Al Serkal Avenue expanding to become a substantial cultural district, housing an array of commercial and non-profit 44


cultural spaces. Launched in 2012, Art Week became the umbrella festival for all the art events that take place in Dubai, and the UAE; this 5th edition features more than 85 venues, putting together more than 200 arts events. Through its website and publication, Art Week provides local and international audiences a consolidated reference to Dubai’s creative industries. Art Dubai fair has developed into the leading fair for Middle East. In 2012 and 2013, two significant design fairs were launched in Dubai, namely Dubai Design Days and Downtown Design. In parallel to successful creative enterprises, several non-commercial cultural initiatives have developed including art education programmes (i.e. Campus Art Dubai, AiR Dubai, and the Global Art Forum, to name a few). In great part, enabling policies and leadership to encourage the development of the sector have contributed to its shere magnitude and expontential growth, which otherwise would have been far less and sparse.

The growth in the sector has boosted the young creative economy of Dubai, increasing the number of culture and art businesses with many regional creative professionals, and artists relocating to the city; has contributed to diversifying the economy of the Emirate; and, has created jobs and employment for many residents of Dubai.This growth has also benefited other sectors such as tourism, by varying the visitors’ experiences and attracting cultural tourists. Internationally significant collections, such as the one in Jean Paul Najjar Foundation, have made Dubai their home and these collections are an asset to the city and its cultural offerings. Prominent galleries, such as Leila Heller, are opening up branches in Dubai, attesting to the sector’s maturity.The considerable Dubai Design District will be home to many established and new creative businesses from the region.These are significant strides that will further improve Dubai’s position as a global creative industry hub. There is a growing demand and supply for the arts and cultural industries in Dubai, and with that, a growing responsibility of government authorities and the Emirate’s leadership to ensure strong pillars are set to support it. One such pillar is including the creative sector as a key component of the Dubai Plan 2021, demonstrating to the sector’s growing significance on the government agenda. In addition, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority announced that its 3-year strategy of 2014-2016 would focus on improving 45


industry governance and regulatory frameworks, identifying and nurturing talent, increasing public awareness in the arts and delivering key initiatives such as the Sikka Art Fair and Art Season. As the sector continues to grow, governmental leadership should also continue to take measures to create a conducive and supportive environment with effective and relevant policies and regulations. Specifically, examples of issues that would benefit from development are artist visa policies, favourable conditions to establish artist associations and non-profit groups, lower fees for creative start-up businesses and small enterprises, incentives for corporations to engage in the arts through patronage and CSR programmes, Percent for Art policy, support for tertiary and specialised arts education, public art, greater public access to cultural offerings for various communities, and fostering of public-private partnerships to further develop cultural infrastructure such as museums, cultural centers or non-commercial galleries. The Dubai Government has also made efforts to ensure that the link between what happens on the ground is well correlated with the overall policy decisions being made at the top by empowering the creative community through consultations in decision-making process to ensure that their experiences and priorities are reflected into cultural planning process. The art and culture scene of Dubai is still relatively young and was initiated by individuals, then later supported by government. Today, the creative community and government leadership strive to work in an efficiently complimentary manner that nurtures and supports the creative economy while allowing it to define its own artistic direction.

(Right) François Morellet, Néons 3D : 65°-90°-25° (Edition 2 of 3), 2015, Acrylic on canvas on wood, 3 white neon tubes, high voltage cable and transformer. Courtesy of Blain Southern & Atelier Morellet 46


47


Studios Exhibitions Residencies Projects

photography by: Jerry Balloch

Workshops

tashkeel.org + 971 4 336 3313 tashkeel@tashkeel.org Nad Al Sheba 1. Dubai


UNIVERSITIES American University in Dubai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 The Art Gallery at New York University Abu Dhabi . 50 University of Sharjah . . . . . 52 Zayed University . . . . . . . . . 53

49


AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN DUBAI OBJECTS, ART & MATERIAL CULTURE

Magdalene Odundo, 3 Forms, 2013 The talk by renown ceramic and glass artist Magdalene Odundo explores and acknowledges the importance of historical and contemporary material culture with our continued daily visual and physical creative engagement, with emphasis on making art. Professor Odundo is an international ceramic artist known for her distinct handbuilt anthropomorphic vessel forms. In 2008 she received an OBE in the Queen’s birthday honours in recognition for her contribution to education and the arts and was the recipient of the African Art Recognition Award from Detroit Institute of Art in the same year. In 2012 she was awarded the African Heritage outstanding achievement in the arts

50

and in 2014 was awarded a Doctorate of Fine Arts, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA. Magdalene Odundo was born in Nairobi, and grew up in Mombasa Kenya. She is Professor Emerita of Ceramics at the University for the Creative Arts, UK, a trustee of National Society for Education Art and Design (NSEAD) UK, British Council Art Advisory Panel and the Royal College of Art council, UK.

EVENT INFORMATION

15 March, 2016 Location: Rotunda Gallery, School of Architecture, Art and Design, AUD Open: 15 March, 2016, 18:00 – 20:00 +971 4 3018 4000 www.aud.edu


BRAINSWARMING EVENT INFORMATION

8 to 24 March, 2016 Location: Rotunda Gallery, School of Architecture, Art and Design, AUD Open: Sundays to Thursday & Saturdays, 09:00 – 18:00 +971 4 3018 4000 www.aud.edu

Julia Townsend, Kamalevsky Brainswarming is an exhibition of recent work by Julia Townsend, Associate Professor of Studio Art at the American University in Dubai. Julia Townsend’s latest solo exhibition of paintings, drawings and patterns explore the processes of thought and the formation of ideas. The capricious and whimsical imagery combines Mirolike forms with a cartoon sensibility. Inspired by early Modernism and recent trends in abstraction, she started in 2014 with a kind of tabula rasa - a series of small intuitive drawings, now totaling over 150 - which then inspired the paintings and prints (patterns).

ABOUT

The Visual Communication Programme at AUD trains aspiring artists and designers in the UAE so that they can join the advertising, art, and design industries. Students graduate from the programme with a strong knowledge base along with skill sets suited for roles within these creative realms. Students are also taught an appreciation of personal expression as well as the responsibilities of proper communication with a growing multicultural society.

51


THE ART GALLERY AT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY ABU DHABI PHANTOM LIMB central work, Phantom Limb, a term referring to the sensations that a missing arm or leg is still present, and able to move. The title captures the character of much of Al-Hadid’s work, which evokes memory and long cultural history through a visceral, materially-focused working technique. The theme of memory and its physical manifestations in art and architecture runs throughout Al-Hadid’s work.

ABOUT

Diana Al-Hadid, Attack. 2015, Polymer gypsum, fiberglass, steel, plaster, gold leaf, pigment. © Markus Wörgötter A major solo exhibition of work by internationally-renowned sculptor Diana Al-Hadid will open in March 2016. Al-Hadid’s work transforms Renaissance and classical imagery into contemporary sculptural forms that appear to be decaying or resurfacing, often in a cascade of white, melting gypsum. Her towering sculptures, spectral wall pieces, and surreal bronzes will fill the 7,000 square foot gallery. The exhibition takes its title from a 52

The Art Gallery at New York University Abu Dhabi presents museum-quality exhibitions of art and culture across historical and contemporary topics, with a special emphasis on subjects of both regional concern and international significance. Its curatorial platform supports scholarly and experimental installations, artist’s projects, and landmark exhibitions.

EVENT INFORMATION

6 March to 28 May, 2016 Location: The Art Gallery at the New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi Mondays to Saturdays, 12:00 - 20:00 +971 2 628 8000 nyuad.nyu.edu


Diana Al-Hadid, Still Life with Gold, 2014, Polymer gypsum, fiberglass, steel, gold leaf, pigment. © Markus Wörgötter 53


UNIVERSITY OF SHARJAH, COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS & DESIGN ZOOM IN EVENT INFORMATION

Izmer Ahmad, Inverted Bird No. 2., 2014, Acrylic on Canvas. Collection of Dr. Johan Othman Through a series of paintings, photographs, graphic works and digital arts, ‘Zoom In’ reveals an array of artistic tendencies that showcase an interaction between media and social narratives, and demonstrates an experimental exploration of space, form, texture and colour. The exhibition offers an opportunity to engage with realism, expressionism, surrealism and abstraction. In addition, the exhibition features interior design projects that embrace sustainability and cultural heritage, alternative fashion collection of innovative outfits, graphic design that addresses contemporary visual communication, and a panorama of the pre-1960s’ Nubian culture. Artists: Prof. Platon Alexiou, Dr. Izmer Bin Ahmad, Dr. Katherina 54

8 to 26 March, 2016 Location: Rewaq Gallery, CFAD, University of Sharjah, Sharjah Open: Sundays to Thursdays, 09:00 - 18:00 +971 6 505 7855 sharjah.ac.ae

Aslanidou, Mathew James, Philip C Sheil, Michael Meadors, Tom Baggaley, Sara Ayoub Agha, Nathan Brines, Ahmad Manar Laham, Richard Slatter, Renji Mathews, Mazen Al Samman, Thaer Helal, Dr. Iman Ibrahim, Nadia Al Badri, Asil Adil, Dijana Macura, Saqib Mian Sohail, Dr. Nahed Baba, Dr. Shaima El Bardawil, Zena Adhami.

ABOUT

The College of Fine Arts and Design (CFAD) is committed to contribute to the development of society in line with the values, heritage and culture of the Arab and Muslim community, while striving for the development of arts education and research in the Emirate of Sharjah and the UAE, with regional and global outreach.


ZAYED UNIVERSITY, COLLEGE OF ARTS AND CREATIVE ENTERPRISES SHOWCACE: FACULTY

Janet Bellotto, Count The Waves

ShowCACE: Faculty is an exhibition featuring artworks by faculty and staff of the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises of Zayed University. The diverse nature of the artworks in this exhibition reflects the various disciplines, interests and cultural backgrounds of the teaching staff at this dynamic and vibrant university.

ABOUT

The College of Arts and Creative Enterprises at Zayed University aims to prepare students to become creative leaders in the arts and related industries. Its mission is to provide student artists and designers with an opportunity to explore and develop their

own creative ideas while contributing to national initiatives in culture in the United Arab Emirates.

EVENT INFORMATION

13 to 24 March, 2016 Location: Al Fonoun Gallery, Abu Dhabi Campus & the Tower, Dubai Campus, Zayed University Open: Sundays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 16:00, by appointment Opening: 12:30, 16 March, Dubai & 13:30, 21 March, Abu Dhabi +971 52 983 5135 zu.ac.ae/cace

55


GALLERIES 1x1 Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Andakulova Gallery . . . . . . 56 Art Couture. . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Art Sawa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 ARTSPACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Ayyam Gallery . . . . . . . . . . 60 Carbon 12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Citizen E Art Gallery . . . . . 63 Cuadro Gallery . . . . . . . . . . 64 Custot Gallery Dubai . . . . . 65 DIAC; Gallery 76 . . . . . . . . . 66 East Wing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Elmarsa Gallery . . . . . . . . . 68 Empty10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 FN Designs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Gallery Ward. . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Green Art Gallery . . . . . . . . 74 56

Grey Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Gulf Photo Plus . . . . . . . . . 76 Lawrie Shabibi . . . . . . . . . . 77 Leila Heller Gallery . . . . . . 78 Meem Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Opera Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Pro Art Gallery . . . . . . . . . . 82 Salwa Zeidan Gallery . . . . . 83 Sconci Art Gallery . . . . . . . 84 Showcase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Swiss Art Gate UAE . . . . . . 87 The Empty Quarter . . . . . . 88 The Majlis Gallery . . . . . . . 89 The Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 The Mojo Gallery . . . . . . . . 91 The Third Line . . . . . . . . . . 92 Thejamjar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Total Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 XVA Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97


1x1 GALLERY WHAT IS IT? his services and ran a gallery that ran exhibitions based on his photographs of iconic battles for the sons of parents who wanted to see them in action before they perished to their destinies. Doing so, he founded the genre of photojournalism.

ABOUT

Mithu Sen, Old Fashioned Ring Tone, 2011, Mixed media on paper Aristotle argued that Art would not replicate the physical outwardness of things but rather reveal their inner significance. Portraiture and the practice of portrait painting since then have accomplished myriad techniques and perspectives that reveal histories of identity, gender, politics and conceptual practice. ‘What is it?’ was the travelling photo studio of Mathew Brady, a travelling photographer. Brady covered the American Civil War and took photos of Abraham Lincoln, becoming a prolific photographer who advertised

1x1 Art Gallery was founded by Malini Gulrajani in 1996 as a platform for established and emerging Indian modern and contemporary artists. 1x1 supports its programme through structured collaborations with local and international galleries, art fairs, museums, independent curators and art organisations. More recently, 1x1’s exhibitions have witnessed an active inclusion of Emirati and Middle East based artists, embracing an idea of joint projects and initiatives with a predominantly cultural orientation. 1x1 is now based in Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue.

EVENT INFORMATION

15 March to 30 April, 2016 Location: Warehouse B10, Alserkal Avenue Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 11:00 – 19:00 +971 4 341 1287 1x1artgallery.com

57


ANDAKULOVA GALLERY ZOETIC

Bakhodir Jalal, White Night Mysteries, 2013, acrylic on canvas. Courtesy of the gallery.

A selection of Bakhodir Jalal’s abstract works will be on display at the Andakulova Gallery in Dubai. The selected works are from the last two decades and represent an important milestone in the artist’s career. Jalal is considered a living legend in his country, and to describe someone as zoetic suggests that the person carries vitality, and adds a deeper meaning of the word. This exhibition explores the passionate characteristics of the artist and invites the visitors to experience the ‘natural’ abstract art by Bakhodir.

ABOUT

Andakulova Gallery (previously Alif Art Gallery) is a contemporary art gallery with an objective to promote Central Asia’s contemporary visual arts. Gallery provides a platform to exhibit and support emerging to mid-market contemporary Central Asian artists across a variety of media. 58

Gallery’s goal is to cultivate the dialogue between the Central Asia and the Middle East by positioning the art of Central Asia into the artistic hub of Dubai as well as continuing to build relationships between artists, writers, specialists and collectors. Andakulova Gallery carries out continuous and extensive research in Central Asia to find new talent and to develop their potential.

EVENT INFORMATION

2 March to 14 May, 2016 Location: P4 Level, Unit 18, Damac Park Towers, DIFC Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 - 19:00 Opening: 14 March, 2016 +971 4 385 9897 & +971 5 557 7267 andakulova.com


ART COUTURE ONCE UPON A TIME This caricature exhibition, a collaboration between Art Couture & Capacity World, highlights the individual skills & styles of four International Caricaturists for the purpose of amusement, entertainment & learning. Exaggeration, wit & humour were the aim and requirements that the artists faced to be a part of this show. Each of the four caricaturists displays a keen observation and ability to take real people, or known figures, and deliberately distort and over emphasise their characteristics, or their prominent physical features, so that the likeness and resemblance remain but the artwork becomes an exaggeration of their portrait. Artists: Ali Al Qahees-Saudi Arabia, Hasan Edalbi-Syria, Richard Deverell-UK, and Satish Acharya-India.

ABOUT

Established in 2007 in Dubai, this unique art space is located in Al Badia Golf Club, InterContinental, Dubai Festival City, and hosts innovative exhibitions offering art lovers an opportunity to enjoy art as an experience, in an ambiance that is truly magical. The gallery’s focus is on exhibitions of established and upcoming artists offering thought-provoking experiences, where visitors are encouraged to

Hasan Edalbi, Faces of Egypt-1

EVENT INFORMATION

22 February to 22 March, 2016 Location: Al Badia Golf Club, InterContinental, Dubai Festival City Open: Sundays to Saturdays, 10:00 – 22:00 +971 4 6010101 ext 2101 artcoutureuae.com

appreciate the works of local & international painters, sculptors and artists. Art Couture aims to widen people’s perceptions of art, and stimulates an emotional and intellectual connection between the viewers and the artistic realm. 59


ART SAWA MY CITY SHORE ABOUT

Zena Assi, My City On A Tank 2, Mixed Media and collage on Canvas

My City Shore, Zena Assi’s latest series of works, is an attempt to put on canvas the landscape of a constantly shifting city shore, where the desperately sought after reality progressively merges with the surreal, loses its shape, and transforms into nothing but a mirage. The notion of a vibrant secure city haven is being exposed only to see what‘s beneath; it is fixed on a canvas only to witness its hollow prefabricated infrastructure. This body of works formulates an invitation to question how our cityscapes can subsist materially, socially, as well as culturally, in light of such a colossal humanitarian crisis.

60

In 2008, the Art Sawa project began to find its roots in Dubai’s multi-cultural dynamism. Amidst the skyline of this incredible city it was still difficult to find Art, and yet there was a longing for art and culture that remained unmet. Filled with a passion for art and the promotion of talent, Amel B.Makkawi, owner and director, set out to create an Art platform that would provide artists from the region with a space where they could present their work, a space of sufficient size and quality to create its own dynamic. It is a distinctive art platform dedicated to the awareness and promotion of contemporary art from the Middle East, North Africa and neighbouring countries.

EVENT INFORMATION

21 February to 20 March, 2016 Location: Gate Village, Building 8, DIFC Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 19:30 Opening: 14 March, 2016 DIFC +971 4 3862366 artsawa.com


ARTSPACE HYMNS OF GOLD EVENT INFORMATION

14 March to 14 April, 2016 Location: Gate Village, Building 3, DIFC Open: Sundays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 18:00 Opening: 14 March, 2016 +971 4 323 0820 artspace-dubai.com

ABOUT

Khaled Zaki, The Wish Box, 2016, Marble 65. Courtesy of ARTSPACE Today is like yesterday, we are in need of those precious hymns of gold as we once saw in history. People’s love and tolerance to each other in their different races, beliefs and sects is the only way and only evidence of people’s love to mankind, and the only way to move forward.

ARTSPACE Dubai is dedicated to the promotion of modern and contemporary Middle Eastern Art. ARTSPACE caters to the tastes and trends of Dubai’s art scene and the gallery’s discerning worldwide collector base. Maliha Tabari opened a second ARTSPACE location in London in 2012 to further drive Middle Eastern art forward and provides artists with a link between the East and West. The gallery has participated in several local and international art fairs and collaborated with numerous iconic art institutions. It continues to be one of the art world’s leading platforms for modern and contemporary Middle Eastern art.

61


AYYAM GALLERY MACHINE HEARTS Machine Hearts centres on largescale semi-abstracted paintings made over the last two years. Full of aggressive, visceral energy, the eponymous featured series is a continuation of the Man of War series, in which the artist explored the contemporary phenomenon of drone warfare. Still preoccupied by the spectre of war, Athier Mousawi’s new body of work attempts to visualise the mechanical heart of an active soldier and asks: what is the unseen core that powers a human killing machine? Vibrantly coloured canvases depict twisted, organic elements, wrapped around and seamlessly fused with rigid structures, creating dense clusters with a three dimensional sculptural quality. Arteries and veins become entwined with industrial cables and pipes, and steel construction rods puncture soft tissue-like matter, leaving the viewer with doubts about the humanity of the subject.

STILL DREAMING Although he began the influential body of work nearly three decades ago, Safwan Dahoul’s featured paintings reveal several recent changes in both the narrative of the series and his aesthetic. In 2015, Dahoul began isolating his recurring figure in ambiguous settings, 62

releasing her from darkened cityscapes and barren landscapes that resemble actual sites in Syria. This transition began with scenes of his heroine wading through a fog-covered sea and progressed to images of falling rain that indicate a raging tempest. In these examples and the works that followed, Dahoul depicts his female protagonist against a flat white background, an effect that alludes to radiating light, and renders her face and body with gradations of greys illuminated by soft highlights.

EVENT INFORMATION

14 March to 28 May, 2016 Location: Unit 12, Alserkal Avenue Open: Sundays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 18:00, Saturdays, 12:00 – 18:00 Opening Night: 14 March, 19:00 – 21:00 +971 4 323 6242 ayyamgallery.com


SALVATION ABOUT

Rashed Al Shaishai, From the Skylight, 2016, Archival print on cotton paper. As an active member of a dynamic group of conceptual artists that has blossomed in Saudi Arabia in recent years, Rashed Al Shaishai has created a celebrated body of work that explores the tensions between modern life, evolving social norms and the religious precepts that shape everyday life. Through photography and installation, Al Shashai draws from the often-overlooked details that surround him while tackling such issues extremism, escapism, and mounting apathy. The artist’s photographs incorporate documentary elements in order to capture this critical moment in Saudi society while his installation works engage viewers by including the ordinary objects and imagery of everyday life.

Founded in 2006, Ayyam Gallery is a leading arts organisation that manages the careers of diverse established and emerging artists. Blue-chip art spaces in Beirut and Dubai, series of collaborative projects in the United States, Europe and Asia, and multinational non-profit arts programme, have furthered the gallery’s mandate expanding the parameters of international art. With its widely respected multilingual publishing division and a custodianship programme that manages the estates pioneering artists, Ayyam Gallery has also contributed to recent efforts that document underrepresented facets of global art history.

EVENT INFORMATION

14 March to 30 May, 2016 Location: Gate Village, Building 3, DIFC Open: Sundays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 20:00 Opening Night: 14 March, 19:00 – 21:00 +971 4 439 2395 ayyamgallery.com

63


CARBON12 MEA CULPA sometimes, material fragility only partially obfuscate their timely trenchant vision and the urgency of their political message.

ABOUT

Ghazel, Phoenix 5, 2015, Acrylic and ballpoint pen on Iranian world map, Diptych, © Ghazel, Courtesy of Carbon 12. The solo exhibition Mea Culpa revolves around the map motif used in diverse, sometimes derisive, ways. In addition to the works on paper and video, the Iranian artist is - for the first time in almost twenty years - showing sculptures. Made of paper, aluminium and copper, they relate thematically to the map-based work begun in 2010. Ghazel purposefully crafts seemingly spontaneous and light-hearted works whose humour, simple iconography and, 64

Established in 2008, Carbon 12 was the first gallery in the region to initiate a comprehensive, firmly global, programme of institution-grade artists. Carbon 12’s extensive exhibition programme introduces and promotes both established and emerging artists to the UAE contemporary art scene. By supplementing 6-8 annual exhibitions with a diverse set of contextual activities, including publications and talks, Carbon 12 actively engages the public and educational institutions.

EVENT INFORMATION

14 March to 1 May, 2016 Location: Unit D37, Alserkal Avenue Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 11:30 – 19:00 +971 4 340 6016 carbon12dubai.com


CITIZEN E ART GALLERY THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

Chelsie Evans, Irresistable. Courtesy of Citizen E Art Gallery In the visually-rich world we live in, creative minds continue to react to everyday objects and subjects, but in their own analytical, critical and experimental approach. Others, on the other hand, look at the same, yet react totally differently. There is no wrong or right. It is all in ‘the eye of the beholder’. ‘The eye of the beholder’ is a group exhibition of various forms of artistic practices, from oil painting to sculpture, digital art, video and music.

promotion and exhibition of national and international artists, as well as to the support for emerging artists. Founded on extensive knowledge of the local art market, Citizen E fluently communicates with artists, buyers and collectors of the region and beyond. Citizen E Art Gallery also lends itself to special events of Art, Culture and Design by conducting talks, forums and opportunities of artistic conversations. With an interesting calendar of events that cater to the entire palette of the creative world, Citizen E Art Gallery will show traditional art, digital art, sculpture, fashion and photography.

EVENT INFORMATION

10 February to 19 March, 2016 Location: A108, Building 6 Dubai Design District (d3) Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 11:30 – 19:00 +971 4 457 2380 www.citizene.net

ABOUT

Citizen E Gallery is a contemporary fine art gallery dedicated to the 65


CUADRO GALLERY 3.16 Manal Al Dowayan’s And I, Will I Forget is a collection of silkscreened and mixed media images that makes the artist’s personal family history into universally relatable moments while examining the blurry distinction between fact and fiction when stories are retold over time. Camille Zakharia has been working in the medium of collage for more than 25 years, and Shifting Boundaries blurs colours, lines, and patterns with unprecedented fluid abstraction, reflecting the shifting political realities with conflict and economic hardship, forcing entire civilian populations to flee or migrate in search of basic security and livelihood. Faig Ahmed in Black Sheep explores fresh new visual forms that examine tradition and challenge our perception of traditions through iconic cultural objects. Ahmed is among a new wave of contemporary artists exploring crafts in innovative ways to produce conceptual works.

ABOUT

Cuadro Gallery maintains four key areas of focus: exhibitions, education, residency and consultation. Cuadro’s curated exhibitions provide audiences with an opportunity to experience different approaches and execution styles of art. These exhibitions are enhanced by the Cuadro Education Programme, which is comprised of lectures, workshops and panel discussions. The Residency at Cuadro offers a select group of artists studio space in the UAE and often leads to exhibiting their created works. Cuadro also provides qualified art consultation services for its discerning collectors, as well as helping establish new collections. Cuadro maintains its commitment to dynamically engage and add value to the local and international art communities.

EVENT INFORMATION

14 March to 14 April, 2016 Location: Gate Village, Building 10, DIFC Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 to 20:00 +971 4 425 0400 cuadroartcom 66

Camille Zakharia, Shifting Boundaries series


CUSTOT GALLERY DUBAI THE WORLD MEETS HERE EVENT INFORMATION

14 March to 7 May, 2016 Location: Unit I-84, Alserkal Avenue Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 to 19:00 Opening: 14 March, 2016 +971 4 346 8148 custotgallerydubai.ae

Frank Stella, Maze, 1966, Fluorescent acrylic on canvas To inaugurate Custot Gallery Dubai, Stéphane Custot presents a group show The World Meets Here. The exhibition takes us on a journey that reflects Stéphane Custot’s personal taste, a respected connoisseur with 25 years of experience in Paris and London, focused on post-war masterworks and contemporary art. The selection for the inaugural exhibition will embody the two cornerstones of the gallery, contemporary fine arts and large-scale sculpture.

ABOUT

of scenography or through the most innovative monumental creations. The curatorial calendar of the gallery showcases major figures in Modern Art such as Dubuffet, Calder, Miro, Picasso, de Staël, alongside contemporary names including Soulages, Indiana, Quinn, Venet and Davenport. Custot Gallery Dubai presents emblematic works surveying the best of international contemporary art with painstaking care and research invested in the exhibition’s design and presentation, highlighting Stéphane Custot’s support for these artists.

Custot Gallery Dubai, set within the vibrant Alserkal Avenue, is a 700m2 space with a 9m high ceiling, offering artists a complete freedom of expression, whether that is by way 67


DUBAI INTERNATIONAL ART CENTRE: GALLERY 76 40 YEARS OF ART Gallery 76 Installation View

EVENT INFORMATION

This year the Dubai International Art Centre, founded in 1976 as the ‘Art Society of Dubai’, celebrates its 40th anniversary. Through this exhibition, Dubai International Art Centre : Gallery 76 wishes to express the diversity of Dubai, which has seen many changes over those four decades. As it continues to evolve at a rapid pace, there is no doubt the next 40 years will see an entirely new city emerge. The centre’s members and artists are invited to express different artistic visions of Dubai through the creation of original artwork, and are encouraged to explore traditional and innovative art forms to create their own artistic perception of Dubai.

ABOUT

Dubai International Art Centre is the oldest public art centre in the UAE and occupies a special place in the history of Dubai’s thriving art scene. Gallery 76 plays a key role at Dubai 68

12 to 19 March, 2016 Location: Villa 27, Street 75B, Jumeirah 1 Open: Saturdays to Wednesdays, 09:00 – 21:00, Thursdays, 09:00 – 16:00, Fridays, 10:00 - 16:00 +971 4 344 4398 artdubai.com

International Art Centre in facilitating “art for all”, and hosts a broad range of exhibits from emerging and established artists. It therefore exerts its central mandate in starting and nourishing artistic careers. Gallery 76 specialises in exhibiting modern contemporary art, and has hosted high profile solo exhibitions by UAE-based artists. Artists have also been represented from other Middle East countries including Oman, and regional countries such as India, and other European and Asian artists have exhibited recently too.


EAST WING IF I LEAVE, WHERE WILL I GO? enormous part of themselves to documenting this growing wave of instability, using photography to illustrate both the tenacious fight of those who choose to remain at home, no matter what the cost, and the real life hardships experienced by others who risk everything, altering their lives irreparably in the process © Omar Imam, from the series “Live, Love, Refugee”, 2015 Global displacement and migration are defining issues of the 21st century. Changes in worldwide economies, climate and political landscapes are forcing huge populations to undertake arduous journeys with hopes of escape. Making the decision whether to leave or stay, has become commonplace for many on this planet with neither option presenting an immediate solution, as the imbalance is systemic throughout our civilisation. In response to these global issues and their devastating effects on vast populations and cultures, East Wing presents,If I Leave, Where Will I Go?, an exhibition of photography and video by Leila Alaoui, Tanya Habjouqa, and Omar Imam, three award-winning artists who use their unique humanistic perspective to reflect on preservation in conflict. All three artists have devoted an

ABOUT

East Wing was founded in Doha, Qatar in 2012 as an international platform for photography, followed by the opening of a state-of-the-art gallery space in Dubai, UAE in 2014. East Wing curates and commissions contemporary photography projects from around the globe, working with emerging and established artists, while also providing vital support in the development of meaningful collections for those with a passion for photography, video and unique publications.

EVENT INFORMATION

10 March to 17 April, 2016 Location: Limestone House, annex Ritz Carlton Hotel, DIFC Open: Sundays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 20:00 +971 50 553 3879 east-wing.org

69


ELMARSA GALLERY TRANCE

Nja Mahdaoui, Azimuth II, 2012, Mixed media on Arches vellum paper Elmarsa gallery is proud to present the exhibition Trance by Tunisian artist Nja Mahdaoui at its new gallery space in Alserkal Avenue, Dubai. The exhibition will focus on the unique distinctive work by one of the major figures of Arab art whose international career has been hugely productive for more than four decades. The exhibition will present the richness of his spiritual and aesthetic practice throughout his creative engagement and the variety of his output. Through a wide array 70

of new works, the presentation will focus on the diverse aspects of his contemporary calligraphic medium, showing his formal inventiveness and his versatility in the handling of materials, which includes parchment, bronze, vellum and wood. While his use of the Arabic script reveals the pure artistic dimension of the letter, his calligraphy also exposes the depth of his emotional and conceptual consideration of the most free and spiritual notions of art.


EVENT INFORMATION

14 March to 30 April, 2016 Location: Unit 23, Alserkal Avenue Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 19:00 +971 4 341 5806 galerielmarsa.com

ABOUT

Founded in 1994 in Tunis, Elmarsa deals in recognised modern and contemporary art by the most influential 20th and 21st century artists from North Africa. The gallery aims at looking to the future, whilst embracing the past art practices and the impact of the Mediterranean, African and Arab heritage on the arts from the region. Their new space in Dubai allows the gallery to engage international collectors, museum directors and curators,

thus providing their selection of established and emerging artists, mainly from Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Egypt, with a greater reach and a more global audience.

71


EMPTY10 FIXING NOTHING EVENT INFORMATION

14 to 26 March, 2016 Location: Warehouse 10, Street 8, Al Quoz Industrial 3 Open: By appointment empty10gallery@gmail. com +971 50 421 6969, +971 50 345 6160 Mohammed Kazem, Measuring, Painted stainless steel, acrylic and LED lights

Displaying works by Emirati artist Mohammed Kazem and Italian/ Lebanese artist Cristiana de Marchi, “Fixing Nothing” is an informal show that aims at creating a dialogue between artworks and at investigating the many ways dialectics is generated. The exhibition displays new conceptual works by both artists, paired by a selection of Kazem’s iconic Scratches and de Marchi’s textiles, both characterised by the subtlety of the technique and of the result, almost disappearing and inviting the viewers to approach the work with all their senses.

ABOUT

Empty10 is an artist studio and exhibition space founded in 2011 by 72

Emirati artist Mohammed Kazem and Italian/Lebanese artist and poet Cristiana de Marchi, with the purpose of creating and displaying artworks according to a flexible module. Over the past few years, Kazem and de Marchi have consistently worked on collaborations with local and international artists and art professionals, hosting exhibitions and promoting the connection between an extended community of likeminded creative talents.


FN DESIGNS THE JOURNEY MAN II: IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER EVENT INFORMATION

14 March to 8 May, 2016 Location: Unit 26, Alserkal Avenue Open: Sundays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 18:00 +971 4 379 0490 fanndesigns.com

Track 01: Provisional Dictionary Presenting scenes of imagined masked characters in an imagined urban reality that we call “the city”; a place to find the meaning we struggle to find in the real world, and a place where the permanent search for identity takes place. But, under which principles should this be done? As this imaginary world, designed to be in balance, is unable to reach a clear definition by the imperfect set up of one or more of its elements, the quest for meaning becomes crucial.

ABOUT

Moulded by curiosity, creativity and aspirations to which are the heart of our diverse body of work.

Conceptual and visual design, illustrations, photography, publication and clothing are the layers that our studio has to offer whilst applying pragmatic and creative solutions. FN Designs is a multidisciplinary art and design studio based in Dubai. FN is the Arabic word for “the arts.” FN Designs creates a designcentric social community within Dubai, through innovative and collaborative events. FN Designs also hosts art-related events that offers patrons and art lovers from across the United Arab Emirates an opportunity to see local artists at work and get acquainted with them on a personal and interactive level. 73


GALLERY ISABELLE VAN DEN EYNDE THE UNBEARABLE LIKENESS EVENT INFORMATION

14 March to 5 May, 2016 Location: Unit 17, Alserkal Avenue Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 19:00 +971 4 323 5052 ivde.net

Rayon bleu T-Fusain, ink and pen on paper Image courtesy the artist and Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde French-Algerian artist Abdelkader Benchamma imposes constraints upon his process to create delicately executed and dynamic drawings of states of matter. Events explode off the page and are animated by fusing graphic techniques from printing, engraving, landscape and scientific drawing. In his scenes, he reveals the purity and intensity of lines to express powerful and ambiguous atmospheres, which probe notions of a stable reality. The artist uses these varied techniques and media to explore the constructed aspect of reality, inspired by cosmology, science fiction literature, existentialist theatre and literature.

74

ABOUT

After establishing B21 Gallery in 2006, one of the first contemporary art spaces in the UAE, Isabelle van den Eynde launched her eponymous space in Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue in 2010, representing a pluralistic roster of artists from the Middle East. Today, the gallery works with artists from across the globe while maintaining its ties to the Middle East. Through exhibitions, book publishing and fair participation, the gallery prides itself on closely working with its artists to create insightful and often provocative presentations that challenge the conventions of a commercial art gallery.


GALLERY WARD MEDLEY EVENT INFORMATION 12 March to 12 April, 2016 Location: Unit R08, Building 4, Dubai Design District Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 11:00 – 19:00 galleryward.com

Ayman Elsemary The Journey12, 2012, Mixed media on reclaimed wood To commemorate the opening of their new space in Dubai Design District, Gallery Ward presents Medley; a concept developed by renowned curator Ehab Ellaban in 2013. The exhibition features works by ten artists, and celebrates Egyptian cultures and creativity through showcasing a collection of diverse works by some of the region’s most prominent contemporary artists. The opening is held under the patronage of H.E AbdulRahman Al Owais, UAE Minister of Health, and H.E Sherif El Bidewy, ConsulGeneral of Egypt in Dubai.

Artists: Abdulrahman AlSoliman, Adam Henein, Adel Tharwat, Ahmed El Shaer, Ahmed Kassim, Armen Agop, Ayman Elsemary, Ayman Lotfy, Essam Marouf, and Essam Darwish.

ABOUT

Gallery Ward aims to continuously present and promote contemporary art and design from around the world through curated exhibitions and projects, as essential agents in shaping the art scene in the Arab World and the dialogue surrounding it.

75


GREEN ART GALLERY THE LIGHTNESS OF MASS EVENT INFORMATION 14 March to 2 May, 2016 Location: Unit 28, Alserkal Avenue Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 19:00 +971 4 346 9305 gagallery.com

Seher Shah, Untitled (bridge), 2015, cast iron.

Across six series of works in The Lightness of Mass, Seher Shah deftly collapses the binary of the show’s title, illustrating that weight and lightness, far from being contradictory; exist, in fact, simultaneously. They comprise a single state of being.

76

ABOUT

Green Art Gallery is based in Dubai, UAE. Its programme features multigenerational mix of contemporary artists from the Middle East, South Asia and beyond, working across different media.


GREY NOISE THE SHAPE OF DISTANCE EVENT INFORMATION

14 March to 7 May, 2016 Location: Unit 24, Alserkal Avenue Open: Mondays to Thursdays & Saturdays, 11:00 – 19:00 +971 4 3790764 greynoise.org

Stéphanie Saadé 2015, Moon Pills, one pack of 28 contraceptive pills, watercolour Grey Noise is pleased to announce the first solo presentation of Stéphanie Saadé in Dubai. In The Shape of Distance, an intricate map is superposed to the map of the exhibition space. Horizontal distances are explored, which go back and forth in time and geography, as well as vertical distances, which go back and forth between above and below. The works measure, cancel, enhance or materialise these distances. Functioning sometimes by analogy, they become real where both directions meet. A balloon, usually festive and light, is kept on the ground by the weight of the two breaths it contains. A pile of flowers dry, exhaling their perfume in the air. A car ornament rises and becomes a floating star. The moon

is attracted by the charm of gold. Captured, it can be admired, like a small and precious jewel. A piece of sky from a childhood photograph is left outside. The blue sky doesn’t betray all that it has witnessed. Will the fragile image resist this new exposure?

ABOUT

Grey Noise represents art practices with a focus towards contemporaneity, and an emphasis on distinct, often experimental content. Not limiting itself to geographical representation, the gallery exhibits both emerging and established artists who demonstrate a defined conceptual premise in their oeuvre.

77


GULF PHOTO PLUS BIRDS OF A FEATHER EVENT INFORMATION

14 March to 30 April, 2016 Location: , Unit D36, Alserkal Avenue Open: Sundays to Wednesdays, 10:00 – 19:00, Thursdays and Saturdays, 10:00 – 18:00 +971 4 380 8545 gulfphotoplus.com

ABOUT

Claire Rosen, Hyacinth Macaw, No. 7677, 2012 Birds of a Feather, by Claire Rosen, is a portrait series of live birds ranging from the common Parakeet to the exotic Hyacinth Macaw. The birds are photographed against complementary vintage and historical reproduction wallpaper to encourage optical illusion and visual blending. The birds mirror the careful, self-conscious poses of humans in a comical and unexpected way. Posed, the birds anthropomorphise as we attribute human emotion and intent to their expressions. 78

Gulf Photo Plus is a photography center that works to develop knowledge and appreciation of contemporary photography in the Middle East, offering art lovers a wide range of work from conceptually robust documentary photography to thoroughly thought fine art photographic projects. A multifunctional space of Gulf Photo Plus, situated at the very heart of Dubai’s cultural life Alserkal Avenue, regularly hosts exhibitions of the most interesting photographers, focusing on work from and about the region. A versatile educational and arts programme includes artist-talks, workshops, lectures, photography film screenings and Slide fest, a projection night giving platform to the up-andcoming photographers to show their work to a wider public.


LAWRIE SHABIBI BUT STILL TOMORROW BUILDS INTO MY FACE EVENT INFORMATION 14 March to 19 May, 2016 Location: Unit 21, Alserkal Avenue, Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 18:00 +971 4 346 9906 lawrieshabibi.com Taus Makhacheva. Tightrope. 2015. Video still 1. Courtesy Lawrie Shabibi and the artist.

Lawrie Shabibi presents But Still Tomorrow Builds into My Face, a group show curated by Nat Muller. The exhibition takes on a timely topic: the disappearance and loss of heritage, cultural or other. The works explore the relations between power, history, conflict, belonging and identity. They manifest something that is at risk of becoming forever lost, absent and out of memory. As such, the artistic gestures become poetic and political acts of preservation.

ABOUT

Lawrie Shabibi is a contemporary art gallery housed in Dubai’s Al Quoz industrial district. The gallery’s mission is to promote the works of relevant and innovative contemporary artists from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. Lawrie Shabibi regularly publishes catalogues and organises public programmes such as artist talks and screenings, both at the gallery and non-profit spaces in Dubai.

Artists: Persijn Broersen & Margit Lukács, Daniele Genadry, Nadia Kaabi-Linke, Yazan Khalili, Taus Mackhacheva, Shahpour Pouyan, Pia Rönicke

79


LEILA HELLER GALLLERY WHITE DOMES

Kami YZ, Gold Dome IV, 2015, Gold leaf on linen

YZ Kami explores spirituality through the use of light and large-scape collage. By interweaving mixed-media collages on paper, he uses Persian poetry and religious scriptures arranged in circles to recall the ritual of prayer and the mosaics of sacred architecture. His dome paintings additionally convey a sense of universal spirituality in the form of a central bright light that spills over countless rows of tiny rectangles hand-painted or stamped onto the canvas. 80

EVENT INFORMATION

9 March to 19 April, 2016 Location: Unit I-87, Alserkal Avenue Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 - 19:00


MICHELANGELO PISTOLETTO EVENT INFORMATION

14 March to 19 April, 2016 Location: Unit I-87, Alserkal Avenue Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 - 19:00 +971 56 831 3520 leilahellergallery.com

Michelangelo Pistoletto, Two Less One Colored, 2015. Courtesy of Galleria Continua and Leila Heller Gallry. Photo by Duccio Benvenuti Michelangelo Pistoletto, one of the primary practioners of Arte Provera, composes an installation for Leila Heller Dubai this March in partnership with the architect Rem Koolhaas. Pistoletto has built a reputation on his use of ‘humble materials’ in sculptural installations and mirror or steel based painting works for over fifty years. In Michelangelo Pistoletto’s practice, mirrors constitute an image of the world, both of humans and society, and of cosmic space. This interactive exhibition, the artist’s first intervention in the UAE, presents a multitude of his mirrored works. Spanning five decades of practice, the show highlights his multi-dimensional perception and rich relationship with the medium.

ABOUT

Leila Heller Gallery promotes a cutting edge programme of international, contemporary, emerging and mid-career artists. The gallery has gained recognition for being a pioneer in promoting contemporary artists from the Middle East, Central and South Asia. It presents a dynamic exhibition schedule, engaging world-renowned curators, hosting educational panels and publishing books. In November 2015, Leila Heller Gallery opened its first international location in Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue.

81


MEEM GALLERY NEVER BUT ALWAYS

Zhivago Duncan, One Pays, Two Suffer, Screen print, oil and 23 karat gold on linen Zhivago Duncan unveils a new series of works in Never But Always, a collection of eight large paintings, five etchings and five plates. The works mark a major evolution for Duncan, referencing familiar themes of national, personal and cross-cultural identity, rendered in striking compositions, which effervesce with internal tensions and unresolved questions. Duncan’s works smash up contemporary culture, the artist’s voraciously-consuming visuals, which are recycled in new, often intriguing, contexts. His choice of symbols, materials and structures all invite speculation. They pulse with energy, they ask profound questions, they simmer with a 82

strange serenity and they evoke vivid, disparate places, cultures, ideas, icons and possibilities. The pieces reference a typically eclectic assortment of cultural signifiers and motifs, from birds (sourced from natural history books) to Arab-esque geometrics, cartoon superheroes, instruction manuals and abstract outbursts of energy and chaos. These are all themes recurrent in Duncan’s eclectic canon to date, as he pushes onwards to explore deeper notions of identity, memory, pop culture, media and mass-consumerism.

ABOUT

Meem Gallery’s expertise lies in modern and contemporary Arab and Iranian art, with a particular focus on the work of the Middle Eastern modern masters. Since its 2005 launch, Meem has been the site of numerous carefully curated exhibitions.

EVENT INFORMATION

13 March to 16 May, 2016 Location: Warehouse 1, Kanoo Group, Um Suqqeim Road, Al Qouz 3 Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 18:00 +971 4 347 7883 meemartgallery.com


OPERA GALLERY DUBAI COLORS OF DEW er of painting as a device of optical illusion, testing the viewer’s depth of perception through interpretative layers.

ABOUT

Lita Cabellut, Colors of Dew 08, 2015 Lita Cabellut is set to launch her new series Colors of Dew on the opening of her new solo show in Dubai, in her presence. Combining the tantalising beauty of femininity with the intuitive effects of colour, Cabellut draws ‘Colors of Dew’ from her past series ‘Impulse’ – which united elements of sublimity, pleasure and pain to examine the human’s inherent attraction to imperfection – to further confront the audience’s immediate emotional responses to contrasting components. Once again Cabellut uses the pow-

Opera Gallery Dubai is part of the Opera Gallery Group; an international art gallery network with 11 galleries worldwide. The Group offers collectors access to a broad range of multicultural artists, from Modern Masters such as Picasso, Chagall and Dali, to the most sought-after contemporary artists like Katz, Hirst and Murakami. Opera Gallery has been a major player in Dubai’s art scene since 2008. In parallel to its gallery activity, Opera Gallery Group guarantees and protects the heritage of established modern and contemporary artists through international collaborations with museums and art centres.

EVENT INFORMATION

14 to 29 March, 2016 Location: Gate Village, Building 3, DIFC Open: Sundays to Wednesdays, 10:00 – 22:00, Thursdays, 10:00 – 00:00, Fridays and Saturdays, 11:00 – 20:00 +971 4 323 0909 operagallery.com 83


PRO ART GALLERY MESSAGES EVENT INFORMATION

2 to 31 March, 2016 Location: Palm Strip Mall, Jumeirah 1, Opposite Jumeirah Grand Mosque Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 21:00, Fridays, 13:00 – 19:00 +971 4 345 0900 proartuae.com

Nasser Al Aswadi, Messages, Acrylic on Canvas

Renowned Yemeni calligraphy artist, Nasser Al Aswadi, launches a new series of works at Pro Art Gallery. For Nasser Al Aswadi, calligraphy is a way to express feelings and thoughts without them being specifically linked to the language. Arabic letters, words and forms, religious and musical sources, as well as meanings and styles, all nourish the artist’s creativity. Nasser’s work is inspired by daily realities, rural landscapes, architecture and public crowds on the streets, and that is the experience he is keen to translate into his artistic creations.

84

ABOUT

Pro Art Gallery, centrally located at the Palm Strip Mall in Jumeirah, offers art enthusiasts, interior designers, curators and artists unique access to some of the most carefully acquired works of modern and contemporary art. Lithographs, paintings and sculptures, from masters such as Picasso, Dali, Chagall, Botero, Souza, Arman, Dufy, Buffet, Hilaire, to name a few, form the Gallery’s outstanding collection of more than 200 extraordinary artworks.


SALWA ZEIDAN GALLERY A DIFFERENT SPRING EVENT INFORMATION

10 February to 20 March, 2016 Location: Space 22, The Collection, St Regis Resort Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi Open: Sundays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 19:00. Fridays & Saturdays, by appointment only +971 2 666 9656 salwazeidangallery.com

ABOUT Omar Zeidan, Diversity, 2015, oil on canvas Omar Zeidan’s art blends photography, digital abstraction and painting into a composition that speaks to the eye and soul at once. His creation process starts from observing and drawing inspirations from his surroundings, which he then photographs and subsequently edits to the point where colours and forms shift dramatically, giving birth to a completely new dimension of reality. This reality is then transcended onto the finished product: large oils on canvas that merge a contemporary-digital procedure with floral and ornamental motifs all inspired by spring, the season of undeniable rebirth and growth.

Salwa Zeidan Gallery was established in 1994 in Abu Dhabi. Reopened in 2009, it specialises in contemporary art. The gallery represents both well-established and emerging artists from all around the globe, promoting mediums that vary from paintings, photography and sculptures to installation and performance art. All the artworks selected by the gallery bare two common traits: minimalistic vision and sensibility. Every artist and artwork is personally reviewed and selected by Salwa Zeidan – a painter, sculptor and curator with more than 25 years of experience. The gallery currently represents over 30 artists like Zhuang Hong Yi, Fatema Al Mazrouie, Adonis, Peter Gentenaar, Ahmad Moualla and many others. 85


SCONCI ART GALLERY PROPOSALS FOR A COLLECTION

Fabrizio Gunnella, Dreaming Dubai, Oil on canvas Sconci Art Gallery will showcase more than 70 significant works from its collection in an exhibition titled Proposals for a Collection. The artworks include modern and contemporary Italian and International paintings and sculptures, some historic Italian paintings in original frames, and 16th century Milanese furniture.

Italian, Arabic and International artists, and excellent opportunities of choice for enthusiasts, collectors and interior designers. The gallery’s collection in Dubai is composed of more than 500 artworks.

ABOUT

EVENT INFORMATION

The activity of Sconci Art Gallery in the art world began in 1977 in Rome. Now located in Dubai Design District, Sconci Art Gallery is the first Italian Gallery in the Middle East specialising in modern and contemporary art. It offers a wide overview of artworks by famous and emerging 86

13 March to 25 March, 2016 Location: 107 – 108, Building 8, Dubai Design District Open: Sundays to Wednesdays, 11:30 – 19:00, Thursdays to Saturdays, by appointment only +971 4 567 1183 & +971 55 752 7504 sconcigallery.com



SHOWCASE WELCOME TO THE PARTY Moaidnia is the host of this lavish party. Through ancient doors bearing fable and paint, she asks the visitors to enter and become her indulgent guests.

ABOUT

Elham Moaidnia, Godfather Elham Moaidnia’s exhibition Welcome to the Party is a journey beginning with the history of traditional Iranian culture, and ending in the artist’s present. Moaidnia’s symbolic paintings, made not only on canvases but on antique doors and Iranian fabric, comprise a miscellany of folklore and personal experience in which fragments of traditional stories exist in parallel with visual anecdotes of the artist’s life. She shows her own interpretation of the social and political landscape of contemporary Iran, into which she weaves memories and traditions of its past. The show is a joyous feast of colour, portraying the generosity of Iranian people and enticing the viewers to bring their own stories into the milieu. 88

Showcase was one of the first galleries to be established in the UAE in the 1990’s and over the years has established a venerable reputation with art collectors and designers alike. Showcase presents a diverse selection of old and new; antique Middle Eastern furniture and jewellery to contemporary art by both established and emerging artists from Europe, the USA and the Middle East. The gallery nurture’s strong relationships with its artists and encourages them to take part in community projects as well as exhibiting their work.

EVENT INFORMATION

14 March to 12 May, 2016 Location: Unit 35, Alserkal Avenue Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 18:30 13 to 19 March, 10:00 - 19:00 +971 4 379 0940 showcasedubai.com


SWISS ART GATE UAE ELEGANCE IN NATURE

IMAGINATION

Three Italian artists, Maurizio, Carlo and Vittorio, display works of the floral nature, while the Iranian-born Swiss artist, Roshana, shows in her abstract work the human nature and its emotions. Maurizio Bottoni is a master of realistic paintings who follows the techniques of the ancient masters; Carlo Ferrari, a photorealistic painter dedicates his work to flowers represented in their beauty and sensuality; and, Vittorio Gui is a photographer who works on the theme of flowers; and, Roshana Khalilian is a refined and elegant painter, who creates suggestive creation using oil paint and real gold.

In his search for introducing new art, Philip Van Avermaet discovered Smoke Art; the incense smoke in its most natural composition, intrigued by its own harmonious form and style. Philip adds his personal touch by adding colours to the smoke, according to the spontaneous inspiration of the moment, without changing the smoke’s unique and elegant shape.

EVENT INFORMATION

September, 2015 to 30 March, 2016 Location: Mezzaluna, Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi Open: Sundays to Saturdays 12:30 – 19:00

EVENT INFORMATION

November, 2015 to 30 March, 2016 Location: Swiss Tower, Cluster Y, Jumeirah Lake Towers Open: Sundays to Saturdays, 09:00 – 19:00 +971 50 225 1783 swissartgateuae.com

ABOUT

Swiss Art Gate UAE is a UAE-based company that initiates, fosters and organises art exhibitions, cultural and educational projects in the UAE, by international artists. The company concentrates on works and performances by Swiss and Arab artists in music, visual arts, dance, literature, drama, film and new media. Philip Van Avermaet, Smoke Art 89


THE EMPTY QUARTER CHIAROSCURO EVENT INFORMATION

Princess Reem Al Faisal Al Saud, Untitled 4, Edition 1/7, Gelatin Silver print Chiaroscuro is Reem Al Faisal’s culmination of twenty five years of experimentation in photography. Throughout this period, the innovative and creative photographer has continuously challenged herself, mediating her work in black and white, and intensifying her dalliance with light and shade. Reem Al Faisal is one of very few contemporary and internationally-renowned photographers of Arab origin, with a distinct and instantly-recognisable signature. This retrospective exhibition can be described as a single woven piece whose threads of light are floating in an intimate entanglement, imperceptible to the uninitiated.

ABOUT

Co-founded by Saudi Arabian Princess HH Reem Al-Faisal and Emirati 90

15 March to 14 May, 2016 Location: Gate Village, Building 2, DIFC Open: Sundays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 19:00 Opening: 14 March, 2016, 19:00 – 21:00 +971 4 323 1210 theemptyquarter.com

Safa Al-Hamed, The Empty Quarter is the first of its kind in the region, solely dedicated to photography. One of the very first galleries to open in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), The Empty Quarter’s aim is to get the art industry more excited about photography and deem it a serious medium. Since its inception, the gallery has hosted exhibitions of works by renowned regional and international photographers, including award-winning Steve McCurry, and Bruno Barbey, Andreas H Bitesnich, Roland & Sabrina Michaud, Marc Riboud and Carl De Keyzer, among others. The Empty Quarter has also opened its very own printing Lab in the actual gallery space.


THE MAJLIS GALLERY activity. The movement greatly influenced the work of Lichtenstein, Freud and many other artists. The Exhibition is curated by Niall and Christina Fairhead.

ABOUT

Pablo Picasso A Dove on a Sraw Nest

THE NEW ORIENTALISTS Orientalism is widely used in the art to refer to the works of the many, mostly European, 19th century artists who specialised in Oriental subjects and who were hired to record the sights and general exotica of the Levant. The early works, dated from the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, of many of the artists in this exhibition are of great historical importance.

THE SCHOOL OF PARIS CIRCA 1920-1940 This collection of small original drawings and lithographs by Picasso, Braque, Chagall and other important artists from this exciting period in European Art, where between 1900 and 1940, Paris became a magnet for artists from all over the world and a centre for artistic

The Majlis Gallery, the first Fine Art Gallery in the UAE, is a haven for artists and art lovers. The gallery founder, Alison Collins, came to Dubai in 1976 to work as an interior designer. In 1978, she started hosting at Villa 52 – her former house – many informal soirees introducing artists, both professional and amateur and, in 1989, the house became a permanent gallery. The gallery’s vision, then as now, is to bring to Dubai artists of international repute and to support them in their exploration and interpretation of the Middle East into visual forms, and to represent locally-based artists. The gallery also exhibits sculpture glass and ceramics.

EVENT INFORMATION

12 March to 30 April, 2016 Location: Villa 52, Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 18:00 +9714 353 6233 themajlisgallery.com

91


THE MINE VERTICAL VOLUME over stacked cardboard boxes, which are then removed to leave their impressions; a meditation on the nature of the negative space.

ABOUT

Yasuaki Onishi, “Untitled” series, Installation view, Acrylic box, glue The Mine presents Vertical Volume, the Japanese artist Yasuaki Onishi’s second solo exhibition in the UAE. Onishi’s new body of work Vertical Volume is a room-size installation in which volumes of cylindrical bags expand and contract with vertical motion, creating a vertiginous sensation of negative space through movement. The Mine also presents Reverse Volume by Onishi, an off-site installation on view at Vida Downtown, starting on March 16, a mountain-like form that appears to float in space. The work is the result of a process the artist calls “casting the invisible”, which involves draping the plastic sheeting 92

The Mine is a contemporary art gallery based in Al Quoz, Dubai’s industrial art district, which presents both regional and international emerging artists. With monthly solo and group exhibitions, The Mine pushes for critical discourse and artistic dialogue in support of a diverse range of art forms including performance art, installation art, works on canvas, and street art. Founded in early 2014 by Sanaz Askari, The Mine also collaborates with non-profit organisations and has been actively involved in organising and hosting cultural events aiming to promote and support other emerging and creative industries, merging art, music, design, film and fashion.

EVENT INFORMATION

14 March to 30 April, 2016 Location: Warehouse 38, Street 8A, Al Quoz 1, Opposite Alserkal Avenue, Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 19:00 +971 4 379 1704 themine.ae


THE MOJO GALLERY THE BOOK [RE-IMAGINED] Artists: Mohamed Abou El Naga, Amal Bachir, Cheikhou Ba, Fatma Lootah, Ibrahim Khattab, Viye Diba, Atta Kwami.

ABOUT

Atta Kwami, Grace Kwami Sculpture Photo Credit Franko Khoury-Smithsonian Institution Books have long been the purveyors of knowledge. Its form is strongly embedded in our collective psyche as a symbol of enlightenment. An artist’s book manipulates this very familiar structure, and in the process makes us reengage with the notion of page, format and content, often transforming them into a discussion of the medium’s own tradition. Having their own history, artist’s books have managed to escape any fixed definition. The genius of the artist makes the book behave differently and uniquely every time. Always a work of art in itself, it is created for its own sake and not necessarily for the information it contains. Through shapes, formats, materials and structures the viewer is led on a visual and tactile journey reminiscent to the free and unalloyed visual language of experimental cinema.

The Mojo Gallery was founded in 2009 with the desire to engage, inspire and help inform a diverse and growing audience in all forms of international contemporary art. The gallery strives to host shows that are innovative, thought-provoking and global in context. A passion for presenting unique works by emerging and established contemporary artists from the African continent forms a vital component of the gallery’s ongoing programme. A dynamic collaborative exhibition schedule places an important focus on facilitating artistic dialogue between Africa and other international artists and art scenes.

EVENT INFORMATION

15 March to 15 May, 2016 Location: 33 Alserkal Avenue Open: Sundays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 19:00, Saturdays, 11:30 – 18:00 +971 50 457 0384 themojogallery.com

93


THE THIRD LINE LA SALLE DE GYM DES FEMMES ARABES

Hassan Hajjaj, Feetball, 2006, Metallic Lambda Print on Dibond with Wood & Found Objects Frame The Third Line is pleased to present Hassan Hajjaj’s third solo show in Dubai, La Salle de Gym des Femmes Arabes. The title, which translates into Gym for Arab Women, is a continuation of Hassan’s depiction of strong Arab women in his colourful vision of Moroccan pop-culture. Playing with gender norms associated with the gym space, he inverts expectations with this new body of photographic work featuring female figures of strength in the places of

94

the hyper-masculine imagery normally featured in these spaces.

EVENT INFORMATION

14 March to 16 April, 2016 Location: Warehouse 78 & 80, Alserkal Avenue Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 19:00 +971 4 341 1367 thethirdline.com


WHEN HEARTSTRINGS COLLAPSE ABOUT

Sara Naim, Choke, C-type digital print The Third Line is pleased to present When Heartstrings Collapse, Sara Naim’s first solo show with the gallery. Sara Naim is a Syrian photographer who grew up between Dubai and London. She often uses photography, drawing and installation to explore the phenomenological meditation on how we encounter the world through our bodies, and negotiates the sinuous line between our interior and exterior physicality.

The Third Line is a Dubai-based art gallery that represents contemporary Middle Eastern artists locally, regionally and internationally. The Third Line also hosts non-profit, alternative programmes to increase dialogue in the region, and the book wing Works on Paper publishes books by associated artists. Represented artists: Abbas Akhavan, Ala Ebtekar, Amir H. Fallah, Arwa Abouon, Babak Golkar, Ebtisam Abdulaziz, Farhad Moshiri, Fouad Elkoury, Golnaz Fathi, Hassan Hajjaj, Hayv Kahraman, Huda Lutfi, Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige, Laleh Khorramian, Lamya Gargash, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Pouran Jinchi, Rana Begum, Sahand Hesamiyan, Sara Naim, Sherin Guirguis, Shirin Aliabadi, Slavs and Tatars, Sophia Al-Maria, Tarek Al-Ghoussein, Youssef Nabil and Zineb Sedira.

95


THEJAMJAR MANGROVES FROM THE WATER EVENT INFORMATION 9 to 23 March, 2016 Location: Unit H-74, Alserkal Avenue Open: Mondays to Thursdays & Saturdays, 09:00 – 17:00 +971 4 341 7303 thejamjardubai.com Zahidah Zeytoun Millie, Mangroves from the Water, Water colours on paper

Mangroves from the Water, expresses the delicate balance between nature and human progress. It aims to create awareness of the importance of protecting the UAE mangroves. The artists have found the mangroves a source of power, beauty, energy and stories, just as much as they hold vital importance to the UAE ecology. Artists: Zahidah Zeytoun Millie, Alexis R Gambis, Stephanie Neville, Geraldine Chansard, Alanood Al Zaidi, Fatima Al Mansouri, Maysa Al Jaberi, Dana Al Mazrouei, Shaikha Al Suwaidi, Brioné LaThrop, Sara Saif Al Ali, and Toby Smith.

96

ABOUT

Founded in 2005, thejamjar is a community arts space created to promote artists and support the development of UAE’s arts scene through its extensive arts programme, educational initiatives, and community projects. The studio and project space offers a DIY Painting Studio alongside a year round exhibitions and events calendar, presenting a diverse range of art forms, including visual art, film, music, theatre and performance.


Turns garages into galleries.

The all-new Audi A4. Redefine excitement. A masterpiece that bears the Audi signature, the all-new Audi A4 comes with precision crafted lines to create a sporty exterior and beautifully structured lines inside to create a sense of lightness and spaciousness. Include the Audi virtual cockpit and you will realise why it is the most technologically advanced car in its class. For more information visit audi-me.com/a4 or your local dealer.


TOTAL ARTS FEARLESS

EVENT INFORMATION

12 March to 30 April, 2016 Location: Street 4B, Al Quoz Industrial 1 Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 18:00 +971 4 347 5050 courtyard-uae.comgalleryward.com

Afshan Daneshvar, detail of Boats, white paper & glue Fearless is about 33 artists from Iran who have been working and working regardless of the market’s madness, because they are manically obsessed with what they do. These 33 artists have been expressly chosen from various generations (from 25 to 75 years old); there is no age for being an obsessive courageous lunatic, working silently.

ABOUT

Total Arts is one of the oldest galleries in the UAE. Established in 1992, it 98

relocated to The Courtyard after the inauguration of the building in 1998. Total Arts is recognised as a pioneer on the Dubai arts scene, founded by Dariush Zandi to allow for a creative platform at a time when the Dubai arts scene was beginning to first grow. Since then, it has established itself as an interdisciplinary space for learning, collaborating and experimenting, and an in-between space for artistic and intellectual collaboration. It continues to foster dialogue between established artists and collectors, as well as emerging artists and students from across the region, particularly Iran and the UAE. The gallery’s current activities include a regular roster of lectures, workshops, film screenings, exhibitions and artists’ talks.


XVA GALLERY TOY STORY 2

Morteza Zahedi, Untitled, 2015, Mixed media In his upcoming solo exhibition Toy Story 2, Morteza Zahedi continues the exploration of materials and themes introduced in his 2012 exhibition Toy Story 1. The exhibition comprises a variety of mediums including a large number of works on paper, bronze and acrylic sculptures, and installations using neon and found objects. Zahedi’s work speaks of the shift in perspective that occurs during the transition from childhood into adulthood, by referencing popular and traditional imagery, icons and stories, and repurposing toys and found objects to serve as vessels for his expression. Morteza Zahedi was born in 1978, in Rasht, Iran, and today lives in Tehran.

ABOUT

Established in 2003, XVA is one of the leading galleries in the Middle East that specializes in contemporary art from the Arab world, Iran and the

EVENT INFORMATION

13 March to 27 April, 2016 Location: Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood Open: Sundays to Saturdays, 10:00 – 18:00 +971 4 353 5383 xvagallery.com

Subcontinent. Exhibitions focus on works by the regions foremost artists as well as those emerging onto the scene. The gallery’s artists express their different cultural identities and perspectives while challenging the viewer to drop prejudices and borders. XVA Gallery exhibits both locally and internationally. Collaborating with galleries and participating in international art fairs, such as Art Basel Hong Kong, SH Contemporary, Singapore Art Fair and Abu Dhabi Art in 2014, in order to further expose Middle Eastern contemporary art. 99


FAIRS & FESTIVALS Art Dubai. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Design Days Dubai . . . . . 110 Dubai Photo Exhibition . . 118 SIKKA Art Fair . . . . . . . . . 120

100


ART DUBAI Art Dubai 2015, Gallery Hall 1, Contemporary, Image Courtesy of The Studio, Dubai

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. Over the last ten years, Art Dubai, the leading international art fair in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, has become a cornerstone of the region’s fast-growing contemporary arts community and home to a select yet diverse lineup of globally sourced galleries. In 2016, Art Dubai features 94 galleries from 40 countries, 500 artists representing 70 nationalities, an extensive not-for-profit programme including commissioned projects, artists’ and curators’residencies, The Abraaj Group Art Prize exhibition and the Global Art Forum.

OPENING HOURS

16 to 19 March, 2016 Location: Madinat Jumeirah Open: 17 March, 2016, 16:00 - 21:30 18 March, 2016, 14:00 - 21:30 19 March, 2016, 12:00 - 18:30 Opening: 16 March, 2016, 16:00 - 21:30

CONTEMPORARY Affirming Art Dubai’s reputation as the most global of art fairs, the Contemporary halls include 76 galleries, selected via a stringent independent committee process. In 2016, several galleries have opted to present ambitious solo and two-person shows; audiences will discover the work of more than 500 artists, from an extraordinarily diverse roster of galleries that includes the world’s most prominent alongside fresh, upcoming art spaces. 101


Abdul-Halik Azeez, Shoe Mafia, 2016, Archival Pigment Print, Courtesy of the artist

MODERN

MARKER

Launched in 2014, Art Dubai Modern, sponsored by Mashreq Private Banking, features artists who proved influential in the twentieth century, particularly through the vibrant modern period of the 1940s to 1980s. Each gallery presents a solo or two-person show, with work by masters from Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. Art Dubai Modern’s advisory committee includes Savita Apte, Catherine David, Kristine Khouri, Nada Shabout and Bisi Silva.

In 2016, Marker turns its focus to the Philippines. The programme, curated by Ringo Bunoan, highlights independent and artist-run spaces in Metro Manila, including 98B, Post Gallery, Project 20 and Thousandfold. Serving as an anchor to the exhibition is the work of Roberto Chabet (1937-2013), a pioneering Filipino conceptual artist, teacher, and curator who played an active role in several artist-run spaces throughout his lifetime. Marker 2016 is the first such showcase of Filipino artists at any major international art

102


fair and is the first such exhibition in the Middle East to date, aiming – as in previous editions of Marker – to nurture cultural exchange between its focus country and the Gulf.

PROJECTS Art Dubai Projects is a not-for-profit programme that includes residencies and commissions, curated in 2016 by Yasmina Reggad, plus radio and a film programme. A.i.R (Artists-in-Residence) Dubai, a partnership between Art Dubai, Delfina Foundation, Dubai Culture & Arts Authority and Tashkeel, sees four artists - Areej Kaoud, Moza Almatrooshi, Jumairy and Lydia Ourahmane - invited to produce new projects through a three month residency. Art Dubai Commissions is a new programme devoted to mid-career artists: Doa Aly, the collective trio Nile Sunset Annex, Sreshta Rit Premnath and Massinissa Selmani.In 2016, Art Dubai Radio is hosted by Safina Radio Project.

THE WEDDING PROJECT Presented by Art Dubai Projects and curated by Delfina Foundation, The Wedding Project is a new site-specific, immersive project and café space that features performances and an extraordinary eleven-course menu gala dinner hosted and created

entirely by artists. The new performative project combines novel drinks and food dishes, commissions and interventions by artists including Sunoj D, Larissa Sansour, Candice Lin, Manal Al Dowayan, Taus Makhacheva, Nile Sunset Annex, Hind Mezaina and the Centre for Genomic Gastronomy. The Wedding Project is sponsored by Absolut Elyx with further support by ROI and The White Boutique.

THE ABRAAJ GROUP ART PRIZE The Abraaj Group Art Prize exhibition at Art Dubai features new work by the 2016 winner, artist duo Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme, as well as previous works by three shortlisted artists - Dina Danish, Mahmoud Khaled and Basir Mahmood - curated by Guest Curator Nav Haq. The Abraaj Group Art Prize is the only prize in the Middle East and South Asia that awards artists on the basis of submitted project proposals.

GLOBAL ART FORUM Titled ‘The Future Was’, the Global Art Forum 2016 takes on the theme of futurism, exploring the ways in which artists, writers, technologists, historians, musicians and thinkers have imagined – and are shaping – the future. Featuring a diverse line-up of more than 50 participants, the talks are co-directed by Amal Khalaf and 103


Faiq Hassan, Bedouin Tent, 1950, Oil on wood Uzma Z. Rizvi with Shumon Basar as Commissioner. The five days of live talks launched in Dubai at Dubai Design District (d3) and London at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in January 2016 before continuing at Art Dubai in March.

Forum Fellows, an intensive series of workshops led by Tirdad Zolghadr, is supported by Julius Baer. For 2016, Art Dubai invited the artist/ writer/musician Hassan Khan to develop a programme focusing on art criticism in Arabic.

EDUCATION

Campus Art Dubai is a year-round art school for artists, curators and writers featuring Core and Community classes, in partnership with Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and supported by Dubai Design District (d3).

Art Dubai Education features programmes for children through to arts professionals. The Sheikha Manal Little Artist Program is an artist-led set of workshops and tours for children and teenagers. Art Dubai also works with UAE private schools on specialist tours at the fair. 104


GLOBAL ART FORUM Please visit artdubai.ae for information and videos of Day 1 & 2 held in Dubai and London in January 2016. Free and open to all, this year’s Global Art Forum is simultaneously translated into Arabic and English.

DAYS 3-5 ART DUBAI, FORT ISLAND, MADINAT JUMEIRAH, DUBAI Wednesday, 16 March: 15:00 - 19:00 Thursday, 17 March: 15:00 - 19:00 Friday, 18 March: 16:00 - 19:00

Featuring live talks guided by a curated theme, the Global Art Forum brings together a diverse line-up of participants, including artists, curators, musicians, strategists, thinkers and writers.

GLOBAL ART FORUM 2016 THE FUTURE WAS The Global Art Forum was launched by Art Dubai at its inaugural fair in 2007. In 2016, it is presented by the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and supported by Dubai Design District. The January sessions in London were held in partnership with the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA).

The tenth edition of the Global Art Forum explores the ways in which artists, writers, technologists, historians, musicians and thinkers have imagined – and are shaping – the future. Titled The Future Was, the Forum is conceived by Shumon Basar as Commissioner, with Amal Khalaf and Uzma Z. Rizvi as Co-directors. Does it feel as if the future was once ahead of us, far away, but now the future surrounds us in our present, on our screens, with each compulsive finger-swipe? What were the great dreams of what was to come? What will they be? In customary fashion, the Global Art Forum will convene the most compelling minds from across and above planet Earth to tell untold histories and share speculative 105


Hera Büyüktaşçıyan , Tetraplegia, 2014, Found stereoscope, bronze and wood. Courtesy of Green Art Gallery, photograhed by Ali Yavuz Ata

stories. The 21st century continues to measure new modernities from Mumbai to Tehran to Dubai and beyond - with skyscrapers, satellites and space races, even as new futures are imagined, invented and rejected. Because the future is always unevenly distributed in its meaning, its memory and emotive draw. What else might the word “future” mean and why does it resist ever being fully understood? The British Council has kindly supported the appearance of UKbased speakers at the 2016 Forum.

CO-DIRECTORS

Amal Khalaf is an artist, researcher and curator. She is the Projects Curator at the Serpentine Galleries and has been working on the Edgware Road Project since its inception in 2009. She is currently Commissioning Editor of Projects for online platform, Ibraaz and a 106

founding member of artist collective GCC, as well as a trustee of the Crossway Foundation. Uzma Z. Rizvi is Associate Professor of Anthropology and Urban Studies at the Pratt Institute of Art and Design, Brooklyn and a Visiting Scholar in the Department of International Studies at the American University of Sharjah. Recent publications include ‘Crafting Resonance: Empathy and Belonging in Ancient Rajasthan’ (2015), ‘Decolonizing Archaeology: On the Global Heritage of Epistemic Laziness’ (2015) and World Archaeological Congress Research Handbook on Postcolonial Archaeology (2010).

COMMISSIONER

Shumon Basar was Director of Global Art Forum 6, Commissioner of Global Art Forum 7 and 8 and Director-at-Large of Global Art Forum 9. Co-author with Douglas Coupland and Hans Ulrich Obrist of The Age of Earthquakes: A Guide to the Extreme Present, he is also a founding member of the Fondazione Prada’s Thought Council.


Art Dubai Projects and Delfina Foundation present

THE WEDDING PROJECT

The Wedding Project combines novel drinks and food dishes, commissions and interventions by artists including Sunoj D, Larissa Sansour, Candice Lin, Manal Al Dowayan, Taus Makhacheva, Nile Sunset Annex, Hind Mezaina and the Centre for Genomic Gastronomy.

Open to the public on 16-19 March, 2016

Gala dinners on 16 & 18 March at 20:00

contact, sara.m@artdubai.ae

107


GLOBAL ART FORUM SCHEDULE WEDNESDAY 16 MARCH, 15:00 – 19:00 WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION, 15:00 Antonia Carver (Director, Art Dubai) with Global Art Forum Commissioner Shumon Basar, and Global Art Forum 2016 directors Amal Khalaf and Uzma Z. Rizvi THE FUTURE WAS THE PAST, 15:15 Artist Francesco Vezzoli, curators Germano Celant (Director, Fondazione Prada) and Hans Ulrich Obrist (Co-Director, Exhibitions and Programmes, Serpentine Galleries) with Shumon Basar POSTCARD FROM THE FUTURE, 16:00 Joana Hajithomas (Artist) THE FUTURE WAS THE MARKET, 16:15 Economist Elie Ayache (CEO and co-founder of ITO 33) INTERMISSION, 16:45 THE FUTURE WAS THE FUTURE, 17:00 Filmmaker and writer Hito Steyerl with Shumon Basar THE FUTURE WAS OVERCAST, 17:30 Writer Sohrab Mahdavi and writer and curator Tirdad Zolghadr

108

THE FUTURE WAS COLLECTIVE, 18:00 Writer Adrienne Maree Brown with Amal Khalaf THE FUTURE WAS TWO SEMI-CIRCLES (AWAY FROM YOUR FACE), 18:30 Sound artist Christine Sun Kim

THURSDAY 17 MARCH, 15:00 - 19:00 WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION, 15:00 Global Art Forum Commissioner Shumon Basar, and Global Art Forum 2016 directors Amal Khalaf and Uzma Z. Rizvi POSTCARD FROM THE FUTURE, 15:15 Mishaal Al Gergawi (Writer, Director of the Delma Institute and Cofounder of Cinema Akil) THE FUTURE WAS CLOUD, 15:30 Curator João Ribas (Deputy Director, Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art) POSTCARD FROM THE FUTURE, 16:00 Noah Raford (Advisor, Special Projects, UAE Prime Minister’s Office) THE FUTURE WAS DESERT, 16:15 Artist and writer Sophia Al-Maria in conversation with novelist, comics and script writer Lauren Beukes and Shumon Basar


INTERMISSION, 17:15 THE FUTURE WAS SCI-FI, 17:30 UAE writers and novelists Mohammad Al Hammadi and Noura Al Noman with Amal Khalaf and Uzma Z. Rizvi POSTCARD FROM THE FUTURE, 18:00 Yasmina Reggad (Independent Curator and Writer) PERCEPTION, 18:15 Artist eL Seed and Glenn D. Lowry (Director, the Museum of Modern Art, MoMA)

Department of Archaeology, Flinders University) with Uzma Z. Rizvi THE FUTURE WAS ENCHANTED, 18:00 Curator Nada Raza (Tate Modern; ‘The Missing One’ at Dhaka Art Summit 2016) with Uzma Z. Rizvi THE FUTURE WAS DICHROIC, 18:30 Performance by artist Monira Al Qadiri

FRIDAY 18 MARCH, 16:00 – 19:00 WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION, 16:00 Global Art Forum Commissioner Shumon Basar, and Global Art Forum 2016 directors Amal Khalaf and Uzma Z. Rizvi THE FUTURE WAS DUBAI, 16:15 Urbanists Ahmed and Rashid Bin Shabib THE FUTURE WAS SMART, 16:45 Liam Young (Architect and Co Founder, Tomorrows Thoughts Today and Unknown Fields) THE FUTURE WAS SPACE, 17:15 Alice Gorman (Senior Lecturer,

109


110


FIRST MOVERS WILL ALWAYS CHANGE THE WORLD.

BUT WHICH ONE? >> Discover our approach at juliusbaer.com/visionary-thinking

Julius Baer is the leading Swiss private banking group and present in some 50 locations worldwide. From Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, Guernsey, Hong Kong, London, Lugano, Monaco, Montevideo, Moscow, Mumbai, Nassau, Singapore to Zurich (head office). Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd. holds a representative office licence from the UAE Central Bank.


DESIGN DAYS DUBAI

Mischer’ Traxler, Limited Moths - Catcall Converse RealLimited series. Courtesy of Victor Hunt Gallery, Belgium Returning for its fifth edition, Design Days Dubai is the Middle East and South Asia’s only annual fair dedicated to purchasable collectible design works, taking place from 14 - 18 March, 2016 at ‘The Venue’, Downtown Dubai. Positioned as a fair of discovery, this edition will feature a curated selection of 47 of the world’s leading and emerging design galleries and studios, along with a strong representation from the region: design from over 35 countries.

112

EVENT INFORMATION

14 to 18 March, 2016 Location: The Venue, Downtown Dubai, Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard Open: Ladies’ Preview 14 March, 2016, 13:00 - 16:00 Public Days 14 to 17 March, 2016, 16:00 - 22:00 Public Day 18 March, 2016, 13:00 - 19:00 Design Days Dubai also presents an insightful and inspiring public programme of special projects, talks, workshops and guided tours;


highlights include ‘WASL’, an exhibition of design from the Emirates supported by d3 and Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, and the regional premiere of world-renowned Dutch designer Marcel Wanders’ Personal Editions. Showcasing over 750 limited edition and unique furniture and objects, Design Days Dubai 2016 will see the return of Carpenters Workshop Gallery (UK/France/USA), Victor Hunt Designart Dealer (Belgium), Art Factum Gallery (Lebanon) and Gallery S. Bensimon (France) whilst welcoming newcomers J.C.T Haute Couture Interiors (France), Camp Design Gallery (Italy), Barcelona Design Gallery (Spain) and Dutch Creative Industry (The Netherlands). A symbol of the growth and maturity of design in the UAE, Design Days Dubai 2016 will see a record number of 23 exhibitors from 7 countries within the Middle East and wider region, with first time participation from: Monogram and M.A.D Gallery (both Dubai), Samovar and Loulwa Al-Radwan (both Kuwait), Vick Vanlian and Georges Amatoury Studio (both Lebanon), Aisha Al-Sowaidi (Qatar), King Abdulaziz Center (Saudi Arabia) and Kalo (Sharjah). Design Days Dubai has the continued support of its sponsors

including the strategic partnership with Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, the Emirate’s dedicated Authority for culture, arts and heritage; Dubai Design District (d3), co-hosts of the public programme and ‘WASL’; French high-jewelry maison Van Cleef & Arpels, which presents The Spirit of Nature exhibition, as well as announcing the winner of the Middle East Emergent Designer Prize; Audi who return with the Audi Innovation Talks Series; and Emaar.

DESIGN DAYS DUBAI PROJECTS AL NOOR ‘Al Noor’ project by designer Ghassan Salameh, presented by Iwan Maktabi, is a site specific lighting installation composed of 8 unique handcrafted, woven metal tapestries. Each piece is unique in its weave, material and colour combinations combining red copper, brass, stainless steel and black metal. Hung from the ceiling and layered, each tapestry has a series of embedded LED lights to transform its function from decorative to lighting. The reflection of the light upon the metal woven mesh and onto the surrounding space varies at different angles, creating a visually attractive and eye-comforting environment. ghassansalameh.com 113


CELEBRATING LIGHT

(The Netherlands), Philipp Weber (Germany) and Elise Fouin (France).

This project is taking place at Comptoir 102. Please see page 162.

FLUX

‘Celebrating Light’ is a first exhibition of curated design works presented by Dubai concept store Comptoir 102 in collaboration with international design magazine Frame, Amsterdam, and online platform Eyes on Talents, Paris. The project aims to promote design excellence, and this first exhibition will show innovative lighting design by three award-winning European designers: Teresa Van Dongen

Presented by Dubai Design & Fashion Council, ‘Flux’ project by Dubai-based NM Collections and D04 Studios was inspired by the ever changing surfaces of the desert dunes to create a new furniture typology that is a hybrid of wall, floor and majlis seating. An artisanal craftsman will also be on site to demonstrate the art of motherof-pearl, bone and ebony inlay. dubaidesignandfashioncouncil.ae

Design Days Dubai public programme

114


ELEMENTS

SHANGHAI DESIGN

‘Elements’ by designer Lex Pott, experiments with Dubai’s strongest natural element the sun. Presented by Consulate General of the Netherlands, the Dutch designer Lex and his team will develop photographic images on plant leaves using chlorophyll processing, an organic photography process combining natural sunlight and photosynthesis: a live design-in-the-making performance. lexpott.nl

Focusing on traditional culture, material process and spatial ideas, these 8 Shanghai-based designers create innovative design works which reference traditional Chinese culture such as the Ming dynasty yet with altogether modern techniques and a concern of humanity. The group exhibition is supported by UNESCO Creative Cities (Shanghai) Promotion Office and Dubai Design District (d3).

PERSONAL EDITIONS COLLECTION

Designers: Sunny Chen, China; Li Xiang, China; Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu, China; SHANSHAN QI, China; Philip Fung, China; Yung Ho Chang, China; Xie Aige, China; Tsung-Jen Lin, China

For the first time in the region, world-renowned Dutch designer Marcel Wanders presents his Personal Editions Collection, an exclusive collection of limited edition pieces that combines traditional crafts and industrial processes and pushes the boundaries of functional and non-functional, of art and design. Amongst the Personal Editions collection will be the iconic ‘Golden Knotted Chair’ (2009), a limited edition of 204 pieces that has become a much-cited example of the integration of craft with technology. Marcel’s appearance at Design Days Dubai is in partnership with Esra Lemmens Agency. marcelwanders.com

SPARK* Spark* is a project created by a team of young designers led by Abraaj RCA (Royal College of Art, London) Innovation Scholar Sheroy Katila with social enterprise at its heart. Spark focuses on simplifying emerging technology to enable communities to design and manufacture much-needed products within the local community. On display at Design Days Dubai will be the first ‘Spark Kit,’ which facilitates the production of a functioning light, using a simple screen printing process. 115


An undergraduate studying for a double degree, Sheroy is one of 10 Abraaj RCA Innovation Scholars, one of the first students to receive the newly-created scholarship in 2014. Spark* Team: Sheroy Katila; Laura Leddy; Haidin Rashid; John Routledge

WASL Supported by Dubai Design District (d3) and Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, ‘WASL’ will feature over 25 design pieces, the largest retrospective exhibition of UAE design to date. All pieces on display have been designed or produced in the UAE over the past 5 years; since the launch of Design Days Dubai in 2012. This marks a milestone in the nascent UAE design scene and an indication of Design Days Dubai’s role in supporting emerging local designers as a catalyst event. Works on show vary from furniture objects to lighting, floor and wall to graphic prints showing the diversity of local talent. Many design works have been made with the support of local initiatives including those managed by Tashkheel, 1971 Design Space, the Sheikha Salama Foundation and the Sheikha Manal Young Artist Award. 116

‘WASL’ at Design Days Dubai is the second installment of the exhibition. The first, curated by Mouza AlMatrooshi, was shown during Beijing Design Week in September 2015, as part of the Dubai Guest City Programme. Designers: Abdalla Almulla (1971); Afra Bin Dhaher; Aljoud Lootah; Aljoud Lootah (warehouse 421); Amer Aldour, Amal Haliq, Jozef Hendricks (1971) Ammar Kalo; Anjali Srinivasan; Anna Szonyi; Arabic Type Design for Beginners; Arty by AMN Furniture Studio; Bahar al Bahar; D04 Studio; Fadi Sarieddine; Hamza Omari (Loci Architecture + Design); Ibdaa; Ivan Parati (Caravan); Khalid Shafar; Khawla Al Hashimi (Architecture + Other Things); Latifa Saaed (Tashkeel); Maryam Al Suwaidi (Design Talk); Rand Abdul Jabbar (Tashkeel); Saher Oliver Samman (Tashkeel); Salem Al Mansoori; Taher Asad Bakhtiari (warehouse 421); Talin Hazbar (Tashkeel); Tinkah; Viktor Udzenija; Zeinab Al Hashemi (Tashkeel)


Atelier Van Lieshout, Strong Chair, Courtesy of Carpenters Workshop Gallery, UK/France/USA

‘WAW’ ESCAPING FLATLAND ‘WAW Escaping Flatland’ is a project by UAE design firm Monogram. The one-off sculpture portrays the Arabic conjunction word “waw” meaning “and”- that represents the link between traditional Arabic culture and contemporary life.

From an Architectural point of view, Monogram has explored ways to transform the letter into a three dimensional visual language that reflects the United Arab Emirates: a culture that is urban, daring, and multidimensional. monogram-design.com

117


DESIGN DAYS DUBAI PUBLIC PROGRAMME Design Days Dubai’s public programme, held in partnership with d3, runs alongside the main exhibition and is filled with talks, panel discussion, live performances, screenings, workshops and mentorship sessions. The 25 free-to-attend events are designed to broaden visitors’ experience to the fair and give everyone – from design novices to enthusiasts to professionals – the opportunity to develop their understanding of design.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS World-renowned Dutch designer Marcel Wanders presents the fair’s opening keynote, ‘On the Crossroads between Art and Design’.

WORKSHOPS The Making Process workshop, led by internationally-acclaimed ceramic artist, Professor Magdalene Odundo OBE, in conjunction with Professor Michael Rice, will include a demonstration of wheel-based ceramic techniques and the concepts or narratives that inform them. Unfolding the Cube, with the guidance of Tarek ElKassouf, encourages participants to experiment with 118

geometric form, a recurring motif in Middle Eastern architecture. Sarah Angold’s Wearable Design session will teach you how to make your own wearable design in just half an hour. Two hands-on workshops presented by NexAR, as part of the Dutch Craft Industry, will explore the integration of disposable materials and repurposed waste in the design process; Shifting Perspectives led by Rick Teglaar, focuses on the usage of wire mesh and wood to create new forms and textures; and, Treasures from Plastic Waste led by StudioTheir&van Daalen, to create either a lighting element, a fruit bowl, a flower vase or a purse.

AUDI INNOVATION TALKS SERIES Moderated by Matthew Priest, Executive Editor of Esquire Middle East, the Audi Innovation Talks Series will feature a number of experts and design specialists discussing their work and design concepts in an intimate setting, namely: Dr. Noah Raford, an architect and an advisor on foresight, and innovation at the UAE Prime Minister’s Office.


Ivan Parati, multidisciplinary product designer and teacher at Ajman University of Science and Technology in the College of Engineering Carlo Ratti, an architect and engineer by training, directs the Senseable City Lab at MIT, has co-authored over 200 publications and holds several patents.

PRESENTATIONS AND BOOK LAUNCHES Curator Yasser Elsheshtawy will present his overview of Transformations: The Emirati National House, the exhibition destined for the UAE National Pavilion during the upcoming 15th International Architecture Exhibition at the 2016 Venice Biennale, which investigates how the model of traditional Emirati homes has evolved architecturally from the 1970s, to accommodate changing lifestyles.

MENTORSHIP SESSIONS These sessions enable students to gain immediate feedback on their projects by engaging, one-on-one, with Design Days Dubai’s participating designers. Mentors this year are: highly regarded Beirut-based designer Marc Dibeh; architect and researcher Niko Koronis; Salman Jawed, co-founder of Pakistan’s multidisciplinary Coalesce Design Studios; and, Sharjah-based designer Ammar Kalo.

SCREENINGS These short film screenings are a tribute to three of the world’s most iconic historical design objects: The Rietveld Chair (1918) by Gerrit Rietveld, The Lounge Chair (1956), designed by American husbandand-wife team Charles and Ray Eames, also known as the Eames, and The Acro Lamp (1962) by the Castiglioni brothers.

Marking the launch of Once Upon DESIGN: New Routes for Arabian Heritage will be a conversation with Noor Aldabbagh, founder of Banafsajeel (Dubai - Riyadh) and curator of the 1971 Design Space. Dubai: Behind the Scenes is a visual essay of the older and lesser known parts of Dubai as seen through the eyes of photographer Jalal Abuthina. 119


DUBAI PHOTO EXHIBITION EVENT INFORMATION

16 to 19 March, 2016 Location: Dubai Design District. Open: Wednesday, 18:00 – 22:00, Thursday, 10:00 – 13:30 & 18:00 – 22:00, Friday, 10:00 – 22:00, Saturday, 10:00 – 20:00 800-4472 dubaiphotoexhibition.ae

Hippolyte Bayard, Self Portrait as a Drowned Man, 1840, France Dubai Photo Exhibition is a museum-quality photography showcase featuring more than 700 photographic masterworks from 23 countries, chosen by 19 of the world’s top curators. These masterworks include very early photographic experiments by pioneer Hippolyte Bayard, iconic images from 20th century masters like Bill Brandt and Dorothea Lange, and creative contemporary artworks by emerging and established photographers from around the world. Taking place from 16 to 19 March, the exhibition will be housed in a ‘temporary museum’ in Dubai Design District (d3). While making your way through the exhibition, you will begin to recognise the harmonies and differences between many of the artworks, 120

even though they might have been created thousands of miles apart and during different decades.

ABOUT

The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) is an internationally renowned photography competition. It was launched in 2011 by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai. The award enjoys a social and legal stature as a tool for promoting Dubai’s vision of artistic and cultural excellence. On a local level, the award hopes to develop and increase awareness of the art of photography amongst the local Emirati population.


designdaysdubai

14–18 MARCH 2016

designdaysdubai.ae

THE GLOBAL HUB FOR COLLECTIBLE DESIGN


SIKKA ART FAIR EVENT INFORMATION

13 to 24 March, 2016 Location: Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood Open: Sundays to Wednesdays, 14:00 – 22:00, Thursdays, 14:00 – 00:00, Fridays, 16:00 - 00:00, Saturdays, 16:00 - 22:00 Opening: 13 March, 2016, 18:00 dubaiculture.gov.ae well as other key locations around the city The contemporary art fair highlights UAE talent. It is the Middle East’s first-of-its-kind entirely commissioned visual arts and performing arts programme. Courtesy of Dubai Culture The Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated entity for heritage, arts and culture, will showcase the sixth edition of its flagship arts and cultural initiative, SIKKA Art Fair, from 13 to 24 March, 2016. A cultural initiative of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, SIKKA Art Fair is an integral part of Dubai Art Season, the city’s umbrella arts initiative. The event will be primarily held at Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, an inspiring hub for creativity in the heart of Old Dubai as 122

SIKKA Art Fair sets a new milestone this year with Dubai Culture opening doors of SIKKA to include creative works in visual and performing arts, music and film by GCCbased artists, for the first time, and collectives. The Dubai Culture initiative will highlight regional talents and the newest trends in the Gulf region’s arts and cultural landscape. This follows the announcement last year by Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority,


that SIKKA Art Fair will include works by GCC-based talents this year. Her Highness had urged regional artists to submit their proposals to be part of the fair’s rich 10-day programme. Under the direction of UAE artist, Mattar bin Lahej, the sixth edition of SIKKA will focus on identifying the UAE and the wider GCC region’s aspiring and emerging local talent featuring newly commissioned, film screenings, live music, an array of educational activities, as well as visual, performing, and cinematic artists. Playing a significant role in shaping the artistic scene in Dubai by providing a creative platform for UAE-based artists to showcase their works, SIKKA Art Fair also offers participants and visitors with deep insights on the newest trends in the arts through workshops and the exchange of ideas with international artists. SIKKA Art Fair will host an array of installations by: Joshua Watts, Mohammad Shabanpoor, Azza Alqubaisi, Kevin Badni, Cristiana De Marchi, Fatima Alawadhi, Katarzyna Dzikowska, Ali Hussain Merza, Mays Albaik, Amna Jawad, Julia Townsend, Matthew Ryder, Sarab Johkadar, Marwan Karout, Malda Smadi, Flounder Lee, Maha Shahin and Hendrik Wahl.

The collectives that are participating in SIKKA Art Fair 2016 will explore a variation of art forms including video art, printmaking and an eclectic selection of music. It will also host an array of art installations from: The Lumiere Collective by Shereen Saifudeen and Swapna Kurup; Liana Shengelaia and Thea Shengelaia; Zara Mahmood and Nabil Qizilbash. Furthermore, three pioneering art projects will be showcased at SIKKA – ‘Design House’, will be celebrating Arabian tradition by preparing a special SIKKA Closing Night Feast; ‘Animation Chamber’, will be showcasing unique screenings and local activities; and finally ‘Chochoma’, a glass making workshop. Dubai Culture is committed to providing art lovers with access to outstanding art pieces including a diversified array of paintings, prints, sculptures and urban art elements under one vibrant platform, all through the third edition of Dubai Arts Season. For more information, log on to: www.dubaiculture.gov.ae; follow us on: Facebook: www.facebook.com/ DubaiCultureArtsAuthority; Twitter: @DubaiCulture; YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/DubaiCulture; and Instagram: @dubaiculture

123



ART & DESIGN INITIATIVES Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre . . . . 124 Alliance Francaise . . . . . . 125 Antidote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Art in the City: ArtBus . . . 127 Art Nights at Gate Village. 128 ATOUT FRANCE . . . . . . . . 129 Caravan & Star Too . . . . . 130 Fikra Design Studio & T.ZED Architects. . . . . . 133 Ginza Group & de Pury de Pury . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Kataria Art Collections. . . 136 La Petite Maison. . . . . . . . 137 Magic of Persia Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Rafia Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Royal College of Art; RCA Secret Dubai . . . . . . . 142

s*uce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Satellite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 The cARTel . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

125


AL HEFAIYAH MOUNTAIN CONSERVATION CENTRE Anand, Lamya Gargash, Amer Aldour, Amal Haliq, Azza Al Qubaisi, The Animation Chamber.

ABOUT Lamya Gargash, Fact, Fiction & Fairytale, Illustration on antique books Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre includes 30 different native animals, some still wild resident in the hills around the site, others now extinct in the wild. The inspiration for complimenting the visitors’ experience with works of arts comes from the hundreds of petroglyphs that are located within the mountains around the site. Their presence means that the ‘visual voice’ has historically had a role in local communication, and the centre is taking this old idea and giving it a contemporary presence. All artworks on display were commissioned exclusively for Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre. The collective works represent a vibrant local arts community that has responded instinctively to the wildlife and conservation initiatives of the centre. Artists: Fari Bradley and Chris Weaver, Zeinab Alhashemi, Mark Adlington, Khalid Mezaina, Noush 126

The Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre celebrates the rich biodiversity of the region’s mountain habitats. With landscaped animal enclosures and imaginative displays incorporating site-specific art commissions, it draws visitors closer to the wildlife of the mountains, and the strong connections between these animals, the landscape and regional creativity and culture. Through conservation initiatives and community education, the centre is committed to protecting both the delicate landscape and its vulnerable wildlife for future generations.

EVENT INFORMATION

7 March, 2016, onwards Location: Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre, Wadi Al Helo, Kalba Road, Kalba Open: Sundays to Thursdays, 09:00 – 18:30, Fridays, 14:00 – 18:30, Saturdays, 11:00 – 18:30 +971 9 277 2698 epaashj.ae


ALLIANCE FRANCAISE GOLD UP EVENT INFORMATION

17 to 31 March, 2016 Location: Plantation, Sofitel Dubai, Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) Open: Sundays to Fridays, all day +971 4 335 87 12 afdubai.org

Claude Guenard, FEND, Courtesy of the artist

In this exhibition, the French artist Claude Guenard offers a crossed view between Fashion and its extravaganza, and the exceptional, excessive and urbanised landscapes of the city of Dubai. He is fascinated by the compulsive enthusiasm and lavish procured by Dubai’s unreasonable and terrific constructions that are full of imagination; an indomitable megalopolis that is desired and loved with no calculations.

ABOUT

The Alliance Française is an international organisation that aims to promote French language and culture around the world. It was created in Paris in 1883 with the primary objective to teach French as a second language. In addition to offering French language courses, the Alliance Française Dubai, under the sponsorship of the French Consulate, runs programmes in all art forms in order to establish and strengthen the connection between French & Emirati Cultures, as well as with all other communities in Dubai. 127


ANTIDOTE ARTROOM, EDITION II, COLLECTIVE LOFT EVENT INFORMATION

10 to 31 March, 2016 Location: Zumtobel Lighting GmbH, Warehouse entrance, 6A street, Al Quoz Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 — 19:00 +971 56 17 434 32 Idrees Hanif, When He Left He Did Not Say He Will Not Come.

Artroom invites the audience to discover an ephemeral art and design collection in an informal and relaxed private environment. This edition takes place in a warehouse in the heart of Al Quoz, opposite Al Serkal Avenue. Collective loft is a life-size installation of the interior of a young collector’s home, who picked up pieces with a special connection to the places he visited around the world, creating a well-rounded international collection with special emphasis on the Middle East. Artroom features artworks and handmade design pieces by 22 artists and designers from Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, France, USA, and Argentina among others. The focus of this edition is emerging artists from the region. Artists: Salar Ahmadian, Séverine Blanchet, Daniel Farioli, Cédric Galopin, Curtis Gannon, Aamir Habib, 128

Idrees Hanif, Antoine Grospiron-Jaccoux, Farah Mahbub, Sarah Mumtaz, Stéphanie Marin, André Meyerhans, Tahir Mahmood, Didier Naert, Chantal Parise, Position Collective, Jorge Luis Pouyu, Ibrahim Quraishi, Mohamed Rabie, Martin Reyna, Joëlle Verstraeten, Saira Wasim , Nathalie Weis

ABOUT

Antidote is an online platform, based in the UAE, which serves the careers of talented, emerging and mid-career visual artists and designers. Profiting from the dual approach and direct relationship with artists and designers, Antidote creates spaces and exhibitions, highlighting exceptional artists from its roster in various locations throughout the UAE and abroad.


ART IN THE CITY: ARTBUS

Artbus 2014, Photo By Grace Guino The ArtBus offers guided tours through Dubai’s arts and culture scene, with three daily routes which cover the galleries and art spaces in Dubai’s major art hubs: Al Quoz, Downtown Dubai/DIFC, and Jumeirah/ Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood. In partnership with the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, UAE based artists are also commissioned to produce original artworks which are showcased on the exterior of the ArtBus as it travels around Dubai.

ABOUT

ArtintheCity is an umbrella project that unites art and culture in the MENA region through a

comprehensive website, the ArtMap listings publication, the ArtBus, public arts initiatives and design projects. We are a platform for the arts and culture scene to a local and international audience.

EVENT INFORMATION

17 to 19 March, 2016 Location: Various venues across Dubai. Departing from Madinat Jumeirah Timings: 10:00 - 17:00 artinthecity.com Admission: AED 50 To book: +9714 3417303 or community@thejamjardubai.com 129


ART NIGHTS AT GATE VILLAGE

Courtesy of Dubai International Financial Centre Art Nights returns to the DIFC Gate Village on 15 March from 19:00 to 22:00, inviting all art enthusiasts and members of the community to come and be part of the Centre’s unique and creative evening. Over the years, Art Nights has become an integral part of DIFC’s diverse community. This flagship initiative plays a crucial role in promoting and supporting the arts and culture in the region, reinforcing the DIFC’s position as a cultural hub. The upcoming Art Nights event will present a wide variety of activities including gallery exhibition openings, live art and music. 130

EVENT INFORMATION 14 March, 2016 19:00 – 22:00


ATOUT FRANCE IMAGINE FRANCE: A FANTASTICAL VOYAGE The Thermes du Mont Dore, Auvergne

Millions of visitors from all parts of the world choose to travel to France each year to experience the rich and diverse cultural heritage that is strongly present through the country’s monuments, museums and festivals. Imagine France: a Fantastical Voyage is a unique exhibition that takes its international spectators through a possibly-familiar journey, yet in a surprising fashion. Maia Flore’s approach, which is based on exploring the intersection between reality and imagination, creates a universe of bizarre, even surreal, narratives that are moving and haunting. The exhibition is organised by Atout France, in partnership with Institut Français UAE, and Alliance Française Dubai.

ABOUT

Atout France is the official French Tourism Board in charge of promoting the country as a tourist destination throughout the five continents.

EVENT INFORMATION

14 to 21 March, 2016 Location: Gate Village, DIFC Open: Sundays to Saturdays, all day Opening: 14 March, 19:00 +971 4 408 4973 france.fr

131


CARAVAN & STAR TOO OR...

Volumes and Geometries Generated by ORI-GEN Caravan collective, in collaboration with the Star Too experimental theatre group, presents a performance art piece entitled Or… Focalising on the Caravan’s design called ORI-GEN (magnetic modules where aggregation generates geometric compositions and structures), performers concoct action that is propelled by the shape-shifting constructs themselves. In a kinesthetic narrative, Or… explores the limits of signifiers and boundaries ensued. Multiform, the ORI-GEN transcends 132

classification, proffering synthesis, possibly mending the divides. Through transformation comes the re-defining of space and material within, mirroring the recycling forces of nature.

ABOUT

caravan is a design collective with a multidisciplinary approach that suggests an alternative point of view to the contemporary public and domestic environment. caravan’s members share common interest in


Performers interacting with ORI-GEN cultural, material and social aspects of a globalised community, trying to re-establish a balance among being, having and doing. Each work is infused with pragmatic materialism smoothed by subtle metaphors, inspiring its audience reaction alongside empathic participation.

EVENT INFORMATION

14 March, 2016 Location: thejamjar, Unit H-74, Alserkal Avenue Open: 14 March, 19:00 +971 50 346 4463 crvnd.com, startoo.com

START TOO is Dubai’s first experimental performance-art collective founded in 2010, devising original multi-media creations and events. Through laboratory-style theatre and collaborative work, the project gravitates towards alternative narrative structures, the somatic, symbolism, and minimalism. The initiative operates mainly out of the city’s industrial zone to realise modulability of playing spaces and in-situ practices. 133


emaar.com


FIKRA DESIGN STUDIO & T.ZED ARCHITECTS OPEN STUDIO

Fikra Design Studio and T.ZED Architects have joined forces, and are opening their studio for everyone to visit, see their work, mingle and talk design.

ABOUT

Fikra is a multi-disciplinary studio that specialises in providing bilingual Arabic and English design solutions in print and new media. T.ZED Architects is a progressive, award-wining international Architecture and Design practice based in the UAE and operating internationally.

Fikra Design Studio Space

EVENT INFORMATION

17 March, 2016 Location: Fikra Design Studio, Al Wahda St, Gibca Bldg, #2a, Sharjah Open: 12:00 – 19:00 +971 6 533 3371 fikra.gd, tzed-architects.com

135


GINZA GROUP & DE PURY DE PURY HEAT Kate Moss, London, National Portrait Gallery, 2002

Mario Testino, the renowned Peruvian photographer with a 35year career, is showing in the Middle East for the first time with HEAT, a pop-up solo exhibition at the centre of Dubai Design District (d3), and a reference to Mario Testino’s outlook of vibrancy and intensity, as well as a reference to Dubai’s setting. He is probably the most successful and best known photographer alive today. No artist has worked more closely with the main muses of our times such as Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Gisele Bündchen, Natalia Vodianova and Cara Delevingne. It is in no small measure, thanks to Mario Testino’s talent, that they have become as potent visual symbols today as Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot and Elizabeth Taylor were in their time. 136

Testino is a master of convergence – art, fashion, commerce and design, and the artworks represent his strength in capturing the crossroads of Fashion, Portraiture and Fine Art. His work resonates world wide. It has been exhibited internationally at some of the world’s leading institutions, and acquired for the permanent collections of established museums.

ABOUT

Simon de Pury is one of the leading figures in the art market. From 2000 to 2012 he was Chairman and Chief Auctioneer of Phillips de Pury & Company. At the beginning of 2013 Simon founded, together with


After Hours, Kate Moss, Paris, Calvin Klein Jeans, 1998

his wife Michaela, de Pury de Pury, a company specialising in conceiving and curating exhibitions, discovering emerging artists, building collections, advising established collectors and institutions together with facilitating private transactions of Impressionist, Modern, Post War and Contemporary Art. The Ginza Group is a privately held UAE based Consumer Retail group comprising of Ginza Fashion and Ginza Restaurants. Ginza currently has several fashion and F&B brands in its portfolio and represents several iconic brands in the region.Â

EVENT INFORMATION

25 February to 15 April, 2016 Location: Design Quarter, Outdoor Area, Dubai Design District Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 - 19:00 +971 4 433 3000

137


KATARIA ARTS KATARIA ART COLLECTIONS EVENT INFORMATION

13 March, 2016 Location: 7th Floor, The Dome Tower, Cluster N, Jumeirah Lake Towers Open: 13 March, 11:00 – 16:00 +971 50 6514450 KatariaArtCollections. com

Svitlana Osobik, Kozak Mamai. Courtesy of Kataria Art Collections

Kataria Art invites you to a solo exhibition by established Ukrainian artist, Svitlana Osobik. The viewing of the Family’s three rare Art collections comprises of: Nostalgia, marvel of impressive compositions of great civilisations brought back to life through the canvases; Jewels of Paradise, magnificent paintings with each one revealing exotic colourful birds in their natural flora; and, Fables of 138

my land, a series of artworks of the spiritual and mystical fables of the land of Ukraine.

ABOUT

Kataria Arts, within the Kataria Family Foundation, was formed with the aim to provide artists with a platform in order to enhance their creativity and draw upon their talents so that those unique oeuvres, resonate with the art Connoisseurs.


LA PETITE MAISON ART A LA CARTE Douglas Kirkland, Chanel Smoking. Courtesy of La Petite Maison.

La Petite Maison Dubai, in collaboration with Opera Gallery Dubai, will turn into a museum of dining, in celebration of Art Week. Diners will be able to view Sculptures by Jonathan Seliger - pieces of pop art in the form of over-sized shopping bags, and Photographs by Douglas Kirkland, or Hollywood’s favorite photographer – a glimpse of Kirkland’s most iconic subjects including Coco Chanel and Brigitte Bardot.

ABOUT

La Petite Maison first opened in the heart of old Nice in 1988 and, brought by the Waney family and Chef Patron Raphael Duntoye, arrived in Dubai in 2010. La Petite Maison continues to provide a space that allows guests to experience

art and food together, keeping the atmosphere inspirational and refreshing. “You can only fully understand a work of art when you’ve eaten next to it, danced next to it, and lived next to it. Both are open to interpretation and we want to both.”

EVENT INFORMATION

14 to 20 March, 2016 Location: Gate Village, Building 8, DIFC Open: Sundays to Saturdays, 12:00 – 15:00 and 19:00 – 23:00 Opening: 14 March, 2016 +971 4 439 0505 lpmdubai.ae

139



MAGIC OF PERSIA FOUNDATION REMEMBERING TOMORROW EVENT INFORMATION

14 to 17 March, 2016 Location: JAMM Art Gallery, Warehouse 11, Street 8, Al Quoz 1 Opening: 14 March, 18:00 – 21:00 +971 4 328 5169 mopfoundation.com

Pooya Aryanpour, Transient, 2015, Acrylic on canvas, Courtesy of the artist Remembering Tomorrow opens at the Niavaran Cultural Centre in Tehran in February, before it moved on to Dubai in March 2016 to launch with a private view and auction – held in the presence of patron and key note speaker, HE Sheikh Nahayan bin Mubarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Social Development. The travelling exhibition showcases an eclectic selection of contemporary Iranian art donated by emerging artists, and an additional surprise lot to be revealed in Dubai. Following the private event on March 13, the exhibition opens to the public with an Opening Reception on 14 March. The alternate street venue chosen for this event will further display

the avant-garde vision of Magic of Persia, and the evening will be themed with the unique regale flare of Bakhtiar design.

ABOUT

Established in 2004, MOP promotes Iranian art and culture to a wider audience out of Iran and strives to make a notable contribution to its long-term advancement worldwide. This is accomplished by establishing programmes in modern and contemporary Iranian art, music, media and academia in partnership with worldclass institutions.

141


142


RAFIA ART ART FROM SYRIA EXHIBITION

For decades, Syrian Artists could rarely reflect on the reality of the Syrian society in their artwork, for they lived in “The Kingdom of Silence”. Since March 2011, new creative styles emerged empowered with free expressions. From paintings to graffiti, to music and performing arts, the artists critiqued the local and international state of affairs covering themes from the political to the social. Artists were liberated from fear which resulted in the flourishing of their artistic creativity – the boundaries are now unlimited. The exhibition reflects the magnitude of tragedy of the Syrian conflict and its subsequent catastrophic human conditions, and offers a rare view of the impact of war on the Syrian artists now living in the Diaspora or those that are still in Syria. Artists: Khouzayma Alwani, Youssef Abdelki, Mounif Ajaj, Houmam AlSayed, Maher AlBaroudi, Tarek Butayhi, Khaled Dawwa, Abdallah Mourad, Kevork Mourad, Lutfi Romhein, Reem Yassouf, Fadi Yazigi, Omran Younis, Zavein Youssef

ABOUT

Rafia Arts, previously known as Rafia Gallery, opened in Damascus in 2009, with the aim to become the leading gallery in the region for contemporary Arab and Middle Eastern art. Its goal was to create an educational platform for artists, students, art lovers and collectors to exchange ideas and discussions, and to raise interest in the art as a medium of expression. Due to the conflict in Syria in 2011, Rafia Gallery closed its doors in Damascus by the end of that year, and the new identity of the Gallery, or Rafia Art, has emerged since.

EVENT INFORMATION

10 March to 20 March, 2016 Location: Villa 105, AlWoushar Street, Umm Suqeim 1 Open: Saturdays to Sundays, 11:00 – 18:00 Opening: 10 March, 18:00 +971 50 459 5519 rafiaarts.com

Maher AlBarudi, The game 1990 - 2015, Charcoal + pastel on canvas. 143


ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART RCA SECRET DUBAI EVENT INFORMATION

14 to 19 March, Alserkal Avenue, and 17 to 19 March, Art Dubai Location: Art Dubai and Alserkal Avenue Art Dubai +971 4 563 1400 artdubai.ae Alserkal +971 50 556 9797 alserkalavenue.ae

Art Dubai 2015; RCA Secret Dubai; Sale Day.

Back by popular demand, RCA Secret Dubai – Dubai’s edition of the Royal College of Art’s anonymous exhibition and sale – returns to Art Dubai this year and is held in partnership with Alserkal Avenue. For the first time, the sale will be take place across two key locations during Art Week. 144

The 2016 RCA Secret Dubai will feature over 1,000 original postcard-sized artworks displayed for sale at Alserkal Avenue (March 14–19) and Art Dubai (March 17–19). The anonymous collection is created and donated by regionally and internationally acclaimed artists and designers, plus alumni and students


from the Royal College of Art in London. All proceeds go towards the College’s scholarship fund to support art students at a formative time in their careers. Previous contributors to RCA Secret Dubai include world-renowned fashion designers Paul Smith, Zandra Rhodes, Christopher Bailey and Orla Kiely; architect Zaha Hadid; artists Hajra Waheed, Adel Abidin, Najat Makki and eL Seed; and the iconic photographer David Bailey. Art enthusiasts must register their interest, either online or in person, in this unique opportunity to purchase original works of art for just 500 dirhams. Registered buyers select and purchase a postcard from the RCA Secret wall at Art Dubai and Alserkal Avenue, without knowing who the artists is. The talent behind the postcard artwork is only revealed after the sale in London is closed (April 16) . Collection of the purchased pieces will take place only on March 19. If buyers are unable to collect, the piece can be couriered (courier rates apply). Buyers will be able to purchase up to four cards each. dubai.secret.rca.ac.uk/users/ register

ABOUT

The Royal College of Art is the world’s leading university of art and design, placing at Number One in the 2015 QS World University Rankings. Specialising in teaching and research, the RCA offers the degrees of MA, MPhil, MRes and PhD across the disciplines of applied art, fine art, design, communications and humanities. There are over 1,500 Master’s and doctoral students and more than 1,000 professionals interacting with them – including scholars, art and design practitioners, along with specialists, advisers and distinguished visitors.

For more information on RCA Secret Dubai: dubai.secret.rca.ac.uk/2016 145


S*UCE OZAN’S FAIRYTALE SERIES

Ozan Oganer, Fairytale Series.

s*uce collaborates with ARTSPACE’s Ozan Oganer to produce one of the most spectacular art collections: Ozan’s Fairytale Series. Inspired by classic fairytales, Ozan uses traditional lace and combines the medium with acrylic and resin, resulting in a delicate and charming aesthetic.

ABOUT

An award-winning multi-brand fashion and lifestyle concept store, offering a curated selection of contemporary brands and dif146

fusion lines mixed in with unique pieces by up-and-coming designers as well as limited edition exclusive collaborations and lifestyle items.

EVENT INFORMATION

1 to 31 March, 2016 Location: The Village Mall, Jumeira Beach Road Open: Sundays to Saturdays, 10:00 – 22:00 +971 4 339 9696 shopatsauce.com


SATELLITE OPEN STUDIO Courtesy of Rami Farook and Satellite

Rami Farook is having an open studio during Art Week, for friends, family, peers and enthusiasts to visit the studio and experience the space and the artworks – finished or in progress.

ABOUT

Rami Farook and James Clar opened Satellite in February 2011 as a studio for James, after working from traffic for almost 3 years. They started hosting the Satellite Broadcast Series, which were one night events that featured site-specific art installations or performances by the likes of UBIK (Tahrir Square), Akshay Sardana (Humpback to the Future: A Cameltopia Experience), THE STATE (Barzakh Dodgeball), James Clar (Turbulence), Christian

Jankowski (The Eye of Dubai) and Rami Farook (Monitor Issue 2). Since January 2012, Satellite hosted THE STATE, Hazem Harb, Deniz Uster, Ayman Yousei, Ghada Da, The Chika Collection, Versus, Satwa 3000, Campus Art Dubai and others. Satellite currently operates as Rami’s studio where he creates and exhibits his works with friends, family and peers.

EVENT INFORMATION

14 to 21 March, 2016 Location: Warehouse 16, Alserkal Avenue Open: Sundays to Thursdays, 08:00 – 18:00 +971 50 172 5848

147


THE CARTEL FASHION: A SECOND SKIN straining the body and emphasising on the physical dimension, the other more mystical and spiritual capturing the absence of the women and enveloping the spirit.

EVENT INFORMATION

14 to 31 March, 2016 Location: Unit 6 Alserkal Avenue Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 20:00 Opening: 14 March, 18:00 – 22:00 +971 4 388 4341 & +971 55 725 1189 thecartel.me

ABOUT Art Direction: Úna Burke, © Rebecca Parkes The Exhibition ‘Fashion: A Second Skin’, curated by May Barber, is a manifestation of two artistic bodies of work each interpreting the idea of fashion and clothing as an independent shelter enclosing the female body and thoughts alike. In quite a female approach, two artists, Patricia Millns and Una Burke, explore the relationship between fashion as an envelope and the women it encases, using a similar constructive process resulting in two contrasting languages; one very structural con148

Launched in February 2013 by a collective of creative minds, The cARTel portrays a symbiosis between fashion and art reflected in the showcased items, the store’s interior aesthetics as well as in the curated events, including fashion exhibitions and film screenings. ART, which is emphasised in the logo, indicates what the cARTel is all about, which is the Art of Fashion. The space represents a platform to showcase and sell the works of carefully curated designers from around the world, providing an alternative and five-sensed shopping experience to an audience of chic and avant-garde fashion connoisseurs.


AWARDS Abraaj Group Art Prize. . . 148 Hamdan International Photography Award. . . . . . 150 Urban Commissions . . . . 152 Van Cleef & Arpels The Middle East Emergent Designer Prize . . . . . . . . . 154

149


ABRAAJ GROUP ART PRIZE The Abraaj Group Art Prize is the art prize for artists from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, that uniquely rewards proposals rather than completed works-of-art. Following the application process and jury meetings, four artists are shortlisted for the annual prize, and one (of the four) is awarded the USD 100,000.00 commission to produce the work. The three shortlisted artists will receive a cash prize and be represented in the exhibition through previous works, which will be carefully selected by the Guest Curator in liaison with the artist. Born, living and working in the region or with some part of their artistic career based in MENASA, shortlisted artists are mid-career, having already participated in exhibitions to critical acclaim, and produced particularly significant bodies of work in the past couple of years. Their work must be original, initiating new ideas and concepts, and seen as influential to both emerging artists and their contemporaries. The winners are announced each autumn and go on to produce works which are revealed the following March. The commissioned work is exhibited as part of the Abraaj Group Art 150

Prize exhibition at Art Dubai, before becoming part of the Abraaj Group Art Collection. The annual prize and accompanying exhibition is a platform for recognising particularly notable artists in the region and for promoting their work on the international stage, that is Art Dubai, to museum directors, curators, critics, gallerists, their peers, and the public. Curators, originating from any country in the world and based anywhere, are also invited to apply for the position of Curator of the Abraaj Group Art Prize. The selected curator liaises directly with the artists, selecting significant works that best represent the three shortlisted artists, and working with the winning artist on the development and production of their new work. Curators are expected to have quantifiable experience in the field of curating on an international level, and have an active interest in the development of artistic practice in the Middle East and South Asia. Following their unveiling at Art Dubai each March, the works go on to form part of the Abraaj Art Collection and are exhibited in a variety of locations. The Abraaj Group Art Prize Collection now includes 27 major works.


EVENT INFORMATION

16 to 19 March, 2016 Location: Madinat Jumeirah Open: 17 March, 2016, 16:00 - 21:30 18 March, 2016, 14:00 - 21:30 19 March, 2016, 12:00 - 18:30 Opening: 16 March, 2016, 16:00 - 21:30 Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme, detail from Screenshot 2015-12-23 04.45.52. Over the past years, The Abraaj Group has lent works to over 30 institutions worldwide and commissioned six publications on the prize. The Abraaj Group Art Prize is chaired by curator-patron Dana Farouki, who led a formidable jury through the task of selecting the winning and shortlisted artists from the highest number of applications to the Prize to date. The Abraaj Group Art Prize 2016 Guest Curator is Nav Haq. The Abraaj Group Art Prize 2016 Winning Artist is artist duo Basel Abbas and Ruanne AbouRahme, who will unveil their project at the tenth edition of Art Dubai (March 16-19, 2016). Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme, who began their collaborative practice in 2007, work together across a range

of sound, image, text, installation and performance practices – often touching upon the themes surrounding returns, amnesia, déjà vu, what is and what could be. The duo explains that their experiences in Palestine, where they are from originally, shape their practice, “not in isolation, but in the sense of how that experience speaks to other moments elsewhere and provides a critical vantage point from which to read the contemporary moment.” The Abraaj Group Art Prize 2016 Shortlisted Artists are Dina Danish, Mahmoud Khaled and Basir Mahmood, who are acknowledged for their outstanding work and deep development of their practices over recent years. All three artists will contribute previous works to the curated group exhibition and be featured in an accompanying publication. 151


HAMDAN INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS EVENT INFORMATION

Awards Ceremony: Monday, 14 March, 2016, by invitation only Location: Burj Park, Downtown Dubai Open: 18:00 – 22:00 800 HIPA – 800 4472 HIPA.ae

© 2015 Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award

AWARDS CEREMONY The 5 th annual HIPA Awards Ceremony is set to be held on 14 March 2016, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai. Hosting some of the most prominent figures in the photographic industry, the HIPA Awards Ceremony is a celebration of photography in the fast-rising photographic capital of the region, Dubai. The Ceremony will also announce the winners for HIPA’s fifth season of competition ‘Happiness’. Categories for the 5th season are Happiness which also serves as 152

the main theme of the season, Wildlife, Father and Son and the General category. HIPA will also present two special awards at the ceremony and these are the ‘Photography Appreciation Award’ and the ‘Photographic Research / Report Award’.

HIPA GALLERY The HIPA Gallery will feature exclusive photography by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and Patron of HIPA, as well as the winning photos of the 5th Season Awards Ceremony. The winning photos included will


HIPA by Auditoire / Saï © Stéphane Aït Ouarab Auditoire Dubaï 2015 be from the following categories: General, Father & Son, Wildlife and this season’s theme ‘Happiness’. The gallery will be unveiled to the public right after the Award Ceremony and then moved to Dubai Design District (d3) from 16 to 19 March.

EVENT INFORMATION

HIPA Gallery: 16 to 19 March, 2016 Location: Dubai Design District Open: 10:00 – 22:00 800 HIPA – 800 4472 HIPA.ae

ABOUT

The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) is an internationally renowned photography competition. It was launched in 2011 by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai. The award enjoys a social and legal stature as a tool for promoting Dubai’s vision of artistic and cultural excellence. On a local level, the award hopes to develop and increase awareness of the art of photography amongst the local Emirati population.

153


URBAN COMMISSIONS

Fortune Penniman, Take Shelter Urban Commissions is a design initiative launched by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority and Dubai Design District (d3) in October 2014 to celebrate the UAE’s growing designconscious urban development and engage with the local design community and product industries. As part of Dubai’s growing designdriven industry, the competition aims to engage with the creative community and promote the diverse local production industries of the UAE add the how – ie with winning design being made in the UAE. For its Urban Commissions second edition, the proposed design topic addresses the basic function of shelter for the public domain, welcoming a variety of users while establishing an important functional, social and community building role for placemaking in Dubai. Urban Commissions invited both students and professionals residing in the UAE to propose and design a shelter. The three finalists were selected 154

by a group of design professionals from Dubai Culture, Dubai Design District, Art Dubai Group, WTD Magazine, Eight Inc. and T.Zed Architects. The winning proposal will be awarded AED 50,000 to manufacture the prototype in the UAE and will be unveiled at Design Days Dubai 2016, before moving to its permanent home in d3. Please refer to page 110 for the opening hours of Design Days Dubai 2016.

HINJAL KUMAR

Architecture student Hinjal Kumar’s design proposes a lifestyle change as well shelter with her ‘Bike d3’. The structure is a twisted slatted bicycle storage system, defining intimate space and providing shade for d3 guests whilst at the same time offering an alternative mode of commute in support of a healthier lifestyle.

ATEF KHEDHIR & ZYED BEN CHEIKH Architects Atef Khedhir and Zyed Ben Cheikh designed ‘DXB Urban Peaks’, a structure reminiscent of a sailboat floating above the stone outdoor planes of d3.

FORTUNE PENNIMAN

Architect Fortune Penniman presented, ‘Take Shelter’, a versatile modular shading and seating cluster. The resulting negative space acts as much a shelter as the clusters themselves.


AN ARTINTHECITY INITIATIVE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DUBAI CULTURE AND ARTS AUTHORITY

ARTBUS // TENTH EDITION MARCH 2016

ARTBUS YOUR GUIDE TO ART FAIRS, GALLERIES AND EXHIBITIONS THIS MARCH 17-19 MARCH 2016

Al Quoz DIFC/Downtown Jumeirah/Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood Three routes running daily across Dubai from 17-19 March 2016. Email community@thejamjardubai.com or call +9714 3417303 to book your seat. Tickets are priced at AED 50 per person, per day. ArtintheCity in partnership with the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority have commissioned UAE-based artists to transform the ArtBus into a moving artwork. For schedule updates go to www.artinthecity.com


VAN CLEEF & ARPELS THE MIDDLE EAST EMERGENT DESIGNER PRIZE

Van Cleef & Arpels Middle East Emergent Designer Prize finalist, Michael Rice, Genesis. The Middle East Emergent Designer Prize represents the ongoing partnership between Van Cleef & Arpels, Tashkeel and Design Days Dubai who continue to offer opportunities to artists and designers across the GCC and wider area, providing a platform for emerging talent to showcase their work. Celebrating the success of the Middle East Emergent Designer Prize by Van Cleef & Arpels 2016, the four finalists were announced 156

in the fourth edition. Through an overwhelming response of applicants responding to the theme of Nature for the 2016 instalment of the Prize, designers Marta Krivosheek, Ranim Orouk, Michael Rice, and Anjali Srinivasan were selected, representing widespread talent from across the region. The theme aims to inspire designers to work with natural materials or forms which are native to their immediate surroundings.Â


Architect Ranim Orouk presents the concept of a traditionally glass blown chandelier that takes form and function from the jellyfish, representing the effervescence of their texture as they swim in groups. Michael Rice, who specializes in ceramics is an Associate Professor of Studio Art at the American University of Dubai, and will work on a crystal bowl which is inspired by a spectrum of natural spiral forms found in shells, DNA helix, sand ripples and similar concepts. Architect and designer Marta Krivosheek holds a Master’s Degree in Architecture from the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava, and is inspired by a combination of soap bubble experiments, steam wood bending technique and the Shasha, the traditional fishing boats used in the UAE and Oman to create the “Minimae Chair”. Anjali Srinivasan aims to present viewers with a visual experience seen through “Vehicular Lens”, a pod made up of multiple glass lenses which alter the images of the space and light around them. This piece is and amalgamation of 3 local, nature-based inspirations: a flower pod, sand and light. Continuing custom, the winning artwork will be unveiled and showcased at the Van Cleef & Arpels exhibition in March during

Design Days Dubai 2016, the design fair presenting collectible modern and contemporary design pieces from around the world. Please refer to page 110 for the opening hours of Design Days Dubai 2016. With a prize of AED 30,000 to produce the final work, the winner will also receive a 5day trip to Paris to attend courses at the exclusive L’ECOLE Van Cleef & Arpels, a school created to showcase the mechanisms behind the world of making jewelry and watchmaking, courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels.

Van Cleef & Arpels Middle East Emergent Designer Prize finalist, Ranim Orouk, JellyFish 157


INNOVATION IN CREATIVE INDUSTRIES RIEM IBRAHIM

Assistant Professor, American University of Sharjah & Co-Founder, Mobius Design Studio When we speak of innovation, it is often a rather ambiguous term that has not yet been fully defined, and is therefore open to interpretation and, not surprisingly so, a great deal of misuse. It has become a word that we are bombarded with at every corner; we no longer stop and ponder what it really means to be “innovative”. When it comes to innovation in the design field, especially in the MENA region, the ambiguity of the term is often a reflection of a confused definition of the function of design. I often find myself internally screaming (or outloud, when I’m in the confines of a class-room with only a bunch of helpless students who are not allowed to run away when I have a tantrum): design is not exclusive! It is not a luxury! It is not limited to designer bags. It is not just your comfortable car, or your nicely lit living room. Everything is design(ed)! Everything you see and/or use, has been put together by a mind that worked for hours deciding how something functions and looks. Whether it is “good” or “bad” design is a completely different discussion, but the point is the following: Design is these words having been typed out in a certain font to make this content most readable, it is this booklet you are holding so conveniently, your coffee mug, your toothbrush, the chair you swirl on everyday, your fabulous dress, your mobile phone and that game you are obsessed with. If we start recognising that design is a significant part of our surroundings, we will agree that it is the responsibility of designers to solve problems that keep arising in a world evolving so fast. It is nothing short of an obligation to not simply settle for making things look pretty, but come to realise that it’s an invaluable part of our jobs to make design that is meaningful: visuals, objects, systems, structures, and spaces that improve our living conditions, challenge our perceptions, or deepen our understanding of a subject matter; and, design that is effective, thoughtful and considered, and one that does not compromise aesthetics on behalf of functionality, or vice verse. If designers succeed in balancing both, does this perhaps finally ignite a true sense of innovation?

158


Despite the fact that the audience is not yet fully aware of the potential of using design constructively, or let us say innovatively, the weight of the problem mainly falls on the shoulders of designers. How do we, designers, expect people to be, not only receptive of our great ideas in action, but also supportive – morally and financially – if: we fail to push the boundaries in our day-to-day work; we fall short in challenging ourselves, and the already designed status-quo; and, we limit our role to simply producing, and reproducing, different versions of exactly the same thing? This is indeed a bold statement, but it comes after a long, hard look in the mirror; there is a hunger for real innovation, there is a growing need for locally based and inspired design; it is no longer sufficient to import design solutions, for we, in this region, face our own set of struggles that an outsider cannot possibly comprehend, let alone address and propose an appropriate solution for. There is no question about it: we need contextual, relevant design, that speaks our language, ties in with our culture and answers our questions. This process could begin by simple ideas addressing relevant problems in a subtle manner, where you find yourself looking at the end result and wondering how you ever lived without it. Innovation can revolve around materiality; using familiar materials in an unprecedented manner, a challenge that the former Sharjah-based architect Ginger Krieg was ready to take on. In 2011, Krieg embarked on a journey of devising a way to create eco-friendly construction bricks, which main component is directly inspired by her immediate environment in the UAE; sand. Krieg was able to use her profound understanding of materials in combination with a designer’s eyes and an open mind to significantly change the energy-intensive industry of brick making, to a more organic sustainable process. Alternatively, innovation can focus on people, especially those with special needs. “Sense-Wear” is a fashion-oriented project initiated by Ajmanbased designers Ivan Parati and Emanuela Corti that won them the annual Lexus Design Award 2015. The garments developed in this line are aimed at autistic individuals and tends to their needs when it comes to heightened sensations. The patterned materials used and the way they can be easily manipulated all serve the greater purpose of improving the quality of life of a single group of people. Wearables are, in fact, a whole new realm where 159


real innovation is starting to take place, as the slogan for the Abu Dhabi Wearable Tech Show deems “The Future is Wearable”. Indeed, it is not far-fetched given the exceedingly fast advancement of technology, and methods of fabrication. Perhaps it has become inevitable that we become multi-faceted in order to achieve true innovation, taking a dive into that intersection between art, design, science, and technology? Dubai Network for Art, Architecture, and Technology (d-NAT) is a community specifically investigating said intersection of disciplines. It is fueled by the curiosity of restless minds and a dedication to pushing the boundaries and exploring fusions of different fields. It is refreshing to see small yet serious attempts at making things that matter. There is no doubt that we live in a place that has a great deal of resources, natural and human, that is silently waiting to be taken advantage of. In order to become one of the most innovative cities in the world, as His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum envisioned for Dubai back in 2014, a collective shift in perception needs to occur; starting with educational institutions that need to hammer in the minds of young and upcoming designers that it does not suffice to pursue the obvious, but it is of utmost importance to also pursue what is meaningful. It is the responsibility of platforms – like Design Days Dubai – that constitute the Art Week in Dubai and supporting entities, such as Dubai Design District d3, to spread awareness of the real potential of design, and what it takes to tackle serious issues with creative solutions. These cultural art and design events are highly significant, not only for paramount exposure and networking opportunities to designers and interested audience, but also in their potential of starting a dialogue that invites the community, designers and non-designers alike, to start a serious conversation about our needs in this region and to rediscover the actual possibilities of true innovation.

160


Ibdaa, Emirati Shelf

161


CREATIVE SPACES 1971 - Design Space . . . . 161 Comptoir 102 . . . . . . . . . . 162 Iwan Maktabi . . . . . . . . . . 164 LASVIT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 MB&F M.A.D.Gallery . . . . 166 o’de rose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

162


1971 - DESIGN SPACE ONCE UPON DESIGN: NEW ROUTES FOR ARABIAN HERITAGE EVENT INFORMATION

2 March to 23 July, 2016 Location: 1971 Design Space, The Flag Island, Sharjah Open: Saturdays to Thurdays, 10:00 – 22:00, Fridays, 16:00 – 22:00 +971 6 528 4644 1971design.ae

Once Upon Design Artwork, Courtesy of 1971 - Design Space A select group of today’s makers have collaborated to unearth and experiment with elements of heritage from the Arabian Peninsula, working through their contemporary design practices across the fields of architecture, product and graphic design. The seven resulting interactive installations propose various new routes and sensibilities responding to age-old traditions and customs by enhancing, altering or subverting them. Reflecting a unique moment in the Gulf contemporary design scene, this is an exhibition for everyone to see, experience and touch.

Designers: Ayah Al Bitar & Reem Hantoush, COdESIGN, Diana Hawatmeh, Latifa Saeed & Talin Hazbar, LOCI, Architecture & Design Studio, Think Tank Co., and Studio Mieke Meijer.

ABOUT

1971 is a multi-functional design space dedicated to exhibition, display and discussion on all forms of contemporary design ranging from graphic, furniture to interior as well as interactive design and new technologies. Through a mixture of curated exhibitions and public programmes 1971 aims to become a regional and international design hub in the UAE working in close proximity with local designers, architects, schools and universities. 1971 will also serve as an informal meeting point and includes a fully serviced cafe for the enjoyment of the public. 163


COMPTOIR 102 CELEBRATING LIGHT

Philipp Weber gold

Comptoir 102 in Dubai, Frame in Amsterdam and Eyes on Talents in Paris collaborate to promote design excellence through this first exhibition of commonly-curated design works, while striving to present purchasable design innovation by three awarded designers that are Celebrating Light: Lumi by Teresa Van Dongen is a lamp that captures the contradictory traits of water and light in “a drop of glass”. Teresa van Dongen is an industrial designer who graduated from Design Academy Eindhoven cum Laude. She first won the Eyes 164

on Talents Award at D’Days 2015 for her project ‘One Luminous Dot’, a striking bioluminescent, sustainable light installation. She then became the winner, of the Dutch Design Award in the category Young Designer for her projects: Lumist, Ambio and One Luminous Dot. On Colors by Philipp Weber innovates with a glassblowing tool that enables the craftsman to shape a variety of inner cavities in the glass, creating multiple light and colour refractions. German designer Philipp Weber – a 2012 graduate of Design Academy Eindhoven and


EVENT INFORMATION

13 to 31 March, 2016 Location: Comptoir Gallery, 102 Jumeirah Beach Road, Jumeirah 1 Open: Sundays to Saturdays, 08:30 – 21:00 +971 4 285 4555 comptoir102.com

Forestier Papillon, Suspension Fil De Fer Bleu Gris

winner of the 2013 DMY Award at the International Design Festival Berlin – is exploring light through the reinterpretation of glass blowing. His works reflect the combination of unique craftsmanship and design excellence. Papillon Lights by Elise Fouin, describe an enchanting interpretation of nature with an array of light. The 2003 Graduate of Ecole Boulle in Paris, Elise Fouin integrates a rare artistic touch, both sensitive and poetic to design pieces of lighting. Finalist of the Grand Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris 2012, Elise Fouin has won many design awards related to her works celebrating nature and light such as the Face of Design price 2009 in Berlin.

ABOUT

Founded by Alexandra de Montaudouin and Emma Sawko, Comptoir 102 is a life-style concept store, which offers Dubai a well-curated selection of designers in a charming standalone villa located in the heart of the city. A unique, multi-use space comprising a concept store and an organic café, Comptoir 102 has cemented itself as a destination with a unique soul. Awarded the prestigious Harpers Bazaar Interior Design Award in 2014, Comptoir 102 has positioned itself on the local Design scene for its collaborations with internationally-known designers like India Mahdavi, Arik Levy, Nada Debs and acclaimed design brands like Gubi, Caravane and Astier de Villatte. 165


IWAN MAKTABI LAUNCH OF NEW COLLECTION

Hossein Rezvani, Bokja Courtesy of the artist and Iwan Maktabi Award winning carpet designer Hossein Rezvani shows his latest creations of contemporary carpets in a newly opened gallery; Iwan Maktabi in The Dubai mall. Deeply influenced by the elegance of the Persian rug culture, he grew up to appreciate its intrinsic role in Iranian art and culture. Hossein is dedicated and passionate about the rug industry, giving the traditional Persian rug a contemporary twist.

ABOUT

Iwan Maktabi is the leading highend rug retailer in the region: the third generation of the famed carpet family that originated from Persia but reinvented the business with a fresh launch by combining traditional and age-old styles with modern interpretations. Iwan Maktabi today carries contemporary design carpets, as well as fine city carpets, tribal art carpets and Islamic art 166

pieces. The company also offers customisable carpets through its design studio and represents various international carpet brands / designers such as Jan Kath and Hossein Rezvani. In this year’s Design Days Dubai, Iwan Maktabi will be presenting the One Carpet for Love collection, along with its designers from all disciplines to weave various threads of society into limited edition carpet designs; these works will be sold to benefit various charities in Lebanon.

EVENT INFORMATION

15 to 25 March, 2016 Location: Iwan Maktabi, First Floor, The Dubai Mall Open: 10:00 – 23:00 Opening: 13 March, 10:00 +971 4 434 0199 iwanmaktabi.com


LASVIT NECKLACE designed by world-class designers and artists, including The Campana Brothers, Maxim Velcovsky, Jan Plechac, Henry Wielgus, amongst others.

ABOUT

Libor Sostak, Necklace, Courtesy of the artist and LASVIT LASVIT presents Necklace, by Libor Sostak; a dynamic lighting installation. With its sheer size of 18 meters in length and 15 meters in width, Necklace is one of the largest lighting sculptures ever made worldwide. The sculpture is fully controllable remotely through an iPhone application. The individual glass elements, with their reflective qualities and surface textures, allow the permeation of light to then enable Necklace to showcase its chameleon-like qualities when shifting the colour scheme from cold to warm hues. Also, during Art Week, LASVIT is opening its Atelier’s doors to visitors, showcasing glass artworks

The brand Lasvit, founded in 2007 by Leon Jakimic, sheds a new light on Bohemian glass and takes it into the next millennium. Lasvit combines the authenticity of glass with innovative technologies and creative craftsmanship. In a few short years, Lasvit has established itself as the authority delivering bespoke lighting sculptures and art installations made from handblown glass. Collaborations with renowned designers and artists produce also unique glass collections. Nendo, Ross Lovegrove, Daniel Libeskind, Maarten Baas, Czech legends Rene Roubicek and Borek Sipek are among those who choose Lasvit in order to embody their unconventional artistic vision, endow it with the precision and mastery of our glassmakers, and produce impressive creative oeuvre.

EVENT INFORMATION

15 to 24 March, 2016 Location: A109 and the atrium of Building 6, Dubai Design District Open: 15 to 24 March, 09:00 – 17:00 +971 4 453 8689 lasvit.com 167


MB&F M.A.D.Gallery APESANTEUR EVENT INFORMATION

14 March to 14 May, 2016 Location: H-81, Alserkal Avenue Open: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10:00 – 19:00 +971 4 330 7366 madgallery.ae

Quentin Carnaille, Apesanteur (Zero-Gravity), Courtesy of the artist Apesanteur (which can be translated as ‘Zero Gravity’ or ‘Weightlessness’) is a sculpture that flies, floats, and levitates like a star or planet. The levitating disk is made of thousands of tiny centennial mechanical watch components. Quentin Carnaille was able to source these stocks of vintage pieces via connections with watchmakers and antique dealers. He then uses a powerful magnet to sort out which of the tiny pieces are magnetic and can be used for the sculpture. ‘Apesanteur’ is an invisible link between astronomy and mechanical watchmaking. Carnaille’s Apesanteur creations are like memorials, built to the glory of men’s creativity and ingenuity.

ABOUT

Founded in 2011, MB&F M.A.D. Gallery began as an incubator for 168

like-minded artisans to create and exhibit mechanical and kinetic art sculptures and devices. Today it is a limitless nook in our universe, concocted by MB&F; Maximilian Büsser and Friends. Extraordinary and unique pieces from all around the world have found their way to M.A.D. Gallery Geneva, Taipei and now Dubai. A fantastical concept that has become a reality, M.A.D. Gallery is a place that enraptures the dreamers and the fearless. MB&F M.A.D. Gallery was made for those that need to be immersed beyond the two-dimensional norms. It is a portal to a world where one can step through the looking glass, unafraid to experience art from an alternate universe.


O’DE ROSE ART PEACE EVENT INFORMATION

13 to 18 March, 2016 Location: 999, Al Wasl Road, Umm Suqeim 2 Open: Sundays to Saturdays, 10:00 – 20:00, Candles will be lit daily, 18:00 – 20:00 971 4 348 7990 o-derose.com Iyad Naja, Candle Holders, 2016 According to all dictionaries, the simple definition of peace is; a state in which there is no war or fighting; an agreement to end a war; a period of time when there is no war or fighting. With peace becoming a scarcity these days, regional artists and designers were invited to further explore this linguistic definition of peace and give it a more implicit meaning – peace of mind, peace and love, inner peace, etc. – for a more contemporary relevance. o’de rose celebrates peace, and “Art Peace” brings together this collaborative installation of a set of candle holders, with candles being lit daily between 6:00 and 8:00 pm, from March 13 to March 18, where visitors are invited to be at peace.

contemporary art and home decor by renowned designers and artisans such as Nada Debs, Name Design Studio, Sacha Walckhoff, Verreum, Iyad Naja, Karen Chekerdgian, Carla Baz, Kafka Goes Pink, Maria Halios Design, Sarah’s bag. o’de rose redefines the meaning of ‘statement piece’; each item in the boutique is handmade and handpicked from different parts of the world and reflects Arabic heritage with a modern twist. Offering a unique experience that engages all five senses, guests are greeted with signature rose water drink, the smell of burning rose incense and music. o’de rose is committed to support local and regional artists, giving them a platform to showcase their talents.

ABOUT

o’de rose is an eclectic concept store offering fashion, furniture, 169



JOURNEYS Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood. . . . . . . . . 170 Al Quoz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Downtown Dubai & Dubai International Financial Centre. . . . . . . . 170 Dubai Design District . . . . . 170 Dubai Fetival City . . . . . . . 171 Jumeirah & Al Wasl . . . . . 171 Jumeirah Lake Towers . . 171 Nad Al Sheba . . . . . . . . . . 171 Sheikh Zayed Road . . . . . 171 Abu Dhabi . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Sharjah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

171


JOURNEYS DUBAI Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood Invisible Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Sikka Art Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 The Majlis Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 XVA Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Al Quoz 1x1 Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Alserkal Avenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Antidote. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Ayyam Gallery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Carbon 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Custot Gallery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 East Wing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Elmarsa Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Empty10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 FN Designs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde . . 72 Green Art Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Grey Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Gulf Photo Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Jean-Paul Najar Foundation . . . . 23 Lawrie Shabibi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Leila Heller Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Magic of Persia Foundation . . . . 137 MB&F M.A.D.Gallery . . . . . . . . . 166 Meem Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Royal College of Art: RCA Secret Dubai . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Salsali Private Museum . . . . . . . . 28 Satellite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Showcase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 The cARTel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 172

The Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 The Mojo Gallery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 The Third Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 thejamjar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Total Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Downtown Dubai & Dubai International Financial Centre Andakulova Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Art Nights at Gate Village. . . . . . 128 Art on Boulevard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Art Sawa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 ARTSPACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 ATOUT FRANCE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Ayyam Gallery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Bird Wings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Cuadro Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Design Days Dubai . . . . . . . . . . . 110 East Wing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Healing Music Concert. . . . . . . . . . 8 Invisible Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Iwan Maktabi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 La Petite Maison. . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Opera Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Picasso & Miro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Pixel Forest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The Empty Quarter . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 The Farjam Foundation . . . . . . . . 40 Urban Commissions. . . . . . . . . . 152 Van Cleef & Arpels The Middle East Emergent Designer Prize. . 154

Dubai Design District Citizen E Art Gallery . . . . . . . . . . 63 Dubai Photo Exhibition . . . . . . . . 118


Gallery Ward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Ginza Group and de Pury de Pury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 HIPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 LASVIT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Sconci Art Gallery. . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Nad Al Sheba

Dubai Fetival City

American University in Dubai . . . 48

Art Couture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

ABU DHABI

Jumeirah & Al Wasl Alliance Francaise . . . . . . . . . . . 125 DIAC: Gallery 76 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Abraaj Group Art Prize . . . . . . . . 148 Art Dubai. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Comptoir 102 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 Dubai Canvas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Dubai International Kyte Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Empty10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 o’ de rose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Pro Art Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Rafia Art. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 RCA Secret Dubai . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Redbull BC1 & Redbull Curates . . . 9 s*uce. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Jumeirah Lake Towers Kataria Art Collections. . . . . . . . 136 Swiss Art Gate UAE . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Tashkeel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Zayed University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Sheikh Zayed Road

Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Emirates Fine Arts Society. . . . . . 22 The Art Gallery at New York University Abu Dhabi . . . . . . . . . . 50 Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Salwa Zeidan Gallery . . . . . . . . . . 83 Swiss Art Gate UAE . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Zayed University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

SHARJAH 1971 – Design Space . . . . . . . . . 161 Al Hehaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre. . . . . . . . . . 124 Barjeel Art Foundation. . . . . . . . . 21 Emirates Fine Arts Society. . . . . . 22 Fikra Design Studio & T.ZED Architects. . . . . . . . . . . 133 Maraya Art Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Sharjah Art Foundation . . . . . . . . 30 Sharjah Museums Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 University of Sharjah . . . . . . . . . . 52

173


NOTES

174


alserkalavenue.ae

175


RCA Secret returns to Art Dubai and is held in partnership with Alserkal Avenue. Over 1,000 original postcardsized artworks created by regional and internationally acclaimed artists will be on sale for AED 500, across both locations during Art Week.

ALSERKAL AVENUE, WAREHOUSE 46

All proceeds go to the RCA fund, providing scholarships and bursaries for students.

Sale & Collection 19 March, 10am – 7pm

ART DUBAI, MINA A’ SALAM

FREE ADMISSION DUBAI.SECRET.RCA.AC.UK

Sale 17 March, 4pm – 9pm 18 March, 2pm – 9pm 19 March, 12pm – 6pm Sale & Collection 19 March, 12pm – 6pm 176

Exhibition Only 14 March, 11am – 5pm

Sale 14 March, 5pm – 9pm 15–19 March, 10am – 7pm


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.