MinD City’s Dialogue
DUCTAC presents
Made in Dubai
MinD - City’s Dialogue Curated by Ebtisam Abdulaziz
· Alia Lootah · Amna Al Madani · Barbara McGivern · Basem Alsayer · Carolin Kropff · · Hind Mezaina · Huda Saeed Saif · Julia Townsend · Khalid Al Banna · Khalid Mezaina · · Maisoon Al Saleh · Majida Nasreddin · Maryam Al Qassimi · Muna Abdul Qader Al Ali · · Nasir Nasrallah · Paolomaria · Raymond Prucher · Salem Al Mansoori · · Sarah Lahti · Zeinab Al Hashemi ·
Opening: Thursday 10 March 2011, 7:30 pm Running until Sunday 20 March 2011 All over DUCTAC, Level 2, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Gallery hours: 9 am – 10 pm
Number of artists: 20 Exhibition Title: MinD – City’s Dialogue Curator: Ebtisam Abdulaziz Project Management: Colette Mol Venue: Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Centre Period: 10 – 20 March, 2011 Organizer: Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Centre
Contents
Introduction
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Curatorial Statement
8
Catalogue Published in: March 2011 Published by: DUCTAC
Artist Bios
10
Design & Layout Shahid Aboobacker & Ebtisam Abdulaziz
Alia Lootah
20
Amna Al Madani
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Barbara McGivern
24
Basem Alsayer
26
Carolin Kropff
28
Hind Mezaina
30
Huda Saeed Saif
32
Julia Townsend
34
Khalid Al Banna
36
Khalid Mezaina
38
Maisoon Al Saleh
40
Editing English Editing & Revision: Emma Haggerty & Colette Mol Arabic Editing & Revision: Ebtisam Abdulaziz Catalogue Captions: Arezu Karoobi Translation (Arabic / English): Raghda Helal Images & Photographs All images & photographs were provided by the artists Programming Colette Mol, Kristine Ruiz, Arezu Karoobi Marketing Emma Haggerty, Shahid Aboobacker Operations Alvin Paniterce, Jefferson Urriquia, Joseph Gabriel, Chandra Bose, Ajay Yadav Finance R.Venkatanathan, Anitha Naidu
Artist Statements
Majida Nasreddin
42
Technical Craig Burgess, Phillip Fortaleza, Anthony Manalo
Maryam Al Qassimi
44
Front of House Jenny Ramos McCranie, Armida Tecson, Alea Dayrit, Vina Dela Cruz, Bien Sare, Christian Perez, Bikram Upeti, Yasmin Helal
Muna AbdulQader Alali
46
Nasir Nasrallah
48
Paolomaria
50
Raymond Prucher
52
Salem Al Mansoori
54
Sarah Lahti
56
Zeinab Al Hashemi
58
Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Centre Tel: +971 4 341 4777 Fax: +971 4 341 4443 Email: artsreception@ductac.org www.ductac.org Printed by Digital World / CMS Printing Press Dubai, UAE In partnership with:
Ebtisam Abdulaziz
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Introduction
Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Centre (DUCTAC) aims to contribute to the creative and cultural development of Dubai by presenting and hosting a rich programme of events and participatory activities for Dubai’s many multi-national residents and visitors. DUCTAC’s alternative art platform, MinD (Made in Dubai) returns for 2011 titled City’s Dialogue. Curated by acclaimed Emirati artist Ebtisam AbdulAziz, MinD – City’s Dialogue is a group art exhibition featuring work by local artists using contemporary mediums and conceptual approaches to art making. The experimental artworks of 20 emerging artists of various nationalities, all of whom live, work and produce art in the UAE, will be showcased throughout the DUCTAC complex with the objective of providing visitors with an insight into the local art scene. MinD highlights new trends and techniques and explores modern, innovative means of expression. The aim of the platform is to function as a barometer reflecting the state and mood of art in the UAE, to create public awareness and as such, to constitute a cultural force in its own right. MinD is part of our ongoing initiative to provide a platform for young artists, in order to build a dynamic and vital foundation for visual arts in the UAE. The exhibition aims to promote contemporary art in the UAE and to provoke public interest, input and debate around new artistic developments. Furthermore, it inspires artists, especially emerging talents, to enter into and actively participate in exciting realms of artistic activity.
Millie J. Tsai
General Manager
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MinD - City’s Dialogue
Curatorial Statement
In the field of Visual Arts, artists produce works that discuss reality, politics, ethics and culture as well as the more general human issues. The artist is more aware of his/her connection with the world, influencing and being influenced by the events around him/her, and going beyond the simple role of narrator of events. The intellectual connection between international cultures that is now becoming a reality, coupled with the advances in the fields of communication, all propel artists to find new, unique ways to present their ideas and communicate them. They also must bear in mind the differences within one society, whether they are differences in class, age, sex or race, and their effect on the social consciousness. Modern technologies, electronic communications, and the Internet have all made exchange and dialogue much easier and propagated cross-cultural, cross-societal influences even across the most different and conflicting of cultures. Added to that is the incorporation of modern technologies and new discoveries in the field of art production, which all provide new motives for art and create a closeness between modern artistic formulae. MinD - City’s Dialogue is a group art exhibition featuring work by local artists, presenting a selection of accomplished work covering subject matter including city life, environmental degradation and the impersonality of modern lifestyles. Reflecting the diversity of mediums, disciplines, and expressions found in contemporary art, the selected work presents and contextualizes a comprehensive, but not predetermined view of the contemporary city. MinD - City’s Dialogue showcases artwork in a range of media including: video, installation, painting, graphic art, sculpture, photographs and performance art. Most of the selected artwork also reflects the emancipation of the artist, expressing how they deal with their ideas, reality and the relationship between visual culture and its incorporation of modern technology. The main concept of the show is to encourage artists to express their observations towards their city, to explore the spirit, life, and challenges of contemporary society in the UAE. My goal is to work with artists and audiences through form, media and strategy to challenge perceived rules, structures and limits of creative expression. The principles of my approach are linked to my own curatorial values: the development of new work, creative autonomy for artists, constructive negotiation, and intrinsic links between processes and concepts. Art does not exist in isolation and with this in mind the exhibition endeavours to simultaneously reflect what binds communities, as well as the complexities of difference.
Ebtisam Abdulaziz Curator
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Alia Lootah 1989
Born in Dubai, UAE
2011 2010 2009
Enrolled for MA in Art History and Museum Studies, Paris-Sorbonne University, Abu Dhabi, UAE BA in Fine Arts, College of Fine Arts and Design, University of Sharjah, UAE Peggy Guggenheim Internship Program, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy
Selected Group Exhibitions 2010 Sharjah Cultural Days, Museum of Modern Art, Passau, Germany Bangladesh 14th Asian Biennale, Dhaka, Bangladesh ‘Experiment’, Maraya Gallery, Sharjah, UAE ‘Exit 5’, College of Fine Arts and Design, Sharjah, UAE ‘My World 2’, Fondamenta San Gioachin, Venice, Italy 2009 ‘Emergence’, Tenri Cultural Institute of New York, USA 2008 ‘Beyond Conventions’, Elementa, Dubai, UAE Creek Art Fair, Al Bastakiya, Dubai, UAE 2007 ‘Salam’, International Center of Bethlehem, Palestine ‘Salam’, Al Kahf Gallery, Palestine
Amna Al Madani 1986
Born in Munich, Germany
2007 2004
BA in Art and Design, concentration Graphic Design, Zayed University, Latifa College campus, Dubai, UAE Foundation Course in Art and Design, Latifa College, Dubai, Dubai, UAE
Selected Group Exhibitions 2010 ‘Portrait of a Generation’, Tashkeel, Dubai, UAE 2008 ‘Fusion’, Tashkeel, Dubai, UAE 2007 ‘E11even’, Graduate Exhibition, DIFC, Dubai, UAE 2005 Knowledge Village Exhibition (Mixed Media), Dubai, UAE Window Designing competition for Al Ruwayyah campus, Zayed University, 1st prize, Dubai, UAE End of Year Exhibition, Latifa College, Dubai, UAE 2004 Latifa College Mixed Media Exhibition, Wafi Mall, Dubai, UAE Foundation Course Exhibition, Latifa College, Dubai, UAE
Basem Al Sayer 1961
Born in Syria
1989
Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, Damascus University, Syria
Solo Exhibitions 2010 ‘Bit Alshamsi’ , Sharjah, UAE 2007 Emirates Fine Arts Society, Sharjah, UAE Sahara Gate, Al Bastakiya, Dubai, UAE 2006 Exhibition at Abdulaziz Husain Culture Centre, Kuwait 1986 Exhibition at Culture Centre, Deralzar, Syria Selected Exhibitions 2008 Emirates Artists, Germany Participated in the arrangement of more than 30 exhibitions for the Culture and Information Department, Sharjah, UAE Islamic Festival of Arts, Sharjah, UAE
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2007 2006 2004 1987
National Exhibition, Abu Dhabi, UAE Audio & Visual Exhibition, Sharjah, UAE Emirates Artists, The Louvre Museum, Paris, France General exhibition for Emirates Fine Arts Society, Sharjah, UAE The 1st. Sharjah Biennale of calligraphy, Sharjah, UAE Al Mahabah Festival, Syria
Barbara McGivern 1955
Born in Toronto, Canada
1988 1985
Ontario College of Art, AOCA, SCA, Canada Toronto School of Art, Canada
Selected Workshops 2000 Susan Rothenberg, Georgian College, Barrie, Canada 1998 Eric Fischl, Georgian College, Barrie, Canada Solo Exhibitions 2011 ‘CAN’, NYC, USA 2009 Lando Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Gallerie Bohner, Manhiem, Germany 2008 Arts Club, London, UK 2007 Lindsay Gallery, Lindsay, Ontario, Canada 2006 Nomad Gallery, London, UK Spoke Gallery, Toronto, Canada 2005 ‘Grand Canvas’, Majlis Gallery, Grand Hyatt, Dubai, UAE Lando Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada ‘INDEX 05’, Canadian Pavillion, Dubai, UAE 2004 ‘Extraordinary Journey’, Majlis Gallery, Dubai, UAE ‘INDEX 04’, Canadian Pavilion, Dubai, UAE Selected Group Exhibitions 2010 Art Dubai, Bait Muzna Gallery, Muscat, Oman ‘Weird’, Fran Hill Gallery, Toronto, Canada Arta Gallery, Toronto, Canada 2008 International Art Fair, Galleria de Arte Gaudi, Madrid, Spain 2007 Collectors Gallery, Albright Knox Museum, Buffalo, NY, USA ART Nime, Nimes, France Galeriade Arte Gaudi, Madrid, Spain, 2006 Lando Fine Art, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada ‘New Paintings’, Nomad Gallery, London, UK ‘New Paintings’, Spoke Gallery, Toronto, Canada 2005 Lando Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada ‘Celebration of the Arabian Horse’, Christies, Artworks, Dubai, UAE ‘Women and Art, a Global Perspective’, Sharjah Ladies Club, Sharjah, UAE Selected Museum Exhibitions 2007 The Lindsay Gallery, Lindsay, Ontario, Canada 2005 Vernon Art Gallery, Vernon, B.C., Canada 2004 Glynhurst Art Gallery, Brantford, Ontario, Canada ‘Extraordinary Journey’, Temiskaming Art Gallery, Haileybury, Ontario, Canada
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Carolin Kropff
Huda Saeed Saife
Born in Brilon, Germany
1978
Born in Sharjah, UAE
1998 1993 1992
MFA, Academy of Fine Arts, Frankfurt, Germany Staatliche Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Städelschulle with Christa Näher Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain Academy of Fine Arts Düsseldorf, Kunstakademie Düsseldorf with Karl Kneidl, Beate Schiff, Franz Eggenschwiele, Peter Kastner, Germany
2003
Bachelor’s Degree, College of General Physics, Al Ain, UAE
Selected Group Exhibitions 2011 29th Annual Exhibition, EFS, Sharjah Art Museum, UAE 2010 ‘FataMorgana’, XVA Gallery, Dubai, UAE Bastakiya Art Fair, XVA Gallery, Dubai, UAE 2008/9 ‘Made in Tashkeel’, Tashkeel, Dubai, UAE 2007 ’Familentreffen’ AusstellungsHalle, Frankfurt, Germany 2006 ’Malerei’, Projektraum im Atelierfrankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany 2003 ‘Diesmal’, Lutherstrasse, Frankfurt, Germany 2001 ‘Blachfeld’, AuswärtsKunstraum Frankfurt, Germany 1998 ‘Stuttgart 17.7.1956 - Salem (Wis.) USA 3.3.1977’ Portikus, Frankfurt, Germany 1995 ‘Spektakel’, Museum am Ostwall Dortmund, Germany 1994 ‘Kunsthaus’ am Tierpark e.V. Dortmund, Germany 1993 ’Studenten stellen aus’, Stadtmuseum Beckum, Germany
Hind Mezaina 1971
Born in Dubai, UAE
2004
BSc Economics, Politics and International Relations, University of London, UK
Selected Group Exhibitions 2010 ‘Biladi’, Tashkeel, Dubai, UAE ‘Better City Better Life’, UAE Pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai, China ‘Muqtanayati: One Hundred Treasures’, The Jam Jar, Dubai, UAE ‘Slidefest II’(presented only), Gulf Photo Plus, Dubai, UAE ‘Resurrection des Mannequins’, Portfolio Gallery, Dubai, UAE ‘FAKie’, FN Design, Shelter, Dubai, UAE ‘MinD’- (Made in Dubai), DUCTAC, Dubai, UAE ‘Sense of Sight’, DUCTAC, Dubai, UAE 2009 ‘The Portfolio Project’, Shelter, Bidoun, Dubai, UAE ‘Art Below Tokyo’, Tokyo, Japan ‘Kalimat’, DUCTAC, Dubai, UAE ‘Silent Conversations’, Tashkeel, Dubai, UAE ‘Dubai Underground’, Like the Spice Gallery, New York, USA ‘My Name is Robot’, The Jam Jar, Dubai, UAE ‘For the Love of Polaroid’, SAANS Downtown, Salt Lake City, USA ‘Pillar of Art, Art Below’, Berlin, Germany 2008 ‘Documentation’, Tashkeel, Dubai, UAE October Exhibition, Art Below, London, UK ‘Art Below Tokyo’, Tokyo, Japan July Exhibition, Art Below, London, UK ‘Fusion’, Emerson Gallery, Berlin, Germany ‘The Incredible Holga and Wonder Diana’, The Jam Jar, Dubai, UAE ‘New Face New Visions’, DUCTAC, Dubai, UAE ‘Art of March’, Art Below, London, UK 2007 ‘Mezze at Halcyon’, Halcyon, New York, USA ‘Fall Flavors’, Rebar, New York, USA ‘Lomography World Wall’, Trafalgar Square, London, UK ‘Cromofila’, Gallery Centro Cultural, Los Lagos, Mexico 2006 ‘Double Expose’, Trilogy Rooftop and Five Green, Dubai, UAE 2004 ‘Drive by Shooting’, Five Green, Dubai, UAE 12
Selected Group Exhibition 2010 ‘The Arabian Heritage’, Jaba, Sharjah, UAE 2009 National Pavilion for the 53rd Venice Biennale, UAE 2007 The 16th ICAA International Art Festival – Peace in Seoul, South Korea Sharjah 8th Biennale, UAE 10th Cairo International Biennale, Egypt 2006 Silver Jubilee Exhibition, Emirates Fine Art Society, Sharjah, UAE ‘Window Exhibition’, Total Art Gallery, Dubai, UAE 10th Cairo International Biennale, Egypt 2005 The 2nd National Exhibition for Plastic ARTS – Abu Dhabi, UAE 2004 Exhibition behind Sharjah Art Bienniale 7- Sharjah Art Museum, UAE 2003/04 UAE Association for Illustrative Art Exhibition, UAE
Julia Townsend 1965
Born in Pennsylvania, USA
2002 1995 1988
Certificate in Islamic Traditional Illumination ‘Tehzip’, Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, Turkey MFA in Painting, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA BA in Art History, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY, USA
Selected Solo Exhibitions 2003 ‘Selections from Zeynep’ American University in Dubai, UAE 2001 ‘Julia Townsend’, Marmara Hotel, Taksim, Istanbul, Turkey 1999 ‘O’Fantasya’ , Yantra Gallery, Çukurcuma, Istanbul, Turkey 1998 ‘Paintings by Julia Townsend’, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey 1992 ‘Julia Townsend: New Work’, Galerie-Cafe-OM. Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin, Germany 1991 ‘Julia Townsend: New Paintings’ , Harlem Jazz Club, Barcelona, Spain Selected Group Exhibitions 2009 ‘Women’s Rooms’, Bastakiya Art Fair, Dubai, UAE Summer Collection, XVA Gallery, Bastakiya, Dubai, UAE ‘Emergence’, Tenri Cultural Institute of New York, Curated by Jeff Baysa, New York, USA 2008 ‘Terminal Degree,’ Bastakiya, Creek Contemporary Art Fair, Dubai, UAE ‘How I Bought Myself a Diamond’ AUD, Dubai, UAE 2007 ‘Al Khoulia,’ Meem Gallery, Dubai, UAE 2006 Faculty Exhibition, Gallery 76, The Dubai International Art Center, UAE ‘4 + 4’, DUCTAC, Dubai, UAE ‘Summer Collection,’ XVA Gallery, Bastakiya, Dubai, UAE 2005 ‘Innocents Abroad: An Evening of Travel Art and Poetry’, Dubai, UAE Julia Townsend (paintings), Daniel Pendergrass (poetry) and James Henry (photography), XVA Gallery, Dubai, UAE ‘Around Seven,’ Total Arts Gallery, Al Quoz, Dubai, UAE Summer Collection, XVA Gallery, Bastakiya, Dubai, UAE 2004 Summer Collection, XVA Gallery, Bastakiya, Dubai, UAE Faculty Exhibition, Department of Visual Communication, AUD, Dubai, UAE 1999 ‘Fish,’ International Artists Exhibition, Yantra Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey 1998 ‘New Painting from Turkey’, Julia Townsend and Salih Köksalan, Alte Pumpe, Berlin, Germany 1997 Annual Summer Exhibition, Broward Art Guild, Best in Show Juror: Paula Gillam, Ft. Lauderdale, USA ‘Human Image,’ Broward Art Guild, Ft. Lauderdale, Honorable Mention, Ft. Lauderdale, USA ‘Piyano’, art and music exhibition (co-curated),, The Piano Center, Istanbul, Turkey 1996 ‘Self Interpretations,’ Broward Art Guild, ‘People’s Choice’ Award, Ft. Lauderdale, USA Members’ Exhibition, Broward Art Guild 3rd Place Juror: Sheppard Root, Ft. Lauderdale, USA 1995 ‘Six from Delaware,’ Digital Images at The Silicon Gallery, Philadelphia, USA 1994 ‘Graduate Painters,’ The Federal Reserve Bank, Philadelphia, USA ‘National Women’s Hall of Fame’, Seneca Falls, New York Juror: Diane Villani, USA 13
Khalid Al Banna 1975
Born in Sharjah, UAE
1999
Bachelor of Architecture Engineering from UAE University, Al Ain, UAE
Solo Exhibitions 2010 Solo Exhibition in Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah, UAE 2006 Solo Exhibition in Emirates Fine Arts Society, Sharjah, UAE Selected Group Exhibitions 2008 Dubai Creek Art Fair, Dubai, UAE 2007 Sharjah cultural week, held in Austria, France, and Germany Emirates Fine Art Society 27th Exhibition, Sharjah, UAE 2006 Emirates Cultural week, Berlin, Germany Best Gallery, Dubai, UAE 2005 Sharjah Biennial 2005, Sharjah, UAE The 2nd National Exhibition, Abu Dhabi, UAE The Silver Jubilee Exhibition of Emirates Fine Art Society, Sharjah, UAE 2004 Emirates Fine Art Society Annual Exhibition, Sharjah, UAE ‘Bayt Al Fannan’ Exhibition, Sharjah, UAE 2003 Cairo Graphic Triennial 2003, Cairo, Egypt 2002 Emirates Pavilion EXPO Hanover, Germany 2001 Emirates Cultural Week, Lebanon 2000 Emirates Cultural Week, Jordan 1998 UAE Exhibition University & Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman ADCO competition, Abu Dhabi, UAE ‘The Emirates in the Eyes of its Artists’, Abu Dhabi, UAE Emirates Fine Art Society Annual Exhibition, Sharjah, UAE Portrait Exhibition, Emirates Fine Art Society, Sharjah, UAE
Khalid Mezaina 1985
Born in Dubai, UAE
2006
BSc in Visual Communication, American University of Sharjah, UAE
Selected Group Exhibitions 2010 ‘Biladi’ A contemporary Emirati exhibition from Shanghai Expo 2010, Tashkeel, Dubai, UAE Shanghai World Expo’s UAE & UN Pavilion contemporary art exhibition, Shanghai, China ‘Project Mega’, Gate Village, DIFC, Dubai, UAE ‘Fakie’ A Skate exhibition, Shelter, Dubai, UAE 2009 ‘Dpict’ Illustration Exhibition, DUCTAC, Dubai, UAE ‘Mezaina-Rooney’, DUCTAC, Dubai, UAE ‘Emirati Visions’, Major German Bank, Berlin, Germany ‘Dubai Underground’, Like The Spice Gallery, New York, USA ‘Re-Source’, Elementa gallery, Dubai, UAE 2008 ‘Art BelowTokyo’, Shibuya station, Tokyo, Japan ‘Beyond Conventions’, Elementa gallery, Dubai, UAE ‘Made in Tashkeel’ summer show, Tashkeel, Dubai, UAE 2007 ‘Minus Reality’, Art Attack Gallery, Dubai, UAE
Maisoon Al Saleh
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1988
Born in Dubai, UAE
2011 2010 2004
Enrolled for MBA degree at the American University, Dubai, UAE Interior Design, Zayed University, Dubai, UAE International General Certificate of Secondary Education on the subject of Design from the University of Cambridge, UK
Selected Solo Exhibitions 2011 ‘The Bright Side of the Bones II’, DUCTAC, Dubai, UAE 2010 ‘The Bright Side of the Bones’, Marayah Art Center, Al Qasba, Sharjah, UAE Selected Group Exhibitions 2011 29th Annual Exhibition of Emirates Fine Arts Society in Sharjah Art Museum, UAE Participated in a group auction in Kuwait, organized by JAMM at The Avenues, Kuwait 2010 ‘Project Mega’, Bloomingdales, Dubai, UAE 2009 ‘Emirati Expressions’, Gallery One, Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Majida Nasreddin
Born in Lebanon
1993
Lebanese University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Lebanon
Solo Exhibition 2004 Solo exhibition coinciding with the 23rd General Annual Exhibition at Sharjah Arts Museum, UAE Solo exhibition in Galleria Corner Café, Sharjah, UAE 1993 Solo exhibition at the Emirates Fine Arts Society, Sharjah, UAE Selected Group Exhibitions 2011 Amman First Art Symposium-Painting & Poem, Jordan 2010 Al Khorafi International Biennale for Arab Contemporary Art, Kuwait 2009 The 28th Emirates Fine Art Society Annual Exhibition, UAE 2008 ‘The Emirates and its Renowned Artists’, Dubai, UAE 2007 Al Juman Group Exhibition, Cairo Opera House, Egypt 2006 The Third International Biennale of The Islamic World, Tehran, Iran ‘Le Martin’ Group Exhibition, Paris, France ‘Creative Arabs’, Meem Gallery, Dubai, UAE The Forth International Biennale of The Islamic World, Tehran, Iran 2004/06 ‘Women in Art I & II’, Courtyard, Dubai, UAE 2005 The First Emirates Cultural Festival, Trade Centre, Dubai, UAE 2001 ‘Barter’ exhibition at the Indian Consulate, Dubai, UAE 2000 ‘Arabian Eyes’ exhibition for female artists at Sharjah Arts Museum, UAE 1999 Annual Portrait Exhibition at Sharjah Arts Museum, UAE 1998 Sharjah International Bienniale, Sharjah, UAE 1997 ‘International Women in Arts’ for Design Art Gallery & Mercedes Benz, Dubai, UAE 1995/6 Sharjah International Bienniale, Sharjah, UAE 1993 General Annual Exhibition performed by the Emirates Fine Arts Society, Sharjah, UAE
Maryam Al Qassimi 1990
Born in Sharjah, UAE
2010
BSc in Visual Communication, American University of Sharjah (AUS), Sharjah, UAE
Selected Exhibitions 2010 ‘Biladi’, Tashkeel, Dubai, UAE United Nations Pavilion, Shanghai Expo, Shanghai, China UAE Pavilion , Shanghai Expo, Shanghai, China ‘Baseline’ , Mojo Gallery, Dubai, UAE 2009 Sheikha Manal Young Artist Award Exhibition, Dubai Ladies Club, Dubai, UAE
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Paolomaria Muna AbdulQader Alali Born in Dubai, UAE 2009 2001
Executive MBA in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, HCT, Dubai, UAE Bachelor of Applied Science in Business and Information Technology, HCT, Dubai, UAE
Solo Exhibition 2009 First Solo Exhibition, Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah, UAE Selected Group Exhibitions 2010 ‘The Reflective Mirror’, United Nations Building, New York, USA ‘Arabian Culture from Sharjah’, Japan 2009 ‘Point of Encounter’, Tashkeel Gallery, Dubai, UAE Art Dubai, Al Bastakiya Art Fair, Saatchi Online Gallery, House 79, Dubai, UAE ‘Across the Gulf’, Arc Biennial of Art, Brisbane, Australia 2008 ‘DIFC’, DIFC Lobby 5, 2 and Building Terrace 3, Dubai, UAE Creek Art Fair Al Bastakiya House 67, Dubai, UAE ‘Urban Jealousy’, The 1st International Roaming Biennial of Tehran, Iran ‘Hafriyat Karakoy’, Turkey, Germany, Serbia ‘13 UAE Artists’ Exhibition, Saragossa, Spain ‘Land Change: Art & Environment’, Goethe Institute Gulf Region, Abu Dhabi Culture & Heritage, Abu Dhabi, UAE 2007 ‘Gulf Colors’, Nouf Al Riyadh Establishment & Lahadh Art Fair, Egypt, Tunisia, Iran 2007 ‘Six UAE Artist’ Exhibition, Emirates Writers & literatures Union, Abu Dhabi, UAE 2006 ‘Window’ Exhibition of 16 UAE contemporary Artists, Total Art Gallery, Dubai, UAE 2006 Sheikha Manal Young Artist Award – New Signature Competition, Dubai Ladies Club, Dubai, UAE 2001/08 Annual Exhibitions of Sharjah Art Society, Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah, UAE Selected Awards 2006 The Merit Award - Sheikha Manal Young Artist Award, New Signature Competition, Dubai, UAE Collections 2008 Ministry of Culture & Media, Etisalat, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Nasir Nasrallah 1984
Born in Sharjah, UAE
2006
Bachelor Degree in Telecommunications Engineering / Etisalat University College, Sharjah, UAE
Solo Exhibition 2009 1st Solo Exhibition in Sharjah Art Museum, UAE Selected Group Exhibitions 2011 The 29th Annual Exhibition of UAE Fine Arts Society, Sharjah, UAE 2010 ‘Al Tawasol no.1’ Exhibition in UAE Fine Arts Society Culture Exhibition, Germany 2009 Sana’a International Forum for Plastic Arts, Yemen 2008 The 27th Annual Exhibition of UAE Fine Arts Society, Sharjah, UAE The Fine Arts Creative Gulf Artists, Kuwait 2006 The 3rd National Exhibition for Plastic Arts, Abu Dhabi, UAE The 25th Annual Exhibition of UAE Fine Arts Society, Sharjah, UAE Cairo Youth Biennial, Egypt Sheikha Manal Young Artist Award Exhibition, Dubai, UAE 2004/5 Al Baha Prize for Fine Arts, KSA The 1st and 2nd National Exhibition for Plastic Arts, Abu Dhabi, UAE
1963
Born in Naples, Italy
1996 1995 1985
Degree in architecture at the University Federico II of Naples, Italy Diploma in Interior Design, Institute of Design, Milan, Italy He started working as an assistant at the Galleria Lucio Amelio in Naples where he met artists, such as Joseph Beuys, A. Kiefer, J.Kounellis, who would influence his future work
Solo Exhibitions 2010 ‘Memoriale part II’, The Shelter Maraya, Sharjah, UAE 2008 Mondo Arte, Dubai, UAE 2007 Miton, Odense, Denmark Selected Group Exhibitions 2009 ‘My name is Robot’, February 2009, Jam Jar, Dubai, UAE 2008 ‘Art Oasis’, Jam Jar, Dubai, UAE ‘Made in Tashkeel’, Tashkeel, Dubai, UAE 2007 Hollufgærd Park, Odense, Denmark Summer-symposium ‘Galactic Life forms’, 9-21 June 2007, Odense, Denmark
Raymund Prucher 1971
Born on Rock Island, Illinois, USA
2003 1995
MFA State University of New York, Stony Brook, New York, USA - Painting, Printmaking, Digital Media BFA Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, USA - Painting; Minor in Creative Writing
Solo Exhibitions 2005 ‘Jenin imPrints’, Bethlehem Peace Center, Bethlehem, Palestinian Territories Selected Group Exhibitions 2007/8 ‘Villa 111’, Creek Contemporary Art Fair, Bastakiya, Dubai, UAE 2007 ‘Do not forget’, Lebanon 2006 ‘4 + 4’, Gallery of Light, DUCTAC, Dubai, UAE ‘Prisons, Visages de Palestine’, Furib’arts, Lyon, France ‘6 graveurs’, L’Auberge des Arts, Givors, France 2005 ‘around seven’, Total Arts Gallery, Dubai, UAE 2003 ‘Objects of Interest’, Omni Gallery, Uniondale, New York, USA 2002 Faculty Exhibition, Suffolk County Community College, Selden, New York, USA 2001 ‘Subway Narratives’ (multimedia performance), Club Fun, New York, New York, USA 1997 ‘Installation Fest 97’ (with artist Michael Kozien), 4 Star Gallery, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA Juried Art History Mural (with artist Michael Kozien), Cuneo Museum, Vernon Hills, Illinois, USA
Salem Al Mansoori 1984
Born in Ras Al-Khaimah, UAE
2006 2010 2009 2008 2007 2003
Graduated with honors as a Computer Engineer, Summa Cum Laude Khalifa University, UAE Started pursing design as a freelance designer Started pursuing his MBA degree in the American University of Dubai, UAE Chosen as one of twelve Youth Fellow Alumni to participate in The Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID) Forum in Geneva, Switzerland Participated in the UN’s ITU World Youth Forum in Hong Kong as the Youth Fellow representing the UAE Attended basic painting course in the Emirates Fine Arts Society, Sharjah, UAE
Selected Group Exhibitions 2009 Collective exhibition, 28th Annual Exhibition-Emirates Fine Arts Society, Sharjah, UAE
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Sarah Lahti 1972
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
2000 1998 1994 1993
Master of Fine Arts, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA Bachelor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies, Minor in Japanese language, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA Certificate of Completion, Kansai Gaikokugo Daigaku, Osaka, Japan. One year study abroad exchange programme through Miami University
Solo Exhibition 2011 Solo Show, Silent Auction of Works for ANDA Charity, Jam Jar Art Gallery, Dubai, UAE Selected Group Exhibitions 2010 ‘Muqtanayati’, The Jam Jar Art Gallery, Dubai, UAE Land Art Generator Initiative, Traveling Exhibition, Eco-Friendly Art Exhibit, DUCTAC, Dubai, UAE DIFC Marble Walk, Dubai, UAE ‘Mega by FooDog’, DIFC, Virgin MegaStore, Dubai, UAE ‘MAXXI MACRO’, Group Video Show, Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Rome, Italy ‘FAKiE’, FN Designs with Shelter, Dubai, UAE ‘Video Appart’, Paris, France and Dubai, UAE ‘MinD’, DUCTAC, Dubai, UAE 2009 ‘New Era: The Middle East’ introduced at Tina B. Contemporary Art Festival, Prague, Czechoslovakia (traveled seven continents) ‘Emergence’, curated by Koan Jeff Baysa, Tenri Foundation, NYC, USA ‘That Fleeting Moment’, DUCTAC, Dubai, UAE ‘Young Associates’, Chelsea Art Museum, NYC, USA Miami University Art Museum, Bicentennial Group Show, Oxford, OH, USA 2008 ‘Spectacular’, Volume Foundation, Rome, Italy ‘How I Bought Myself A Diamond’, Dubai, UAE 2007 Meem Gallery Show, Dubai, UAE ‘It Is So If You Say So’, DUCTAC, Dubai, UAE 2006 ‘4 X 4’, DUCTAC, Dubai, UAE ’The Prickly Heat Show’, Semantics Gallery, Cincinnati, OH, USA 2005 ‘Invitation-only’, curated exhibition, Metamora, IN, USA ‘Seven’, The Courtyard Gallery, Dubai, UAE 2004 ‘Two-person show’, Overground Gallery, Abu Dhabi, UAE 6th Annual Women’s Art Festival, run by LePont Gallery, Aleppo, Syria ‘Heartfelt’ Invitation-only group show, Northern Kentucky University, Covington, KY, USA
MinD City’s Dialogue
Zeinab Al Hashemi 1986 2008
Born in Dubai, UAE BA Art and Design, specialized in Graphic Design, Zayed University, Dubai Campus, UAE
Solo Exhibition 2010 First Solo exhibition ‘Emirati Pop Culture’, Bastakiya- Art Connection, Dubai, UAE Selected Group Exhibitions 2010 Art Abu Dhabi, HSBC Culture Exchange sponsored my Artwork, UAE 3 Artworks chosen by Tashkeel to be shown in Shanghai Expo 2010, the UAE pavilion & Shanghai UN pavilion, Shanghai, China ‘Message Forward’ in BAF Bastakiya Art Fair, Dubai, UAE 2009 Venice Biennale, Italy 2007 ‘Discover’, Art & Design Senior Exhibition, Zayed University, Dubai, UAE
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Alia Lootah My paintings and photographs are self-portraits that are derived from digital photographs, the result of a series of transformations through drawing, the photocopier and digital manipulation. Through this process I have deconstructed the original photographic self-portrait, to produce dream-like surreal imagery; a landscape inviting the viewer toward the abstract spaces of the portrait. The portraits are blurred and distorted, suggesting ‘the unknown figure’, a sublime form between the portrait and the landscape, neither figurative nor abstract. The use of diverse media, materials and processes allows me to consistently focus on my methodology. The processes and procedures are realized as paintings and at times as photographs. I am concerned with the transformation of the subject matter of the work, from the original portrait to a conceptualized and contextualized end result. With emphasis on the transformational process, the act of painting becomes a cognitive activity, allowing me to develop a dedicated visual language. Through the layering of media and the manifestation of ideas, painting becomes the background of ambiguity and abstraction.
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Anonymous, 2010, photographs on paper, editions 1of 5, 30 x 40 cm
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Amna Al Madani As an individual I have a tendency to push boundaries, take risks and break away from the norm. I love trying new things and can easily get tired of routines and constant repetitions. These characteristics have guided me towards art and are the basis upon which I create my work. The diversity of human nature is my primary source of inspiration, whether it is on a physical or psychological level. Hence, my artwork tends to be portraitive. I have always been fascinated by the human body in terms of the structure of muscles and bones and how they allow us to flex into different positions and movements. These elements serve as the basis through which we function, as well as reflect our emotions and translate them into physical terms, whether it is as discrete as raising an eyebrow or as expressive as throwing a punch. Although I was never interested in science, anatomy is an evident feature throughout my work. Generally I perceive my art not only as a reflection of myself but also a documentation of the world around me. As a conceptual artist I tend to address humanitarian and social issues with the aim of encouraging tolerance and understanding.
Untitled, 2010, Ink and color pencils, 23.4 x 33.1 inches
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Barbara McGivern Barbara McGivern’s work is defined by a rich exoticism. Evident in the luxurious hues, opulent gold and evocative interpretation of the subject matter, Barbara is an artist who enjoys the formidable challenge of converting real images into abstract forms. She often imbues local landscapes, such as the Empty Quarter in Oman or the UAE desert, with a Canadian perspective, thereby allotting them an intimacy which is both moving and unexpected. The size of Barbara’s work is ambitious as is the detail which she incorporates into each canvas. The results are vivid, stimulating and often controversial – they are attention seeking, and invite discussion. They are designed to move spectators and embolden walls, and they spark a reaction wherever they are positioned. Highly influenced by postmodernism, her work relates to personal and cultural identity. Barbara’s different processes of expression are a way of conveying her ideas. Her artwork juxtaposes a background of Middle Eastern and Western influences in a contemporary outlook, and unites them with both internal and external identities, feelings and experiences.
Slip in to Paris, 2010, mixed media, 122 x 122cm
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Love in America, 2010, mixed media, 122 x 122cm
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Basem Alsayer Basem Alsayer collects objects that would normally be thrown away and converts them into art. This practice is now much more widespread, and with the growing awareness of the urgent need to reduce, reuse and recycle, art from recycled goods has a more politicized nature. It is often used to campaign for the conservation of resources, that underpins the whole call for recycling. In his work Basem emphasizes recycling as the key component of modern waste reduction, to lessen the consumption of fresh raw materials and energy, and reduce air and water pollution.
Oil tank, 2011, recycled aluminium,120x 80 cm
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Carolin Kropff “.. It is true and it is not true. What does it lack? A mere nothing, but that nothing is everything …” Frenhofer in ‘The Unknown Masterpiece’ by Honore de Balzac, 1831 As personal and intimate as a signature, the artist’s ‘mark’ is a clear track of the artist’s presence and process. It conveys to us, in non-verbal and physical terms, a feeling of immediacy of the making of the art object. Presented digitally, Carolin proffers a charmingly obscure picture, the images twist and turn beyond our reach in the slippery idea of the present, they leave the viewer with many questions. We dissect and analyze, in search of the nitty-gritty below the surface. The shadowy backdrop illustrates a ‘full darkness’ rather than an empty void, a replicated space of the world for contemplation. It bears the ceaseless and inevitable relations between the multitude of entities in the world and the flow of time.
Untitled, 2011, digital print on paper, 29 x 18.68 cm
Untitled, 2011, digital print on paper, 43.5 x 29cm 28
Untitled, 2011, digital print on paper, 38.18 x 29cm 29
Hind Mezaina I first noticed abandoned shopping carts a few months ago when I started seeing them in places where they don’t belong. Found in parking lots, on the streets, outside homes, cafeterias and sometimes in the middle of a mall, these abandoned carts made me wonder about people’s behaviour and about consumerism. There is an emptiness and loneliness to these carts that I have related to the people who left them in the places that I found them. Are people so caught up with consumerism that when it’s time to make an effort to return a cart to its rightful place, they can’t be bothered? Is it laziness, disregard for people around them, a lack of courtesy? My photography is a combination of using low-fi analog cameras and a mission to document the world we live in. My tools include cameras like the LC-A, Diana+, Holga and Polaroids. The simplicity of these cameras gives me the freedom to concentrate and capture the subjects and emotions I want. I love experimenting with techniques like multipleexposure and cross processing because the results are always surprising - the mundane can have a new and fresh look. Being from Dubai and living here all my life, I have seen the city go through a lot of changes. This fast-evolving city is losing some of its old charm and I want to document the things that are often overlooked and capture these moments before they disappear.
The shopping cart series, 2010-2011, photography, 24 x 18 cm 30
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Huda Saeed Saif A rope is a heavy flexible cord of tightly intertwined hemp or fibre, usually one not less than an inch in circumference, made of strands twisted or braided together. There are different types of ropes, made using different materials including straw, bark, metal, or even nylon, according to the requirements and possibilities offered by its performance and function. A rope differs from cord, line and string only in its size. We humans are like these ropes, we are different races and colours, we have different ideas and principles, but we have a similar relationship to life, right and wrong. We have learned how to choose the bond that unites us with others, as well as when that bond should occur. We may be different, but we are tied economically without encroachment to our religions. We may be different economically, but religions bring us together. We are thus similar to the rope and its strings and threads. We affirm through art that ropes are life. Our relationship with each other, and with society, is everlasting.
The Rope, 2010, installation - mixed media, 50 x 50 cm
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Julia Townsend ‘Retail Therapy’ is about the illusory benefit of excessive material goods. Here in Dubai even if you avoid shopping, it is hard to avoid the mighty shopping cart. In my neighborhood, people roll them around, bringing home groceries and plastic objects, then abandoning the carts outside the apartment buildings. With time I’ve started to appreciate them: the sturdy form, the clean lines, the rounded corners, the proportion, the soothing rumble of the wheels. I prefer the authentic metal ones to the plastic ones. I hate the advertising panels that are sometimes attached to them.
Retail Therapy, 2011, installation - mixed media
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Khalid Al Banna Black and white represents a world of purity and transparency, through which I can see things for what they are. I strip the character and details of imagery to their basic formal elements. Black and white is full of contradictions variant grades, tonal values, depth and configuration, which reflects the eternal struggle between good and evil, despair and hope, sadness and happiness. For me, a black and white world filled with formations of formal elements, represents a formal richness from which I can re-assemble my world of representation. I deconstruct and portray the elements from another angle, to construct new meaning in my attempt to simulate the human condition. I derive the various combinations and formations of the elements in my art from human life characterized by contradiction. It is the aesthetics of contradiction which I sought to depict – as beauty, sophistication and creativity can be found in the deconstructed ugly.
Untitled, 2011, ink on paper and collage, 120 x 120 cm 36
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Khalid Mezaina With the evolution of both the city’s landscape and its society, we have come to adapt to living in a space that is vibrant and unique. I truly believe that with the merging of various cultures, traditions and modernity, we can create a city and a community that is tolerant, vibrant, and hopefully, better‌
Vibrant Future, 2010, Digital screen print, 60 x 85cm
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Maisoon Al Saleh Something might appear before us, within which other things disappear. That is exactly what happens when we are confronted by these installations. It appears materially and vividly in front of us, yet contains many things within it. It seems as if people were inside and left, leaving the profile of their bodies behind. It is the constant dialogue between life and death, between the revealed and the concealed, the near and far, the real and the imagined.. whatever the viewer decides, imagines or feels.
Shellah, 2011, installation - mixed media
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Majida Nasreddin The works presented in this exhibition are miniature artworks, presented together to compose a body of work. I developed the idea to create wearable miniature contemporary paintings as I wanted to be accompanied by my artwork wherever I go. My tools and sensibility are derived from the painting studio, not the jeweller’s bench; my craft honed at the easel. I realize that the materials and techniques I use are an unlikely choice for jewellery; however jewellery is the perfect medium for the intent and scale of my work. Miniatures are portable and personal; they’re private - you have to hold them in your hand and look closely to appreciate them, so I think of them as places for one’s own private symbolism. Mine is a truly wearable art.
Untitled, 2010-2011, acrylic and mixed media 42
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Maryam Al Qassimi The effects of mass production of this day and age can be seen everywhere, the evidence of its mechanical process resonating in products regardless of their purpose. As a result, this repetition has become an equation for sameness and endless predictability. “Neon� is a series of 100 hand-produced prints on plywood. Superimposing a handmade technique on a mechanical process causes a personification of an otherwise automatic production. The unpredictability of the results forces us to question what is lost, and appreciate the individuality caused by the nature of the production process.
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Neon, 2011, transfer on plywood, 100 x 100 cm
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Muna AbdulQader Alali In life, we face a number of events that force us to change our principles and views towards many things. We carry so many memories around with us, we sometimes wish we could wipe or alter them. Yet if we could re-create things, and keep the wheel in motion, our lives wouldn’t be the same, we would be living another life entirely! So do we really need to change these ideas - or remain content with keeping our destiny a mystery and just go with the flow?
Rewind, 2010, video
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Nasir Nasrallah What the word ‘art’ means to me is the experimentation with and the mixing of materials, be them physical materials or ideas and theorems. To me, a painting is the product of the components that an artist feels the need to use and ideas he carries within that can be received by the open-minded viewer. My work is also the concrete result of reaction to the ideas I carry in my being and those projected by the environment that encapsulates me, as well as the people, places, and concepts I come across. My obsession with transforming raw materials into an art piece is a strong drive for me. I am also driven by the need to experiment with new concepts and methodologies, and to utilize them where they can enrich my artwork. I believe that my work is differentiated by the variety of the components I use, from consumer items, to buttons, paper, wood, and even small pieces of hardware. I can go as far as to say that, noticeably, my art pieces are exclusively a form of intellectual recycling of industrial, consumerist components into a work of art that uniquely stands out from the norm.
Souq experiment #1, #2, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 100 x 100 cm
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Paolomaria This work is dedicated to the victims that have no voice anymore. It leads the viewer to decadent and ghostly images in which the breath of history wafts, that history that was intended to fix the limit of terror, that history that nobody wants to remember any more. Bathed in the water, these images talk about a crisis of confidence in the human journey. These are images with no eyes, no voice, with nothing else anymore: they are the faces of those who would never have wanted to be part of that history.
Sine Sono Vocis (voices with no sound), 2011, installation - mixed media 50
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Raymond Prucher The title is a word play on the act of throwing on the potter’s wheel, and throwing the unfired ceramic pots against the wall. It is also an allusion to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, in which the reciprocation for thrown stones is fired bullets. The clay vessels represent my students in Palestine, to whom I taught ceramics without a kiln. Their work was completed to the point before firing, but never fired, never made into usable vessels. The students would often carry their work home with them in order to finish it, and would be harassed by Israeli soldiers at checkpoints for what they were carrying. Their work would often be broken, since ceramics are fragile in their bone-dry state. The spices represent the essence of character, scent and flavor in Arab cuisine, the souk, and the spice trade that led the attentions of the West to the region. Pottery and spices. Shards and scents of the souk. Thrown, not fired, is an homage to my Palestinian students, brittle, yet resilient; who were not yet hardened by fire, but fired upon daily; who rose from the clay and dust endlessly to be counted Palestinian and to matter, to be educated, to be human, and to live as normal a life as they could manage.
Thrown, not fired, 2011, installation - performance, clay and spices
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Salem Al-Mansoori “Art is the imposing of a pattern on experience, and our aesthetic enjoyment is recognition of the pattern.� Alfred North Whitehead There are patterns apparent in the way we approach life. Patterns of speech classify us into different categorical identities, while patterns of behaviour are the substance of our lives. I argue that life is, in fact, a system of patterns that change us and change with us. This project is an aesthetic meditation on patterns, in particular, their ephemeral and organic nature. A pattern here is made of components, each with its own life span. The pattern is ever renewed through the birth of new components to replace old, dying ones. In the end, we see pattern systems emerge, live, perish, and give birth to other systems. My work is influenced by algorithmic thinking, design, and data visualization.
Pattern system, 2011, Video
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Sarah Lahti For this show, I have taken inspiration from the idea of a game level layout and presentation. This is a constructed, virtual, digital environment. It reminds me of an urban environment, on the most abstract level. All these difficult to navigate pathways, and stacked up cubes remind me of a city layout, a planned community development, as seen from above, like on Google Earth. There is something very beautiful to me about this maze of polygon cubes, about their regularity, about what makes the pattern regular, and, at the same time, very irregular. I have recently made a series of paintings that featured extremely regular Islamic patterns in the backgrounds, and this maze reminds me of those patterns. There is something predictable, yet unpredictable about this maze’s ninety-degree angles that I find fascinating. This same type of geometry is visible in the 3D models used to sell residential housing units, as well as create office cubicles. There is definitely something suggestive about these polygon cubes. I feel it is too easy to get stuck in the maze of one’s culture and surroundings. Sometimes I feel like we are all little ants going after some crumbs of food, in an orderly, organized fashion. I feel that there is a way to break out of The Matrix, if only we could find the way out. Let’s all break out of our office cubicles, and never look back!
Conscientious Objector, 2011, video & mixed media, 35 x 35 inches
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Zeinab Alhashemi In my work ‘Marked Down’ I used newspaper headlines as both the subject and the principle element of design. I used archives to search for newspapers dating from 1969 through to 1975 as it was during these five years that the United Arab Emirates was born. The headlines capture the great moment when it was announced that the dream had been realized and the Arab Emirates had finally united. Other headlines are also included that demonstrate how the language used in newspapers dating from this era was different and less formal than the language used in today’s publications. “Akhbar Dubai” was a weekly newspaper published by Dubai municipality which no longer exists, whereas, “Al Ittihad” newspaper from Abu Dhabi is one of the UAE’s oldest newspapers and is still in circulation today. It began by circulating weekly and is now published daily. At the time of the birth of the UAE, the font of most headlines was hand written and the beauty of calligraphy was an essential element of newspapers. ‘Marked down’ refers to the ink that was used to mark the major events of 1969-1975. With this art piece I salute the leaders and people behind the evolution of the UAE. My approach to art making is derived from the basic principles of the 1960s Pop Art movement. Pop Art challenged tradition by asserting that an artist’s use of the mass-produced visual commodities of popular culture is contiguous with the perspective of fine art. Pop Art used the increasing spread of corporate marketing through culture as inspiration to take commerce itself as the subject of artistic inspection, and its practitioners argued that this was every bit as artistically worthy. Pop art employs aspects of mass culture, such as advertising, comic books and mundane cultural objects. All these elements reflect our past and should be appreciated because they may have great cultural value in the future. *Special Thanks to Juma Almajid Center for helping in my search for newspaper archives. www.almajidcenter.org
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Marked down, 2011, Scanography, Print on Matt paper, 91 x 117cm
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Ebtisam Abdulaziz
www.Ebtisamabdulaziz.com Represented by: The Third Line Gallery
2007 2006 - 2007 2006 2005 2001 - 2011
‘Languages of the Desert’ Exhibition - Contemporary Arab Art from the Gulf States, Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation, UAE SHALOM- post-card Exhibition, CHRISTCHURCH Contemporary Art Space, Gosforth, Australia Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, Doha, Qatar Nafas Exhibition - Contemporary Art from the Islamic World Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (IFA), Berlin, Stuttgart, Germany ‘Belief’, 1st Singapore Biennale Sharjah Biennale 7, Sharjah Art Museum, UAE ‘Languages of the Desert’ Exhibition- Contemporary Arab Art from the Gulf States, Kunst Museum, Bonn, Germany Emirates Fine Art Society Annual Exhibitions, Sharjah Art Museum, UAE Shanghai, China, Tashkeel, Dubai, UAE
Collections Biography
2010 2009 2007 2006 Since 2004 2004 - 2005 2002 - 2009 Since 1999 1999
Participated in Sharjah March Meeting - Art Talk, Maraya, Al Qassba, Sharjah, UAE Instructor in Painting during Arts summer activities of Dubai Youth Theater & Art Atelier, Tashkeel Art Studio, Dubai, UAE Participated in Emirate Expression Art Talk - ‘New Arts Exchanges: Artists finding a voice in an international art world’, Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, UAE Curator of the Fine Arts Annual exhibition - Arab Contemporary Art museum, Sharjah, UAE Member of Emirates photography competition jury, Abu Dhabi, UAE Assistant Curator of ‘Window Exhibition’ - 16 UAE Artists, Total Arts Gallery, Dubai, UAE Participated in a Criticism & Creativity Seminar with the Dep’t of Culture & Information Directorate of Arabic Art, UAE Extensive range of articles published in the UAE press Member of ‘Al Taskeel’ Editors Magazine- Fine Art Society Art Centre Manager- Sharjah Ladies’ Club, UAE Member of the Emirates Fine Art Society, Sharjah,UAE Bachelor’s Degree in Science & Mathematics, Al Ain University, UAE
- Germany - Deutsche Bank AG - Ministry of Culture & Youth, Abu Dhabi - Private Collections
Solo Exhibitions 2009 2007
Al Bastakiya Art Fair- House 89, The Third Line Gallery, Dubai, UAE Parallel to the Emirates Fine Art Society Annual Exhibition, Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah, UAE Arab Contemporary Art Museum, Sharjah, UAE
Group Exhibitions 2011 2010 2009 2008 60
‘Beladi’ group art exhibition, UAE Pavilion - Shanghai Expo, Shanghai, China, Tashkeel, Dubai, UAE ‘Sharjah –Art from the Emirates’ Group Exhibition at Denmark National Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark Abu Dhabi Art, ‘Paris’, Emirates Palace- The Third Line Gallery, Abu Dhabi, UAE Hong Kong International Art Fair, China Venice Biennale - UAE Pavilion & Abu Dhabi Platform, Venice, Italy ‘Across the Gulf’ A keynote exhibition of the Arc 09 Biennial of Art, Brisbane, Australia ‘No Such Place (2)’ - photographic exhibition, Roger Smith Hotel- New York, USA Bahrain Culture Festival, Al Rewaq Gallery, Bahrain Group Exhibition, Waqif Art Centre, Doha, Qatar ‘Dubai Next: face of 21st century culture’, an exhibition by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority in cooperation with the Vitra Design Museum, alongside the Basel Art Fair, Germany 1st International Roaming Biennale of Tehran, Iran Third ‘Pecha Kucha Nights Dubai’, The Third Line, Dubai, UAE Emirati Group exhibition, Zaragoza, Spain 61
MinD City’s Dialogue
An alternative art platform, featuring work by local artists using contemporary mediums and conceptual approaches to art making.
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