• IN CONVERSATION WITH LAILA SHAWA • ART AROUND THE WORLD • VENICE BIENNALE • POP ART NOW • • LOUIS VUITTON TRAVELS • ARAB MODERN ARCHITECTURE • SPECIAL SECTION CURATED BY FABRICE BOUSTEAU •
issue # 27 | AUTUMN 2014
ARTs / STYLE / CULTURE from the Arab world and beyond
THE DISCOVERY ISSUE
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R E A D Y TO W E A R FA L L W I N T E R 2 0 1 4 -2 0 1 5
Editor’s Letter
THE DISCOVERY ISSUE It saddens me to see
ice, we invited three of
the region around us
our contributing critics
turning to a darker
Hilary French, Maria
shade, so in this is-
Christina Didero, and
sue we’ve gone out
Merlin Fulcher to share
of our way to bring
their personal notes on
you a diverse palette
this year’s Architecture
of people and places
Biennale, and later on
from around the world,
Maria
including
writes her review of
artist
Laila
Shawa, originally from
Christina
also
Design Miami/Basel.
Gaza, who tells us her story; Maher Attar, D i-
Fabrice
rector of the Photo
Beaux Arts magazine
Library of the office of
editor and curator of
HH Sheikha Moza bint
the Indian Pavilion at
Nasser,
shares
Beirut Art Fair joins the
with us his experiences
issue with his inspira-
and photography from
tions
across Africa, Asia and
about art around the
South America to visit
globe. From Paris, Avril
underprivileged
chil-
Groom reveals the lat-
dren; and an illustrated
est helping of brilliance
reportage by Nick Rice
from Boucheron, and
who
and George Butler from the Lebanese-Syrian border.
Bousteau,
and
thoughts
from Monaco, George Oliveira, a Brazilian lead for the Monte-Carlo Ballet, shares his feelings about life as a
We’ve also hunted around the world to seek out a
dancer. It’s a whirlwind of art, creativity and design that
wealth of hidden cultural treasures: art in nature, art in
we hope brings some colour and light to your world.
hotels, restaurants, and even an airport. And for those
May you enjoy our multi-hued read for Autumn.
with wanderlust running through their veins, there’s a very special pair of Louis Vuitton destination guides illustrated by Italian comic book creator Lorenzo Mattotti about Vietnam and Japanese Manga artist Jiro Taniguchi about Venice. Continuing our love affair with Ven-
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contributors Avril Groom is a highly-respected fashion and luxury journalist who writes for the FT How To Spend It magazine among many other publications. Bringing her expertise from the world of watches and jewellery to this issue, she reports from Paris Haute Couture Week on Boucheron’s new collection, where she interviewed the house’s creative director at the Place Vendôme flagship store.
Sheyma Buali is an independent London-based writer and researcher. She is culture correspondent for Asharq Al Awsat, editorial correspondent for Ibraaz and a regular contributor to numerous other publications. Her writing has also appeared in edited volumes and exhibition catalogues covering topics ranging from historical archiving to cinema, political arts and Gulf urbanism. Previously, she worked for 10 years in TV, film and documentary production in Boston, Los Angeles and her native Bahrain.
Maria Cristina Didero is an independent design curator and journalist contributing to Domus, Vogue Casa, Flair, Loft, and Apartamento. She has been in charge of the Vitra Design Museum for Italy for more than 10 years and sits on the board of Veritas auction house in Lisbon, is a patron of Design Days Dubai, and curates Design Talks for Miart Milan. Last year she presented Philippe Malouin during the Milan Design Week, Thick As A Brick by kuehnmalvezzi at Gio Marconi Gallery, and The System Of Objects at DESTE Foundation. She has been Director of Fondazione Bisazza since 2011. Maria Cristina reviews Design Miami/Basel for us and shares her thoughts on six exhibits at the Venice Architecture Biennale.
Merlin Fulcher is a writer, photographer and architectural journalist based in Battersea, London whose work focuses on political interaction within changing built environments. He is competitions editor and international news writer on The Architects’ Journal and has contributed to The Architectural Review, New Civil Engineer, Construction News and London Evening Standard. He is also programme director at Platform One Gallery – a community art project within Wandsworth Common train station which hosts exhibitions on transport and architecture. Several of his poems, including a collection on regeneration in the British Midlands titled ‘Modern Air’ – have been published by the Different Skies experimental writing platform.
Hilary French studied architecture at the AA and history of architecture at the Bartlett. After many years in architecture and design practice, in Paris and London, she started teaching and spent several years as Head of the School of Architecture & Design at the Royal College of Art in London. She has published several books on housing design and the architecture of the everyday and is a regular contributor to architecture and design journals.
George Butler is an artist and illustrator specialising in travel and current affairs. His drawings, done in situ around the world, are in pen, ink and watercolour. His work has appeared in The Times, the Guardian, Der Spiegel, and NPR, and has been covered on the BBC World News, BBC World Service, CNN twice, Al Arabiya and Monocle Radio. He has won the V&A Illustration Awards and an International Media Award. This October he will have a solo show in London. Here we publish his drawings from refugee camps on the Syrian border.
Nick Rice has lived and worked in nine countries and brings his broad life experience to his writing. With more than 16 years’ experience as a journalist and editor, he has covered everything from A-list interviews to humanitarian crises. Always eager to hit the road, in this issue Nick travels to Lebanon with charity Doctors of The World to document the plight of Syrian refugees in the many camps along the Lebanese-Syrian border and in the Bekaa Valley.
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contents
56
16
16 In conversation with Laila Shawa
26
The life of a ballet dancer
28
Illustrating Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon
36 A photographer’s journey with Maher Attar
Editorial Masthead Editor-in-Chief Rima Nasser Editor Kasia Maciejowska Designer Genia Kodash
42
The anatomy of a speaker
Pictures Editor Rowina Bou Harb
44
Timeless jewels: rings through history
In-house writer John Ovans
46
The Luxury Edit
48 Boucheron’s new Biennale collection 52
This year’s Serpentine Pavilion by Smiljan Radic
56 Pop Art reconsidered in Madrid 64 An interview with Fabrice Bousteau
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In-house illustrator Yasmina Nysten Contributing Writers India Stoughton Anya Stafford Nour Harb Lucy Knight Dan Hilton Roman Sit. clair Alberto Mucci Editorial enquiries info@citynewsme.com +961 (0) 1 383 978
East | Brand marks Dual Language Version:
Latin Version:
Customer Care +974 4436 1111 - www.51east.com.qa
contents
67 Special section curated by Fabrice Bousteau 67
67
84 A history of modern Arab architecture 91
Venice Architecture Biennale 2014
104
Louis Vuitton goes travelling
Sales & Distribution Commercial Partner, Qatar Joseph Tayyer jtayyar@bespoke-collections.com qatar@citynewsme.com +974 5589 5982
110 What’s new in Miami 114
Design Miami Basel in review
Advertising enquiries UAE sales@citynewsme.com
122 Brazil’s fantasy art park Inhotim 129
Distribution UAE Messagerie de Moyen Orient
Volcano Extravaganza: art fest on Stromboli
134 hotel art collections
142 Public art Hamad International Airport
Distribution Qatar Bespoke Collections info@bespoke-collections.com Printing Chamas for Printing & Publishing s.a.l. info@chamaspress.com
146 Fine dining with fine art 154 A peek into the diary of Nicholas Chrisostomou
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IN CONVERSATION WITH LAILA SHAWA
Gaza-born artist and London resident since 1988, Laila Shawa has become known for her directly political works spun with humour and delivered in disarmingly vivid colours. The power of her mixed media canvases, photographic screen prints and bricolage sculptures comes from their killer combination of strong critical convictions communicated through deceptively sweet eye-candy. Shawa can be called Palestine’s first pop artist. She is a descendant of one of the oldest Palestinian landowning families and daughter of former-mayor of Gaza, Rashad al-Shawa. Today, her work tragically reaches new levels of resonance amid the atrocities committed by Israel in 2014. In 2009 she produced a series in direct response to the killing of children in Israel’s three-week airstrike called Cast Lead, entitled the same, while her 2012 series The Other Side of Paradise was based on female Palestinian suicide bombers. Exhibited around the globe, her work is held in collections including the National Galleries of Jordan and Malaysia, the National Museum for Women in the Arts, Washington D.C., the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, and the British Museum. Here Bahraini writer in London Sheyma Buali visits her at home for Selections.
16
Laila Shawa by Inzajeano Latif
Meeting at her West London apartment, I find that Laila Shawa’s salon resembles her pictures: brightly coloured objects and art books fill up an elegant room. In the centre, her television is tuned to AlJazeera as it narrates the ongoing assault on Gaza at high volume. Here in her home we spoke about her experience, her artistic testimony, and the dualistically crippling and positive influence that politics has had on her life and career. Sheyma Buali: You have moved between Gaza, Cairo, Beirut, Rome, London and so on. Yet you are always being considered a Palestinian artist. How do you take that?
“Being Palestinian is also different from simply emigrating because you have lost your home to someone else”
Laila Shawa: Well I hope I am a well-rounded person, having taken things from all of these places. My sister is now in Gaza, my son is in Vermont, and I’m here. I cannot claim to be just one thing; I can’t say I am ‘a Palestinian’. I have lived more in other places than in my own country. I was born in Gaza and my notion of Palestine is based on a reality that I myself have lived. But I know people who are born to parents who left and relate strongly to Palestine; that’s different from me. Being Palestinian is also different from simply emigrating because you have lost your home to someone else. Sometimes I think, ‘why the hell am I bothered?’ But I can’t ignore it, I am from Fashionista terrorista 150x200cm, 2010
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there and we have too many connecting tentacles.
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SB: As someone whose work consistently touches on the social and the political, you have noted in the past the difficulty of using art to address politics. Is that something that is getting easier for you? LS: Sometimes it is, but I have the fear that one’s work can start getting pedantic and too simplistic. That worries me. You can get trapped and therefore your standards sort of go down. I don’t think art has to express anything really, but it just so happens that at a certain point in your growth you can’t avoid the situation you are living in so it affects the work you do. SB: How did you begin to become an artist? LS: I saw a painting at school when I was seven that
Target wall of Gaza 1, 1992, Silk Screen on canvas, 100 x 150 cm, Edition of 3, Jordan national gallery, Shoman Foundation and private collection.
mesmerized me. I later found out it was Van Gogh’s Chair. It did something to me. Then when I was fourteen, I saw a film about Goya that really affected me. I drew well, but that was the extent of it. Eventually I went to university in Cairo. I was studying Political Science and I hated it. One day I was having lunch
40 Degrees Celcius Walls of Gaza 1, 1992, Silk Screen on Canvas, 100 x 150 cm, Edition of 3, Jordan national gallery, Shoman Foundation and private collection.
with my father and a friend of his, an Italian architect based in Egypt. My father asked me how I liked
nology and so much. We can use techniques used
school, and I told him. My father’s friend turned to
500 years ago but it is important to also go with to-
me and said, ‘But you draw so well why don’t you
day’s world and use it. You can’t get stuck.
study art? I teach at the Leonardo Da Vinci College in Cairo, I can get you in.’ My father agreed, so I went. A
SB: You have a lot of dichotomies in your work. You
year later I got a scholarship to the Academy of Fine
use humour to address serious ideas, today this has
Art in Rome. I did summer courses in Austria with the
merged towards a Pop style. You also have the guns
painter Oskar Kokoschka. And now here we are.
you made for Peace One Day, which one can say merge violence and beauty. How have these dichot-
SB: By now you have also gone into digital and
omies helped in communicating your ideas?
video art as well as sculptures using found objects.
LS: Yes, the Pop style is also meant to be humorous,
How did your style shift from one media to the next?
using a more graphic element. But the guns have had a
LS: I believe that you have to shift with the times. I
very weird dichotomy for me, as an artist. I recently had
don’t think I have done as much as I should have.
around five pieces at the Beirut Exhibition Center for an
My personal life has limited me from doing various
exhibition called Bridge to Palestine. This includes one
things. But I don’t believe we should be restricted
of the guns though the guns have nothing to do with
to one method of expressing ourselves. Picasso’s
Palestine and it gives a completely wrong message.
work, for instance, there wasn’t anything he didn’t
Peace One Day is an anti-arms industry organization,
use. We live in the 21st century, surrounded by tech-
the guns are an anti-gun statement. We were given
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“We were given real Kalashnikovs. They are the most common guns in the world and you find people carrying them wherever there is conflict�
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“I had the idea to cover them in butterflies when I read that in mythology butterflies represent the souls of the dead. This piece has nothing to do with Palestine�
top: Where Souls Dwell V, 35 x 87 x 14cm, 2013, Steel, wood, Swarovski crystals, rhinestones and feathers. Photo Jonathan Greet
above: Where Souls Dwell IV, 2013, Steel, wood, Swarovski crystals, rhinestones and feathers. Photo Jonathan Greet
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Caravan Serai (from the series Desert Cities), 120x120cm, printing inks, oils, gold and silver leaf on canvas, 1972/3. Collection: HE Khalil Al Khalil, Beirut, Lebanon
Trapped III, 2011, photography and mixed media on canvas, 100 x 110cm
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Laila Shawa, 2012. By Malcolm Crowthers
real Kalashnikovs. They are the most common guns
SB: What would you say to the current generation
in the world, they are produced very cheaply. You find
of documentary political artists?
people carrying them wherever there is conflict. I had
LS: They have to be very accurate in relaying, re-
the idea to cover them in butterflies when I read that in
counting and representing history. You have to know
mythology butterflies represent the souls of the dead.
what you are doing and not just give haphazard facts.
And usually the souls return to the location where they
But then again all experiences are different, and any-
were killed. In this instance it is the gun. It ended up
one’s interpretation is acceptable.
being a beautiful piece, at the exhibition it became the centerpiece of the show but it does not represent what
SB: What do you have coming up next?
I think of what is happening in Palestine. Many people
LS: I have an exhibition coming up in February in
misunderstood it. One collector asked me how I, as a
Kuwait, at Contemporary Art Platform. We’ve been
Palestinian, could take a symbol of resistance and turn
talking about it for a few months. But now the situ-
it into this. He called me a defeatist, but this piece has
ation that has been going on all over the place has
nothing to do with Palestine. This is my fear, when con-
changed things. This upheaval affects productiv-
text is being created for an exhibition, it is the worst
ity and it affects me in a big way. Not always in a
thing to be taken out of context and have your piece
positive way. I tend to freeze and absorb things,
give the wrong message.
and then something happens, something comes up. The problem actually is that one is expected to produce a certain type of work and that limits your imagination and your head. It shouldn’t but it does happen sometimes.
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THE LIFE OF A BALLET DANCER by John Ovans
George Oliveira, the Brazilian dancer with the Monte-Carlo Ballet, explains that life at the barre is high-stress, high-reward
Talking with George Oliveira, it strikes me that ballet
“I think we are very lucky to do what we love to,” he
is something of a paradox: the grace, elegance, and
professes. “To have the opportunity to have a real
weightlessness is a conceit achieved by months of
career as a dancer is beautiful.” Since joining the
brutal training and years of excruciating pain. “In the
Monte-Carlo Ballet in 2004, Oliveira has danced in
profession you know you will have to deal with a lot
traditionalist productions such as Romeo and Juliet,
of pain,” the Brazilian dancer admits. “And sometimes
and Cinderella (a Prince’s Friend), but explains that
you wake up, and you just feel like… crap.”
he enjoys working with young, progressive choreographers, as much as he does the inspirational direc-
Bruised, battered and with thighs that could crush your
tor, Jean-Christophe Maillot.
head, ballet dancers, infamously, know how to take it on the chin. Oliveira’s own path to his current career
The physicality of ballet is matched, apparently, by its
with the Monte-Carlo Ballet began at the age of seven
regularity: Oliveira trains six days a week, and on his
in Brazil, where after taking an interest in gymnas-
day off, he heads to one place: the beach, where sou-
tics, his mother suggested he might like ballet. Now,
bresauts can be replaced with a sun lounger, if only for
he travels all over the world performing everywhere
a day. One gets the impression that Oliveira could only
from Tokyo, China and Colombia, to Dubai, Istanbul
rest up for so long though, and he counts himself lucky
and Spain. “It’s hardcore,” he says. “You live just for the
to thrive in an intensely pressurized environment, un-
company. It’s really hard to have a real life when you
like many of his friends who gave up ballet. As with
travel that much.”
any job, it’s about the trade-off: “You’re doing what you love to do,” he says simply. “It’s a sacrifice, but at the
‘Stress’ is a word that Oliveira continually returns to
same time, it’s not”.
throughout our conversation. When I make the quintessential lowbrow ballet reference to psychological thriller Black Swan, he says that it’s not so far off reality – apart from that whole wings-sprouting bit – so you’d be forgiven for wondering why he does it to himself. That is, until, he starts talking about the actual dancing, when his face cracks into a dreamy smile.
26
“To have the opportunity to have a real career as a dancer is beautiful”
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BETWEEN TWO LAKES OF FIRE by Nick Rice
More than 25 per cent of Lebanon’s population are Syrians who have fled the civil war. The initial wave of refugees found rented accommodation and many Lebanese families took people in, but as numbers soared sprawling camps emerged. Now more than a million Syrian refugees struggle for subsistence while the country buckles. Hosted by humanitarian health organisation Doctors of the World, journalist Nick Rice travels with reportage illustrator George Butler to meet refugees in the camps of the Bekaa Valley, a region with divided allegiances.
Ahmed Muhammad decided to leave his home in Syria
of his family were fortunate to escape to Lebanon and
when a bomb exploded on his land, killing two cows
now live on scrubland in a low-framed tent made of
and narrowly missing his mother and children. “I can
empty burlap sacks.
never forget this day – 2nd May 2013 – it was a Thursday, it was the day my whole life changed,” said Muham-
Barrel-chested and surprisingly quick to smile, Mu-
mad, 52, a former apricot farmer from Josiyeh, Syria.
hammad gazed at the beige mountain range just a couple of kilometres away. He explained that his old
“I was cultivating what was left of the apricots and a
life was just over the other side from where we sat in
bomb fell right behind me” Muhammad’s elderly moth-
El Qaa, minutes from the Syrian border. But the large
er interjected, “I didn’t know what was happening, I
farmhouse, 35 cows, fruit orchard, Fiat tractor and
only saw dust and then my first thought was about the
Mazda truck that he proudly shows on his phone, are
children. I saw one of my granddaughters ahead of
all gone.
me… she was traumatised but not hurt. I yelled at her ‘Where are your sisters?’ Then another bomb landed and the cows died.” Muhammad and the six members
28
“I was cultivating what was left of the apricots and a bomb fell right behind me. Then another bomb fell and the cows died�
Old Lady, George Butler
29
Despite the wretched ordeal facing the refugees each waking day, we were welcomed with dignity and warmth
Clinic 1, George Butler
30
Not all of Muhammad’s family are with him in Leba-
and social tensions are high. In a country with high un-
non. His only son, 23, is a member of the Syrian Army.
employment and a long history of instability, the refu-
Bashar al-Assad’s forces have decimated Josiyeh and
gee crisis is an added strain.
scores of other cities with barrels full of TNT and metal shards. Responding to the notion that his own son
The initial wave of refugees found rented accommo-
could have been part of the indiscriminate offensive
dation and many Lebanese families took people in,
that forced his family to flee, a pall of despair is cast
but as numbers soared sprawling camps emerged
over Muhammad’s face. “My son – and the sons of
around the Bekaa Valley. Many refugees now com-
others – are the ones who made us leave. They have
plain of discrimination and a desperate situation of no
to do this soldier thing… we can’t do anything about it.
work, no funds, and little hope. In turn, Lebanese com-
I’m angry and unhappy but what can I do?”
munities feel swamped and with the sense of unease, the potential for violence lurks.
As he heaves out the words the light in his eyes visibly dulls. “My son believes in what he is doing and he
Take into account Syria occupied Lebanon for 29
doesn’t feel guilty or bad that he might hurt his family.
years, only fully withdrawing on April 30, 2005, follow-
When I asked him ‘What if you hit us?’ he replied, ‘You,
ing allegations of Syrian involvement in the assassi-
“I am between two lakes of fire: I don’t want to lose my son but he is against us”
the people living in the region, are responsible for the
nation of Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri,
spread of the rebels… so you have to take the conse-
and it’s not hard to appreciate why some Lebanese
quences. You are guilty for the rebels invading. I am
struggle with magnanimity. But refugees are unargu-
the one saving the country.’ He paused and looked
ably blameless – they have fled for their lives, but the
at us with incredulity, then added, “I am between two
social fabric is fraying.
lakes of fire: I don’t want to lose my son but he is against us.”
The Bekaa Valley region has been severely destabilised and many towns are suffering frequent casualties
The myriad complexities of this war are found in these
over conflicting Syrian allegiances. The towns of Arsal
survivors’ stories. Muhammad’s family are a drop in a
and Labweh are a case in point. Arsal is a small Sunni
deluge of refugees that have escaped the murderous
town known to be staunchly anti-Assad, with rebel fight-
civil war in Syria, now into its fourth year. The UN has
ers occupying the surrounding hills. Nearby Labweh is
registered more than a million refugees in Lebanon
a predominantly Shi’ite town and a Hezbollah strong-
and Syrians now account for more than a quarter of
hold. In protest to the material and military support giv-
the population. The influx is putting the host nation’s
en to Assad’s regime by Hezbollah, rebel factions have
infrastructure and resources under immense pressure
launched rockets and suicide attacks against Labweh.
31
There must be hope that the complex tapestry of events yet to play out will not be as blood-soaked as prophecy and circumstance portends
32
Mobile Clinic, George Butler
By contrast, informal Hezbollah checkpoints in Labweh have deliberately prevented sick or wounded patients from leaving Arsal to seek medical attention in other areas. Reports state that armed men, sometimes with Hezbollah armbands, delayed ambulances and in some cases subjected the patients inside to beatings. For a town with limited medical facilities that hosts tens of thousands of Syrian refugees, such incidents are intensely unnerving. hosted by the international humanitarian health organIn an attempt to regain some control throughout the
isation Doctors of the World (MĂŠdecins du Monde).
Bekaa Valley the Lebanese government launched a
Located in Lebanon since May 2012, Doctors of the
military security plan in the region on 1st April this year.
World work with local partner organisations to provide
Amidst all the increased armaments and volatility, hun-
comprehensive healthcare services to Syrian refu-
dreds of thousands of families are fighting just to get by.
gees and vulnerable Lebanese.
I spent eight days visiting refugee camps and settle-
All the individuals and families we met complained of
ments with the renowned reportage illustrator George
similar problems: a desperate need for food, clean
Butler. His emotive paintings offer an alternative to the
water and basic hygiene. Access to medical treatment
shocking images captured by photographers; a dif-
was also a huge issue, as was the desire to improve
ferent window onto this epic catastrophe. We were
their situation by any possible increment. The harsh
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Box of Belongings, George Butler
34
winter caused a blight of respiratory infections and as
Despite the wretched ordeal facing the refugees
the season changes a surge in gastrointestinal prob-
each waking day, we were welcomed with dignity and
lems are expected alongside reproductive health is-
warmth wherever we went. Everyone shared heart-
sues and hygiene concerns.
breaking stories and a profound yearning to return to Syria. But who can say when that might be possible
As we toured the countryside around El Qaa we were
and is 10 years a realistic timeframe?
greeted by an elderly woman sitting outside a homemade tent. Muharra Bazar had been living on the edge
Reality in today’s Syria comprises a remorseless and
of a small field with her adult son and two daughters
obdurate dictatorship, a tangled web of combatants
since February 2012. She left the family home in Al-
driven by religious sectarianism, pro-democracy prin-
Qusayr, Syria, “when the bullets were falling like rain”.
ciples or even the fulfilment of 7th Century apocalyptic
The day a bullet passed right in front of her daughters
prophecy, and a grieving population of everyday civil-
nose was when the family
ians struggling to survive.
packed up and embarked on the dangerous journey over the mountains and into El Qaa, Lebanon. They now work in the small field to cover rent and the landowner provides food and mattresses. Bazar explained how she couldn’t
“It’s alright to live like this for two years, but we want to feel some progress. Each day we wake up and hope that in 10 years we’ll be able to go back. This is the hope that sustains us”
Nobody can predict how long this war will go on but sustained international humanitarian aid is vital. There must be hope that the complex tapestry of events yet to play out will not be as bloodsoaked as prophecy and circumstance portends.
walk and needed medication she could only get in Syria. Doctors of the World were able to start proceedings to secure her the correct equivalent medicine and look into the provision of a wheelchair. Her son lingered close by as we talked, he was friendly but seemed distinctly forlorn. His mother explained he had been engaged when they arrived in Lebanon but they had nowhere to stay and his fiancé left him to marry someone who had a tent. Gesturing around their basic campsite Mrs Bazar said, “It’s alright to live like this for two years, but we want to feel some progress. Each day we wake up and hope that in 10 years we’ll be able to go back.
Clock 1, George Butler
This is the hope that sustains us.”
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Challenges and Reality by John Ovans
A new book of photography by Maher Attar highlights the struggle for education across four continents
37
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“My style of photography, they call me a spy. But what I like to do is more [to do with] testimony. I like to be a witness, not as a photographer. I let people forget me, and this is how I catch the image”
Here are some facts about global education: approxi-
“In each country you have thousands of stories and
mately 57 million children at primary school-level are
mentalities,” Attar says, attesting to the scale of the
currently not being formally educated. Around 54%
problems and obstacles being faced, whether in the
of these children are girls, and 24 million have a dis-
cactus forests of Haiti, the slums of India or refugee
ability. Such enormous, distressing statistics are diffi-
camps in Lebanon. With this in mind came the name of
cult to grasp, but a new series of photographs by the
the exhibition and forthcoming book, Challenges and
renowned photo-reporter Maher Attar, documenting
Reality. The images themselves are inevitably arrest-
education across four continents, ascribes faces to
ing, with the ‘Challenges’ delineated sometimes quite
the figures.
literally by subjects such as a young Indian girl with no arms, writing with her feet - an individual who Attar was
Attar is currently the Director of the Photo Library in the
particularly moved by - or children in Kenya who trav-
office of HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser in Qatar, the
elled more than 30 kilometres to school. The ‘Reality’,
founder and driving force behind Educate A Child, the
depressingly, is that nothing appears to be shifting,
global initiative supporting more than 25 educational
although the work of the EAC hopes to change that.
projects across Africa, Asia, South America and the Middle East. EAC is aiming to reduce the number of children not in school by 2015, seeking to provide them with a fundamental right: the opportunity to learn. The work of the foundation resonated deeply with Attar, and he subsequently spent four months travelling across India, Bangladesh, Kenya, Haiti, Brazil, Ivory Coast, Sudan and Lebanon to capture on film the plight of children in poverty-stricken, and often very remote, regions.
opposite page top: CÓTE D’IVOIRE - DUÉKOUÉ CAMPAGNE 116 students are squeezed into the classroom in Duékoué village, 460km from Abdjan.
opposite page bottom: Kenya – Tana River County The school day comes to a close in the late afternoon. Using plastic bags as satchels, the pupils of the Hululu school, some of them barefoot, make their way home. Every day they walk for miles for the right to learn.
39
In parallel with the concrete objectives of the EAC – enabling millions to complete a full course of primary education through cost-effective and sustainable solutions – Attar is able to offer the direct and powerful support of visual impact to raise awareness, citing the work of Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado, most famous for his social documentary photographs in Third World nations, as particular inspiration. He says himself that conclusions are difficult to draw about how to tackle an issue so entrenched in crippling poverty, but believes that in such countries where education is being denied, “the important thing is to educate more people who believe in such a process.” As a former war photographer, Attar was well-positioned to deal with an issue as emotionally galling as this one. “When I work with a Leica camera, it’s a very silent camera – you
“I feel that we should all participate in problems like this somehow And my participation is to show in a book, to the world, the needs of these children”
don’t hear it,” he says. “My style of photography, they call me a spy. But what I like to do is more [to do with] testimony. I like to be a witness, not as a photographer. I let people forget me, and this is how I catch the image.” Emotional disengagement is something strongly associated with successful reportage, but Attar feels strongly aware of his ability both as a photoreporter and individual, to effect change. “I feel that we should all participate in problems like this somehow,” he says. “And my participation is to show in a book, to the world, the needs of these children.”
The book, ‘Challenges and Reality’, published by Art & Privilège Editions, will be out in September 2015, the same month the ECA hopes to hit its opposite page: Kenya – Kajiado County A classroom at the Onirie School run by the Masaï tribe.
40
target of 10 million more children back in primary school education. The book will be followed by an international photo exhibition.
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ANATOMY OF A SPEAKER Cult Danish home tech brand Bang & Olufsen shares the original sketches for its signature column speaker with Selections. The Beolab 18, designed in 2013, takes its heritage from the studio’s ground-breaking 1992 design the Beolab 6000, created for the brand by David Lewis, and now held in the permanent collection at the MoMA New York.
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RINGS THROUGH TIME by Nour Harb
The Cycles of Life exhibition celebrates the symbolism and ceremony of rings throughout history. The Benjamin Zucker Family Collection is presenting for sale 40 beautiful pieces of great beauty and craftsmanship at Enluminures New York this Autumn. Zucker bought his first ring in 1969; only four decades later his collection was described by jewellery historian Diana Scarisbrick as, “unrivalled anywhere, even by De Beers.” Finger rings are the only type of jewellery that has been worn continuously throughout the ages and by all civilisations. Organised thematically, the exhibition includes Signet rings ranging from the 3rd-17th centuries; Ancient Roman friendship and engagement rings; medieval Posy rings; Renaissance and Baroque wedding rings; Jewish marriage rings from the 17th19th centuries, and memorial and Death’s Head memento mori rings from the same period. The show details how, like fine art, these rings illuminate the culture of their time. According to Zucker, “if you follow the rings, they act like compasses leading you to lots of intellectual discoveries.” Here we look at a handful of highlights from this stunning collection.
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1. De Clerq diamond ring from the 3rd or 4thcentury Roman Empire
2. Jewish wedding ring with miniature building from 19thcentury Central or Western Europe
3. Medieval sapphire gold ring from 14th-century Italy
4. Memento Mori ring with enamel and diamonds from 17th or 18th-century England
5. Perpetual calendar ring from c.1830 England
6. Rothschild diamond, ruby and enamel gimmel ring from 16th or 17th-century Germany
7. Gold ring with two snakes from the 3rdcentury Roman Empire
8. Ring with cabochon garnets and jade from the 3rd or 4th-century Roman Empire
9. Gold signet ring with merchant’s mark and German initials from the 16th century
10. Ruby and enameled gold ring from c.1650
11. Gold ring with hand holding a heart signed Castellani from Italy c.1860-1870
12. Mourning ring of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas from England 1815
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THE LUXURY EDIT Selections goes shopping...
Ankle boot by Chanel, Pre-fall 2014
Annie Liebovitz, art book of portrait photography with four available covers featuring Whoopi Goldberg, Patti Smith, David Byrne, Kieth Haring; shown here on custommade tripod display stand designed by Marc Newson. Published by Taschen
Marrakech Intense, the new fragrance by Aesop
Cheval d’Orient watch by Hermès
Ultra-light aluminium gentleman’s bicycle with inbuilt solar-powered lights by Vanmoof
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Dior viii ceramic and metallic blue strap, 33mm, front
Evening gloves by Dior, Autumn/Winter 2014
Monarch Fire handknotted silk rug by Alexander McQueen for The Rug Company
Dangerous Liaison handbag by Charlotte Olympia, Pre-fall 2014
Figurines by Paul Smith for LLadro
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REFLECTIONS OF THE ORIENT by Avril Groom
Boucheron brings its illustrious past into the light with its new Biennale collection as creative director Claire Choisne leads a new phase in the house’s work that merges its grand history of bejewelling the Russian Tsars and Indian Maharajahs with Oriental inspiration from Persia, China and Japan through her subtle eye for the present
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When Boucheron last year launched a piece made
links with Imperial Russia in the late nineteenth cen-
from rock crystal with diamonds floating magically in-
tury, setting up in Moscow in 1897, was heavily inspired
side it could not have known what an avalanche it was
by the Orientalisme movement at the turn of the twen-
starting. In this Biennale year, with so many jewellery
tieth century, was a favoured jeweller of the Mahara-
houses at the top of their game, rock crystal is a re-
jahs, who brought caskets of gems to Paris to be reset
curring and novel theme. Yet for Boucheron it comes,
in the 1920s, and in 1930 Louis Boucheron spent a
like so much of the house’s inspiration, direct from its
year assessing the royal treasures of Persia.
archives. Rock crystal was a favourite material in the Art Deco era, to give light-looking volume to larger
Such a heritage has led Choisne to create Rêves
pieces such as cuffs, and today’s technology allows it
d’Ailleurs (dreams of faraway places), a collec-
to be used in breathtaking ways.
tion in homage to five exotic lands but packed with
opposite page: Ispahan necklace, 2014, by Boucheron
above: Tiara in platinum set with diamonds, 1904, by Boucheron
No one knows this better than Claire Choisne, Bouch-
Boucheron symbols and including feats of the jewel-
eron’s talented creative director, presenting her
ler’s art in rock crystal, sapphires, diamonds and some
second Biennale collection. She worked with highly
prized coloured stones. It represents, she says, “a
respected creative jewellery Lorenz Bäumer, who
new phase of our work on Boucheron’s iconic motifs
launched Louis Vuitton’s high jewellery collection
and ethos. It reflects the soul of the maison - emotion-
clearly based on the brand’s DNA, and she knows
filled creations, gems beyond compare, and the bold
how to connect the new with a historic brand’s past.
creativity and workmanship that I believe characterise
And in Boucheron’s case, what a past. It already had
the house.” The unique pieces to be unveiled at the
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Indian Palace ring
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Tresor de Perse ring
Ispahan earrings
Nymphea bracelet
Grand Palais from 11th September, are indeed astonishing, none more so than Ricochet, a necklace inspired by the diminishing circles left by a skimmed pebble, on the calm water of a classic Japanese drawing. Skilfully curved plates of rock crystal are set and edged with diamonds, while the main necklace is set with peerless sapphires and one extraordinary cabochon pendant. Its companion necklace, Rivage, is equally amazing, modelled on the Vague (wave) tiara of 1910 that was inspired by Hokusai’s famous wave drawings - a wave of deep blue, round sapphires crowned with diamond spray - a total of 533 stones. Louis Boucheron became obsessed with the blue of Persian tiles during his 1930 visit, and Ispahan reflects this with superlative workmanship - a necklace of rock crystal faceted like diamonds, diamonds cut as baguettes, two enormous sapphire cabochons and
Louis Boucheron became obsessed with the blue of Persian tiles during his 1930 visit, and Ispahan reflects this with superlative workmanship
delicate chalcedonies - over 1000 hours of work in all. Equally wondrous is the Calligraphique necklace, inspired by the pear-shaped brushstrokes of Chinese calligraphy, and divided exactly between faceted, pear-shaped rock crystal and pavé diamonds (reflecting Boucheron’s classic serpent bohème motif), or the beautifully flattering Splendeur de Russie, based on an archive tiara, with two diamond sprays, totalling forty carats, gently caressing the head or neck, as it can sensibly be worn as a necklace too. And nothing shows Boucheron’s history better than the above: 8 shaped sweet box, decorated with Persian style enamels, with top made in pierced silver, 1884, by Boucheron
top: Brooch in rock crystal and grey gold set with an engraved jade and diamonds, 1934, by Boucheron
seventeenth century, 188.79 carat Colombian emerald, carved by the Indian Moghuls and now set in a restrained, tasselled, diamond necklace that complements its beauty. Inspiration indeed, and beautifully interpreted by Choisne’s talent.
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ALIEN ON THE LAWN by Sheyma Buali
Smiljan Radić’s Summer Pavilion for the Serpentine Galleries brings an organic-looking shell to London’s Hyde Park that appears simultaneously primitive and like something has landed from outer space
53
Chilean architect Smiljan Radić’s work has been re-
it being open.” And indeed, everyone who has com-
ferred to as ‘fragile constructions’ because of its use
mented on it has used similarly opposing adjectives to
of leftover material, and trees and rocks. His design
describe it. Sitting in the main, raised level of the do-
for the Serpentine Galleries’ 2014 summer pavilion
nut-shaped cocoon, one can look out of the openings
fits this description perfectly. The fragility of this struc-
carved into the walls to the freshly laid grass and huge
ture appears in the plastic, fibreglass, papier-mâché
flat boulders beneath the structure. Vertically placed
and timber, which are held up by structural steel. “The
giant rocks also serve as the stands upon which the
‘fragile constructions’ use things and objects that can
cylinder is placed. On one hand, it feels and looks like
be found nearby: plastic, stone, tin, whatever else is
we’re sitting in an age-old, cracked egg. On the other
available,” Radić explains.
hand, like a round organic space ship has crash-landed on this earthy plain.
Julia Peyton-Jones, the Serpentine’s co-director, amusedly noted, “The pavilion has been described
In Radić’s pavilion, the interior of the walls is like a skin.
as an egg, a donut, and something that fell from the
Pieces of mâché fabric look like they are stitched to-
sky - and that has only been in the first three days of
gether. The grey timber floors are earthy while giving
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“The pavilion has been described as an egg, a donut, and something that fell from the sky - and that has only been in the first three days of it being open” - Julia Peyton-Jones, co-director of the Serpentine
it a futuristic tint. These floorboards are a wonderful
As an annual program, the Serpentine’s summer pavil-
contrast to the 1930’s Alvo Aalto designed minimal,
ion has become more experimental in the architecture
petit light wood furniture scattered around.
it offers. “Each year it is getting stronger. It’s becoming an historical thing,” Radić explains, joking about the
The 2014 pavilion is a great follow up to Sou Fuji-
stress he bore while designing his contribution for the
moto’s digital cloud of last year. A structure made of
annual spotlight on the 541 sq-meter lawn. “It’s a really
white steel rods, it resembled a matrix jungle gym that
public and anticipated event: the choice of the archi-
evoked the digital memory systems so common in our
tect, the architecture itself and what it means to the
everyday life within the airiness of the park. Both 2013
park. We had about six months to do the entire thing
and 2014 have pushed how the Pavilions series’ chal-
so it’s a good thing we had a good team. It was all pos-
lenges space and time.
sible in the end.”
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Andy Warhol, Details of Renaissance Paintings (Sandro Botticelli, Birth of Venus, 1482), 1984, acrylic screen print, 121 x 182 cm. The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh. Courtesy The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
POW! POP ART RELOADED by Kasia Maciejowska
Since the rainbow-bright images of Pop Art emerged in the 1950s in Britain and the US, the genre has been equated with those two countries, representing their ultra-commercial take on neoliberal values, both criticising and participating in it. Today the cartoons of Roy Lichtenstein and screen prints of Andy Warhol have surpassed themselves as icons disappearing into the ubiquitous mainstream. As art after the millenium moves away from the mediums and messages of the 20th-century moderns, is 2014 the time to reconsider what they were on about? Madrid’s Museo Thyssen believes it is, as curator of the institution’s recent exhibition Pop Art Myths Paloma Alarcó explains.
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A quarter of a century has passed since an exhibi-
team behind Pop Art Myths wanted to take it back
tion had been devoted to Pop Art in Madrid, so the
to its pure form and consider it in its historic con-
curatorial team at Museo Thyssen felt it was high
text, debunking popular misconceptions. As well
time to revisit the much-loved movement. As recent
as classic works by star artists from America and
exhibitions had focused on how works by seminal
Britain, the show made a point of exhibiting art by
artists from the 1950s and 1960s have come to in-
their Spanish, Italian, German and French contem-
fluence contemporary art, Paloma Alarc贸, Head of
poraries who shared a similar attitude.
Modern Painting at the museum, and the curatorial
Allen Jones, Kleenex Box, 1975, oil on canvas, 91 x 91 cm, British Council Collection
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opposite page: Ed Ruscha, Ionic, 1996, acrylic on canvas. 137 x 102 cm. Private collection
right: Ray Johnson, James Dean (Lucky Strike), 1957, Collage with card. 26 x 19 cm Legado Ray Johnson. Courtesy Richard L. Feigen & Co
At the mention of Pop Art one’s head is filled with Warholian imagery – soup cans in grids, neon Mariliyns and that persistent white hair-do that give Andy Warhol’s self-portraits their instant recognition. There are also Roy Lichtenstein’s dotted cartoons and the disjointed collages of Robert Rauschenberg and Richard Hamilton. All these image-styles wield a doubleedged sword. Although nostalgic and ultra-accessible
For Alarcó, this is down to the paradox at the heart of
because they contain familiar imagery from popular
Pop Art that was also the key to its allure. As she puts
culture (brand names, celebrities, comic-books, news
it, “While it is self-evident that Pop Art was a move-
photography), they also undermine those same icons
ment that transformed our gaze and paved the way to
that they re-present. By changing the way they were
postmodernism, at the same time it also manifested a
shown – in different colours or jumbled up sequences,
clear orientation towards the past.” She explains that
they undermine the credibility of that icon, because
Pop Art’s eagerness to connect with tradition came
they rupture the existing image-language of the system
through in its re-evaluation of artistic styles and genres
that gave them power and fame. By applying very ob-
like portraiture, landscape, history painting, still life,
vious techniques to these icons, they present image-
and made them relevant again. According to Alarcó,
making itself as a technique and a business employed
this re-integrates these artistic traditions into the con-
by brands, media and politics, and reveal it as lack-
temporary urban landscape, “paying homage to them
ing depth. This removes the sense of authentic value
or subjecting them to irreverent parodies.” This is per-
placed in the subject being shown – whether Marylin
haps foregrounded most clearly in The Living Room,
Monroe or Campbell’s soup brand – and replaces it
an adaptation by Equipo Crónica of Velázquez’s clas-
with feelings of instant impact, play and novelty.
sic painting Las Meninas.
59
below: Richard Hamilton, Release, 1972, collage screen print. 70 x 95 cm. IVAM, Institut Valencià d’Art Modern, Generalitat, Valencia
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opposite page: Joe Tilson, Pool Mantra, 1975, Mixed media on wood. 155 x 158 cm. Private collection. Courtesy Fondazione Marconi, Milan
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Andy Warhol, À La Recherche du Shoe Perdu, 1955, photolithography and watercolour on paper, cover folder. 50 x 66 cm. Mugrabi Collection
“With its incessant exchange between art and every sort of object from visual and popular culture, Pop Art abolished the separation between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture, opening up a new debate over the relationship between the aesthetic and the anti-aesthetic which remains in certain aspects of contemporary art today”
Despite being sited in Pop Art’s mid-century roots,
and every sort of object from visual and popular
the show did pay homage to the way the move-
culture, Pop Art abolished the separation between
ment’s ironic and innovative codes for re-framing
‘high’ and ‘low’ culture, opening up a new debate
how reality is perceived remain one of contempo-
over the relationship between the aesthetic and the
rary art’s persistent tropes. Alarcó expands on this,
anti-aesthetic which remains in certain aspects of
saying, “With its incessant exchange between art
contemporary art today.”
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Deputy Director of the Georges Pompidou Museum in Paris (France)
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The Heart of the Island exhibit at Art, Talks, Sensations at Abu Dhabi Art 2012. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: © Eftychia Kazouka
The Black Meanders exhibition at Art, Talks, Sensations at Abu Dhabi Art 2012. Photo: © Eftychia Kazouka
GLOBAL ATTITUDE by Kasia Maciejowska
Enamoured by India since his first visit in 1996, French curator Fabrice Bousteau spends many months there every year. Back home in Paris his expertise in Indian art and international perspective have been put to good use by the greats of French culture, from the Palais de Tokyo to the Centre Pompidou and Chanel, and in his role as editor-in-chief of Beaux Arts magazine. Having kindly contributed our curated pages for this issue, he talks us through his love for Indian mindsets and their influence on his world view as he prepares his pavilion for this year’s Beirut Art Fair.
Remembering that fateful first meeting with his par-
nectivity and multiple screens. “Our society all over
amour the Indian subcontinent, just before the mil-
the world is now the way it was already there.” When
lennium, Fabrice Bousteau recalls, “I was in love after
you consider that this critic and curator possesses
just one day.” Pushing past the usual vagaries on India
synaesthesic capabilities – synaesthesia is a neuro-
about colour, fragrance, and energy, he goes on to
logical phenomenon that translates one sensory per-
explain how local attitudes were
ception into a different sensory
what really did it for him: “The
perception at the same time, for
way you are obliged to think in
example converting music into
India just completely matched
colour – it is easy to imagine
with how I think all the time. In-
why the place made such an
dia obliges you to take a kind of
impact, one that would last for
cool-schizophrenic approach to
years and shape his career.
the world.” By this he means to juggle multiple moods, incom-
For his 2011 exhibition at Cen-
ing
incongruous
tre Pompidou, titled Paris-Del-
experiences all at once. “India
hi-Bombay: India Through the
is the country that stands out
Eyes of Indian and French Art-
to me in the world because of
ists, Bousteau brought Indian art
messages,
how the senses are overstimulated – the smells, the
to his homeland, although through a different lens to
visuals, the sounds – it obliges you to think of several
his exhibition for Beirut Art Fair 2014. Speaking at Le
things at the same time.”
Gray hotel, Beirut this summer, he draws a comparison between India and Lebanon, citing that both have a
Bousteau draws a parallel between the all-encom-
mix of religions, also finding similarities in recent art
passing multi-sensory stimulation of India and the
history as artists move away from painting and begin
demands of contemporary culture, with its hyper-con-
to embrace contemporary media.
65
A more pertinent observation, perhaps on the like-
about yourself.” In his view, art is part of daily life, just as
ness between the two countries, is the importance of
his pranayama practice is. As he says, “India is always
jugaad – the Indian attitude of constant creativity that
mixing the real and the spiritual.”
allows everyday people to make something good out of difficult situations. The term was invented among
Because of their longstanding history and important
agricultural people in the 1970s in India and was taken
place in pan-Oriental culture, Bousteau believes that
up by young entrepreneurs there during the 1990s.
Indian films will play a crucial role in disseminating In-
Bousteau believes that this concept is the reason why
dian attitudes around the world. Bollywood is already
India will rise to be a global power; because even the
more popular than Hollywood throughout the Middle
poor and uneducated use ad hoc creativity to bet-
East. In 2008, Bousteau released a book about Arab
ter their situation. This DIY approach and the positive
art (called In the Arab World…Now, 2008, published
transformations it enables, feature in everyday life
by Navarra) in which he surveys the regional scene.
here in Lebanon and in India – and in the art worlds of
He knows the Middle East well, acting as a patron for
both. “Jugaad thinking
Abu Dhabi Art, even
is really about creating
designing a sensory
your own happiness”,
maze for the fair in
he says.
2010. His work this September is his first
As we discuss what
project in Beirut, as he
people in the Occi-
continues to expand
dential countries might
his curatorial portfo-
learn from this way of
lio around the world.
thinking, Bousteau ex-
“The curatorial pro-
plains that for him one
cess is always differ-
valuable aspect of the jugaad attitude – as
The White Meanders exhibit at Art, Talks, Sensations at Abu Dhabi Art 2012. First plan: Alexis Laurent, Dandelions, 2010, Courtesy the artist. First plan left: Camille Henrot, Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe, 2012. Courtesy of the artist and kamel mennour, Paris
well as of understand-
ent according to each country, each exhibition. There are new
ing the world through another concept central to India
constraints every time. It’s heuristic. But I always have
thinking, dharma – is the accepted knowledge and in-
the same spirit.”
trinsic expectation that dark and light are two sides of the same coin. “In the West we are taught that life can
In the coming months Bousteau’s work will appear
take two routes – good or bad. A much better approach
again in Paris, however, in a new form for him that he
is to realise that good and bad often come rolled into
dubs ‘critic fiction’, a text called Propolis, being shown
one, because they are in truth both part of the same
in Landscapes of Contemporary Creation at Espace
thing. This is a very longstanding way of thinking – a
Culturel Louis Vuitton. Considering whether he has a
key spiritual concept.” When asked whether Indian art
curatorial style, he settles on a related fluidity between
can communicate such concepts between cultures,
media and disciplines that informs his approach. “I am
the curator ventures, “Art is the definition of humanity.
obsessed with synaesthetic environments because of
When you see some of these Indian art works you learn
my own experience, so I always use music, use phi-
something you already know in your DNA – you learn
losophy, use the senses, as well as visual art.”
66
Curated by Fabrice Bousteau
67
Fabric Bousteau
68
Curated by Fabrice Bousteau
SIX MONTHS TRAVElLINg THE ART WORLD
In our modern societies progress remains the
In any exhibition people should benefit from
rule; progress that aims to exceed itself in a
a rich and multidisciplinary offer; this might in-
solely forward motion focused on continuous
volve works from contemporary masters be-
increase. It follows what the Greeks called
ing re-discovered alongside pieces by new
pleonexia - the wish to have more; too much;
emerging artists. It can incorporate many
to excess; beyond limit, leading to irrationality
senses – sound as well as vision, and pos-
and greed. Sometimes art takes the opposite
sibly even taste; it should welcome visitors
course in order to follow the path of develop-
from all backgrounds – from amateurs to en-
ment on a more human scale.
thusiasts and experienced collectors.
Our globalised era must be considered a
Every artist in a show (in the art scene today)
challenge rather than a constraint. Creativ-
should be considered an autonomous entity,
ity can be stimulated and motivated by this
while simultaneously being a fragment of a
world of possibilities. The art scene today is
whole with each artwork independently influ-
a land where global references coexist with
encing the entire scene. With this in mind, the
local heritage and traditional rituals in a com-
works I have chosen here propose a sort of
posite, cosmopolitan, youthful, dynamic art.
unity through diversity. Those I have picked all share the same spirit in life and take on
As a curator, the key is to stay curious, young-
new challenges every day through their per-
at-heart, and open to everything and every-
petual questioning. I view this selection as a
one; to dare to follow transversal paths and,
platform for authentic sharing and exchange,
most importantly, never to consider oneself
revealing the dynamism of artists today.
an expert or specialist but rather a selector. To maintain humility and humanity one must always question oneself and take risks, daring to make interdisciplinary links between
Composed from excerpts from discussions with Fabrice
art, music, dance, design, architecture.
Bousteau, Paris, August 2014
69
Curated by Fabrice Bousteau
Daniel Buren
Défini, Fini, Infini, 30th June - 30th September MaMo, Cité Radieuse Le Corbusier, Marseille, France Photo © Sébastien Veronese
70
Curated by Fabrice Bousteau
Babak Alebrahim Dekordi Peiman Barabadi Paintings, May 2014 Tehran, Iran Photos Š Fabrice Bousteau
73
Curated by Fabrice Bousteau
JR Inside Out: Au Pantheon!, 2014 Pantheon, Paris France Photos Š Fabrice Bousteau
74
Curated by Fabrice Bousteau
Nikhil Chopra The Indian artist presents a solo exhibition, La Perle Noire (The Black Pearl) Performance, 6th - 8th March, 2014 Exhibition, 6th March - 12th April, 2014 gb agency, Paris Photos Š Fabrice Bousteau
77
Curated by Fabrice Bousteau
Petrit Halilaj Art Basel 19th-22nd June Photo Š Fabrice Seixas
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Curated by Fabrice Bousteau
Subodh Gupta Everything Is Inside, 17th January - 16th March, 2014, National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi, India. Photo Š Fabrice Bousteau
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Curated by Fabrice Bousteau
Jeff Koons A Retrospective 27th June - 19th October, 2014, organised by Scott Rothkopf, Nancy and Steve Crown Family Curator and Associate Director of Programs. Whitney Museum of American Art, NY The exhibition travels to the Centre Pompidou, Musée national d’art moderne, Paris ( in November 26, 2014–April 27, 2015) and to the Guggenheim Bilbao (in June 5–September 27, 2015) Photo © Fabrice Bousteau
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SAVE THE DATE. MODERN. CONTEMPORARY. ABU DHABI ART. 5 - 8 November 2014 Manarat Al Saadiyat Saadiyat Cultural District
abudhabiart.ae
#AbuDhabiArt
#InAbuDhabi
A MODERNIST ARABIA by Kasia Maciejowska
The Arab Center for Architecture (ACA) presents the story of pan-Arab modernism for the Kingdom of Bahrain pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale, curated by George Arbid and Bernard Khoury. The Lebanon-based archive chose 100 buildings from across the region to represent 20th-century architectural progress. Conceived of as a counterpoint to the polarised perception of Arab architecture as either romantically traditional or the flashy showpiece of 21st-century capitalism, the pavilion and its take-away book aims to rehabilitate popular attitudes to modernist design at a time when many of its finest local examples are being torn down. Here we look at highlights from this long-overdue project, kindly shared with Selections by the ACA.
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opposite page: General plan of the Kaédi Regional Hospital, by Fabrizio Carola, Kaédi, Mauritania, 1992. Courtesy Aga Khan Trust for Culture
above: Ground floor plan for Azzahra Ambassador Hotel, by Raïs, Canaan and Erdekian, Jerusalem, Palestine, 1953. © Arab Center for Architecture, George Raïs Collection
below: Électricité du Liban Headquarters, by J. Aractingi, J. Nasser, P. Neema and J.N. Conan (CETA), Beirut, Lebanon, 1965-1972. © Arab Center for Architecture, Pierre Neema Collection
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Reign of Fundamentalists and Other Arab Modernisms, by George Arbid and Bernard Khoury, Kingdom of Bahrain Pavilion, 14th International Architecture Exhibition, Fundamentals, la Biennale di Venezia Photo: Andrea Avezzù Courtesy la Biennale di Venezia
Approaching from the outside, the Bahrain pavilion, at the Arsenale in Venice, appears to be a round, temporary library. Once inside, one might be at a political conference. Faced with a vast circular table comprising a map of the Arab world circumnavigated by a timeline and dotted with inviting headphones, the gaze is drawn upwards by the sound of prayer-like voices emanating from a ring of talking heads projected onto the ceiling. These voices – in fact one voice recorded many times – recite the national anthems of the 22 Arab states. The books on the surrounding shelves are pavilion catalogues, to be taken away by visitors, each containing an illustrated history of architecture in the Arab world from 1914 to 2014.
the gaze is drawn upwards by the sound of prayer-like voices emanating from a ring of talking heads
Under the title Fundamentalists and Other Arab Modernisms, the book and corresponding table-top timeline, travel from a university in Morocco, to a hospital in Mauritania, via innovative collective housing projects, rational factories, and the occasional stand-out icons. Such star pieces include Sune Lindström’s 1960s water towers in Kuwait and Oscar Niemeyer’s 1962 International Fair of Tripoli, which continues to be threatened with redevelopment despite being admired by design enthusiasts the world over. Names like these, from Sweden, Brazil and elsewhere, appear throughout this narrative as the Arab states – often born from the designs of international politics – have been inscribed by the interests of colonialism and post-colonial neoliberalism, although many local architects also adhered to the modernist project.
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A better fit couldn’t have been curated for the theme Absorbing Modernity: 1914-2014, chosen by this year’s architect curating the Biennale Rem Koolhaas. And no curators more suited to the task of telling Arab modernism’s architectural story than Arbid and Khoury, whose project at the ACA is to do just that. Between them, this academic and practitioner – both Lebanese, both Harvard-educated – have crafted a detailed narrative that every visitor can take home in book form, while constructing an installation that plays on international perceptions of Arabism.
opposite page: Sketch by Oscar Niemeyer for the Rachid Karameh International Fair, 1962. © Oscar Niemeyer Foundation
above: Rachid Karameh International Fair by Oscar Niemeyer, Tripoli, Lebanon, 2006, Photo by Grace Rihan Hanna
The ACA was set up in 2008 by Arbid and Khoury along with Jad Tabet, Fouad El Koury, Amira El Solh, Hashem Sarkis, and Nada Assi. It has NGO status, receiving funding from bodies like the EU and projects like this commission for Bahrain. Seen in a regional context it forms part of the current pan-Arab mission across the arts to record, understand and validate local modern history and how it informs the present day. This year the United Arab Emirates makes its debut at Venice Architecture Biennale, as do Morocco, Turkey, and eight other nations. The UAE pavilion historicises its own urban development in a literal manner under the title Lest We Forget: Structures of Memory. By comparison, Bahrain’s choice to present an inclusively Arabist multi-national story lent it far wider global relevance, and as sectarian violence soars across the region, is commendable to say the least.
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VIENNA INtErNAtIoNAl Art FAIr 2 – 5 octobEr 2014 MEssE WIEN, HAll A
Preview & Vernissage Wednesday, 1 October 2014 www.viennafair.at
THE STARS OF VENICE As eyes turn to the Venice Architecture Biennale once again, three critics share their views on Selections’ favourite installations this year. Curated by Rem Koolhaas, this 14th edition aimed to emphasise the role of research in architecture, hinging around the central statement Absorbing Modernity 1914–2014.
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Elements [central exhibition] by Rem Koolhaas
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Hilary
French
(Architectural
writer and academic): Elements puts the ingredients of construction under the microscope for a much closer look - a refreshing Merlin Fulcher (Reporter at the
change from the current fashion
Architects’ Journal): Despite all
for urbanism and master plan-
it could have achieved Elements
ning where context, often his-
failed to deliver its purpose in my
torical rather than physical or
view. Rather than promoting think-
geographical, is considered to
ing outside the box, Koolhaas cre-
be more important and buildings
ated a confined, ugly arena where
are reduced to mere objects in a
the weapons of homogeny are
landscape. Some elements here
magnified to a daunting scale.
are familiar to all, like windows or
Without passing direct judgment
ironmongery, whereas some - like
on these objects he fails to frame
false ceilings – are only for the
a debate. The result is to atomise
initiated, but we can all enjoy the
architects and architecture when
all-important experiential qualities
both need to work together most.
of architecture.
“Elements puts the ingredients of construction under the microscope for a much closer look”
Maria Cristina Didero (Design curator and director of Fondazione Bisazza): Rem Koolhaas has always been fond of accumulation: for his it is a state of mind that is superbly reflected in this Biennale in Venice. Proceeding with the addition of layers, here he has tried to mirror the history of architecture.
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Township of Domestic Parts: Made in Taiwan [Taiwanese pavilion] by Jimenez Lai
MF: This colourful and thoughtHF: John Hejduk, whose teach-
provoking
ings considered everything from
eye-catching
a holistic perspective, would turn
interpretation of the biennale’s
in his grave at this attempt to re-
deconstructivist theme. Despite
duce everyday domestic activi-
offering an unusual insight into do-
MCD: The extravagant and joyful
ties to simple forms. We can all
mestic traditions, Lai has avoided
Taiwanese approach to architec-
agree that architectural form is
discussing the impact of modern-
ture is reflected here: Jimenez
not just abstract shapes or func-
ism on Taiwanese manufacturing.
Lai goes further and overcomes
tions but here the social and psy-
Considering the critical role Tai-
the basic sections of the typical
chological dimensions of space
wan plays in our global economy,
house with an anthropological
seem to be ignored in favour of a
an evaluation of its high-tech elec-
excursion that gives an interest-
jokey approach to reminiscences
tronics factories and workplace la-
ing and fresh point of view to
about past details and the well-
bour relations might have offered
look at domestic life.
known canon.
more meaning.
“The extravagant and joyful Taiwanese approach to architecture is reflected here”
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installation although
is
an
flawed
Towards Biology: Time Space Existence [collateral exhibition] by Ricardo Bofill
MF: This immersive and panoramic video contains a stirring manifesto for an alternative architectural profession elevated above standard modernist valuations of space and time. Bofill describes a disused cement works transformed into a venue for the experimentation
MCD: This satellite project was
and distribution of architectural
superbly curated by Rene Riet-
knowledge. Such a vision recog-
meyer and the Global Art Affairs
nises that the true fundamentals of
Foundation resulting in an emo-
human experience and architec-
tional installation that managed to
ture stand outside of time and that
immerse visitors and show how ar-
our biggest challenges will remain
chitecture is closely related to our
meaningful now and forever.
everyday life
accumulation,
HF: Using La Fabrica, a 150-yearold cement factory converted to their architectural studio as a case study, this exhibition deals with the fundamental aim of architectural design - the creation of a new space that makes evident a
“our biggest challenges will remain meaningful now and forever�
relationship between built form and the activities it houses. Masters of narrative, RBTA don’t dwell on the past or attempt to predict the future but speculate about the potential to arrive at a new reality
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The Sky Over Nine Columns [art installation] by Heinz Mack
MF: Mack’s bold and visually
HF: From Trajan’s column on-
arresting sculpture reminds us
wards, monuments and victory
how contextual beauty can be
columns embellished with bas
realised using generic architec-
relief and statuary are a common
tural elements. Such ubiquitous
sight. There is no need to read this
shapes made resonant through
art piece of decorated columns as
local decorative crafts provide
architectural. They may have a
a morale-boosting alternative to
powerful sculptural presence en-
the future catalogued so fatalis-
hanced by light reflected on the
tically inside the main exhibition.
shimmering golden mosaic sur-
Their unifying power is however
faces, but so close together with-
blunted by their physical isola-
out anything to support some must
tion and the feeling that when
surely be superfluous?
amongst the columns one is so terribly alone.
“Mack’s bold sculpture reminds us how contextual beauty can be realised using generic architectural elements”
MCD: As the director of one of Giorgio Cinni Foundation’s competitors, the Bisazza Foundation, I would rather not comment on this piece.
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A Clockwork Jerusalem [British pavilion] by Sam Jacob of FAT and Wouter Vantisphout of Crimson
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“this project covers British modernity, from William Blake’s poem Jerusalem from the 18th century to how it has been developed to country’s post-war period”
HF: As this exhibit suggests, nobody would disagree that there is a need to engage in some new thinking about the current British
MF: This counter-reading of Brit-
housing situation, and moreover
ish modernism celebrates a brief
that this could result in new forms
period
of housing that would prove to be
which ultimately failed. Sam Ja-
more sustainable than either Gar-
cob’s and Wouter Vantisphout’s
den Cities or modernism’s British
selective narrative is heart-warm-
version of high-rise estates. But
ing and well-timed but overlooks
maybe architects and planners
the hard reality of an architecture
have been looking backwards for
which started and remained un-
MCD: FAT’s curatorial approach
too long and focusing too much on
ashamedly elitist and commer-
to the subject is really summed up
town planning. Perhaps it is time
cially driven. The story behind
in the title: this project covers Brit-
to look closer – to consider the el-
London’s financial towers is more
ish modernity, from William Blake’s
ements - at the individual houses
bleak but would have at least ex-
poem Jerusalem from the 18th
then we might be able to achieve
posed modernism’s greatest con-
century to how it has been devel-
Howard’s “real reform”.
ceit for all to see.
oped to country’s post-war period.
of
romantic
optimism
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Arctic Poppy Orangery [Antarctica pavilion] by Alex Kozyr
HF: Along with ten new participating countries, is the debut of the Antarctica pavilion, initiated by Alexander Ponomarev and curated by Nadim Samman. An ambitious
MF: This fanciful greenhouse for
transnational project, it brings
arctic poppies documented in-
together a series of proposals
side the transnational Antarctopia
for the sixth continent (and chal-
pavilion provides a unique step-
lenges the perhaps overly nation-
ping stone towards greater public
alistic structure of the Biennale’s
understanding of the earth’s most
Giardini). Beyond the necessities
inhospitable continent. Kozyr’s
of the scientific explorations and
crystalline shelter for cultivating
institutional missions, Antarctopia,
the South Pole’s most beautiful
planned for 2015-16, offers the
flower reminds us of the region’s
potential of a new cultural field.
delicate ecology currently safe-
The Orangery (Alexey Kozy and
guarded by international agree-
Ilya Babak) a botanical and medi-
ments prohibiting nuclear dump-
cal research centre and recre-
ing and mineral extraction. The
MCD: As per the Moroccan pavil-
ation zone marries the ambition of
value of such intangible but in-
ion that dealt with the problem of
functional technology with poetic
fluential power systems must be
building in the desert, this project
optimism using powerful solar col-
more widely recognised as we
digs in to the possibilities of ar-
lectors that mimic the arctic poppy,
approach the first Antarctic Bien-
chitecture in extreme conditions;
relentlessly tracking the sunlight
nale and before competing na-
Kozyr’s studio investigated this
by rotating on delicate stems
tions tear this treasure apart.
range with a stellar touch.
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www.beirut-art-fair.com
BEIRUT ART FAIR ME.NA.SA.ART
18-21 September 2014 BIEL, Hall 2 103 Beirut, Lebanon
TAKE ME AWAY by Avril Groom
Those leaders of luxury luggage at Louis Vuitton are focusing their creative efforts on travel this season, with sweetly illustrated destination guides to Venice and Vietnam and an exciting collaboration series with some of today’s leading lights from the worlds of art and design, from Cindy Sherman to Frank Gehry, via Rei Kawakubo and Marc Newson.
However far Louis Vuitton’s excursions into the realms of
Integral to Vuitton’s travel plans is the universally-rec-
high fashion or unique jewellery pieces take it, and who-
ognised monogram canvas, about to be given some
ever is at the design helm, the world’s biggest luxury
very special treatment that, generously, involves equally
brand never forgets one thing - that it started life as a
iconic design names from other fashion houses and ar-
trunk maker and creating items for travel are at its heart.
tistic areas. It is not the first time that Vuitton has shared
That detail has become more important than ever since
its most precious symbol - to celebrate the monogram’s
Nicolas Ghesquière has taken on the designer’s mantle.
centenary in 1996 collaborations resulted in object such
As well as continuing with the instantly recognisable LV
as a handbag by Azzedine Aliaia adfn a DJ’s box for vi-
and four-point flower symbols, there are more subtle ref-
nyl records by Helmut Lang. But for the exciting Icon and
erences to the brand’s origins - jewellery based on the
the Iconoclasts project Ghesquière has his own agenda
distinctive brass corners of a Vuitton trunk, a new bag
and friends, plus the confidence to give carte blanche
quilted in the lozenge shapes of the stitching inside a
(within the genre of bags and luggage) to names who
trunk lid, even a precious evening minaudière shaped
could almost be considered rivals such as Karl Lager-
like a tiny trunk.
feld, and Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons. The designs are under wraps until mid-October but it’s fun to surmise whether Lagerfeld will be able to resist a nod above left to right: Rei Kawakubo, Frank Gehry, Cindy Sherman, Marc Newson
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to Chanel style and whether Kawakubo’s design will include other-worldly excrescences.
Louis Vuitton’s original monogram
The other designers are Christian Louboutin (a travelling
evidence is a set of each designers’ initials handpainted
shoe trunk, perhaps? - it wouldn’t be Vuitton’s first), archi-
in Vuitton style and carefully-chosen colours, as if each
tect Frank Gehry, known for his fluid modern style, Marc
had ordered their own trunk. Vuitton’s vice-president
Newsan, who turns his hand to anything from clocks
Delphine Arnault, who conceived the idea with Ghes-
and furniture to aerospace design, and portrait photog-
quière, says, “we wanted the best in their fields, to see
rapher and film maker Cindy Sherman. The highly lim-
their different perspectives on Monogram. It’s fun - they
ited edition results of the project will arrive in selected
are a group of geniuses.”
Louis Vuitton flagship stores in October; for now the only
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Lorenzo Mattiotti’s illustrations of Vietnam for Louis Vuitton
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Jiro Tanigushi’s illustrations of Venice for Louis Vuitton
Rather more accessibly, Vuitton have another travel
delicate drawings of his chosen city; Mattotti’s style
related project about to launch. This is the latest in
is more robust and impressionistic. Both are totally
their series of Travel Books, which link well-known
individual and a true traveller’s viewpoint.
artists to a place they know well, and see it through their very distinctive illustrative viewpoint. Crucially each artist is foreign to the place chosen. After four were launched last year - Paris by a Congolese,
The Books are €45; 50 special artists’ editions, numbered and signed, are €2000, all arriving in Lebanon in September.
New York by a Frenchman, London by a Japanese and Easter Island by an American, this year’s additions are Venice by Japanese manga artist and writer Jiro Taniguchi and Vietnam by Italian illustrator and comic book artist Lorenzo Mattotti. We follow the lone figure of Taniguchi through extraordinarily
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MIAMI’S NEW HAT by Nicholas Chrisostomou
With its calendar of art fairs and newfound credibility in the world of museums, Florida’s party paradise has become one of America’s most surprising cultural capitals that merges highbrow highlights with a good-time attitude
Miami has done some serious growing-up. The Miami of 2014 is artistic, cutting edge and original, and its creative energy is infectious. Nowhere is Miami’s cultural renaissance more evident than in Wynwood, the Miami Design District and at the Pérez Art Museum. Wynwood is one the most art-rich neighborhoods in America, and has been transformed in just five years from a desolate area of derelict warehouses into a thriving arts community, commonly referred to as Miami’s art and soul. Wynwood was the brainchild of
110 Wynwood Walls, Miami
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Tony Goldman who in 2009 saw the potential in the
Dacra was instrumental in bringing Art Basel to Mi-
area to become a hub for creativity, up-and-coming
ami and making the annual event internationally fa-
talent and a haven for anyone with an artistic lean.
mous. Craig Robins of Dacra is now masterminding
Goldman was the driving force behind Wynwood until
the development of the Miami Design District, a fast-
he passed away two years ago. His daughter, Jessica,
growing neighbourhood north of Midtown which is
has taken over her father’s legacy and continues to
home to over 100 art galleries, showrooms, antique
follow his vision for Wynwood’s development.
stores, restaurants and bars. The area is also a high-
Miami Design District
The epicentre of Wynwood’s street art scene is Wyn-
end shopping mecca, and construction is underway
wood Walls, a showcase of work by internationally
to further transform the District into a destination for
renowned graffiti artists including murals by Sheph-
cutting-edge fashion, design and culture. Louis Vuit-
ard Fairey, Kenny Scharf, Invader and more. No visit
ton, Hermès, Emilio Pucci, Prada and many other top
to the area is complete without a walk around the
designers have already defected from Bal Harbour to
Walls, a meal in Wynwood Kitchen & Bar, a Latté at
the Miami Design District, and come early 2015 other
Panther Coffee, and a nose around the galleries. And
luxury fashion brands including Givenchy, Tom Ford,
on the second Saturday of every month Wynwood
Marc Jacobs and Dolce & Gabbana will join them.
is flooded for it’s famed Art Walk, often attracting a
The new look District will also include buildings by
crowd of thousands.
prominent architects Sou Fujimoto, Aranda/Lasch, K/R,
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Perez Art Museum, Miami
Iwamoto Scott and Leong Leong, and new art installations by John Baldessari and The Buckminster Fuller Institute will join existing installations by Zaha Hadid and Marc Newsom. The stunning new Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) which opened in December 2013, with it’s hanging gardens and tranquil 29-acre park on the edge of breathtaking Biscayne Bay, is home to a growing collection of international works by some of the world’s foremost artists. The site, designed by Pritzker Prize winning Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, has been universally acclaimed for skillfully marrying cutting-edge architecture with Miami’s tropical landscape, and encompasses 200,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space with sprawling relaxed galleries, shaded verandas, a waterfront restaurant and an exceptional museum shop. One could easily spend an entire day with PAMM.
FLY Qatar Airways flies a wide-bodied 777 direct from Doha to Miami four times per week, departing Doha at 8.40am landing in Miami at 5pm in plenty of time for dinner! www.qatarairways.com
SHOP
STAY
Niba Home Top end shop and gallery in the Miami Design District selling art, objet d’arts and furniture, hand selected and beautifully merchandised by Nisi Berryman and Lynn Larrieu. www. nibahome.com
The Betsy, South Beach This beautiful colonial designed 63 room boutique hotel at the top of Ocean Drive has a superb restaurant BLT-Steak, a rooftop garden offering spa treatments, secluded courtyard pool and easy beach access. www. thebetsyhotel.com The Metropolitan, Miami Beach A sophisticated refurb of a 1920s art deco grand dame in the heart of Miami Beach’s historic district, Christina Ong’s new Miami outpost boasts 74 rooms (of which 11 are suites) a private beach and a COMO spa. www.comohotels.com/ metropolitanmiami EAT Juvia Great location, incredible views, lively atmosphere and tasty Asian fusion fare make Juvia one of the best nightspots in town. Dine outdoors at sunset. Book well in advance. www.juviamiami.com La Mar Master chef Gastón Acurio’s new Miami restaurant serves delicious, award winning Peruvian cuisine in refined yet comfortable surroundings, set within the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on exclusive Brickell Key private island. (305) 913 8358. Michael’s Genuine A vibrant neighborhood bistro in the heart of the Miami Design District where friends gather to enjoy simply prepared dishes made fresh from local ingredients. Delicious food and good selection of vino. www. michaelsgenuine.com
Frangipani Funky boutique in the heart of Wynwood selling everything from art to jewellery, tableware and vintage clutch bags. www.frangipanimiami.com
Nest Beautiful home emporium where hand chosen furniture, lighting, vintage pieces, glassware, photography, textiles and art are showcased in an elegant yet comfortable environment. www.nestcasa.com GALLERY Pérez Art Museum Miami No visit to Miami is complete without a visit to PAMM, the city’s stunning new museum dedicated to collecting and exhibiting international 20th and 21st century modern and contemporary art. www.pamm.org Markowicz Fine Art Well laid out gallery in the centre of the Miami Design District showcasing modern and contemporary works from an array of artists including Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselmann, Marilyn Minter and more. www.markowiczfineart.com The Peter Tunney Experience Celebrated New York artist Peter Talbot Tunney’s Miami gallery is a riot of colour and creativity within Wynwood Walls. (305) 582 6890 ashleyturchin@gmail. com
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SUSPENSE AND FRAGILITY Maria Cristina Didero was wowed by grandiose temporary architecture and the emotive capacities of textile techniques at this year’s Design Miami/Basel, the first under its new director
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Every June, the art week of Basel - as it is called - is
Primack considers his new fair an event which has
synonymous with high expectations for professionals
already reached a prominent level thanks to his
and art-lovers from around the world. But for the de-
predecessors, and which is now his task to refine
sign addicted this year, such expectations could be
even more. “Design Miami/Basel takes place two
said to be exceeded at Design Miami/Basel. This was
times a year in two different continents; it is like a
the first edition led by new director Rodman Primack
machine that constantly needs fuel. I would like to
following his appointment in March 2014. Primack is
organize some more events during the whole year�.
the first American director - Californian to be precise -
And while Primack begins to look to the Far East,
to head the fair, which itself was born in Miami (led first
the Swiss edition was impressive enough, surpris-
by its Italian-Greek co-founder Ambra Medda, then by
ing many visitors with its site specific works, com-
the Austrian Marianne Goebl). Design Miami is now
missioned pieces, talks, projects and the impres-
ready to celebrate its 10th anniversary after position-
sive number of galleries it brought together; in a
ing itself as one of the unmissable fairs on the global
record for the fair, the prestigious roster reached
design calendar.
49 this year.
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Design At Large was a new, dedicated section for gigantic projects
Visitors were welcomed by a grandiose installation by New York-based designer Jamie Zigelbaum entitled Triangular Series, an outstanding scenography of 59 suspended tetrahedral lamps, scattered throughout the ground floor entrance to create a sense of immersion. Walking into the fair itself one became further captivated by the most stupendous objects by the most influential authors from today’s international design scene. Design At Large was a new, dedicated section for gigantic projects, curated by expert Dennis Freedman, capable of providing the opportunity to show these works outside their usual gallery spaces, giving visitors the chance to be struck by these vast projects. One such that was particularly taking was SÉANCE, an SÉANCE by Sheila Hicks. Photo: Ames Harris
interactive colour lab by American artist Sheila Hicks.
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The first stand-out display to be mentioned came from the brilliant Gallery Libby Sellers, which presented the refined and sophisticated work of Studio Formafantasma, whose very original objects in volcanic lava sat alongside vibrant, playful pieces from Anton Alvarez, who is notable for his distinct and idiosyncratic approach to design creation. Thanks to his ingenious
opposite page top: Volcanic Lava Collection, Formafantasma
Thread Wrapping Machine, the Swedish-Chilean Alvarez crafts furniture without using screws, joinery or nails. Using wood, plastic or steel, he fuses parts together with metres and metres of glue-coated thread, which generates a joyful decorative pattern.
opposite page bottom left: Anton Alvarez The Thread Wrapping Machine Stool, 2014 Wood, paint, gluecoated thread
opposite page bottom right: Anton Alvarez The Thread Wrapping Machine Lamp, 2014 Wood, gluecoated thread
below: Libby Sellers Gallery exhibit
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opposite page: Gjertrud Hals Here, Now, 1
above: Prologue by FredriksonStallard Photo: Ames Harris
below: TT Pavillion by Konstantin Grcic Photo: Ames Harris
Another leader in the textiles department was Gjertrud Hals, whose display with Galerie Maria Wettergren offered a delectable and romantic piece by the Norwegian designer and fiber artist called Here, Now. The 3.5 x 2.35 metre wall unique piece of cotton-thread, crochet lace, and flax fibers looked as if it should be handled with extreme care. Hals used many different weaving techniques, from knitting and crotchet, to embroidery and macramĂŠ, with incredibly poetic results. Leading design sponsor Swarovski presented Prologue, a dazzling, imposing large-scale work by London-based studio Fredrikson-Stallard; a suspended circular sculpture, like a titanic lens refracting light that had a sparkling intensity when moving even just slightly, and holding over 8,000 golden Swarovski crystal-droplets, referred to the iconography of the sun to represent new beginnings. German design star Konstantin Grcic partnered with Audi for his first architectural project: the TT Pavillion was a rounded structure in wood and steel, realized using only elements of the Audi TT car. In all it felt like an excellent beginning for the new director.
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FOREST FREQUENCIES
by John Ovans
Inhotim art garden has introduced immersive installations and integrated monuments to its 110 hectares of Atlantic rainforest and Brazilian savannah over the past eight years so that making a visit is like wandering through a dream
A vast jungly garden filled with art sounds like the stuff
Originally the estate and art collection of Bernardo Paz,
that hallucinations are made of, the only trip you need
a mining magnate, Inhotim (pronounced In-yo-tcheen)
to take is to Brumadinho, Brazil. There, you’ll find a
is located within both a remnant of the Atlantic rainfor-
world far-removed from the din of football fans and
est and Brazilian savannah, two endangered environ-
carnival: the Instituto Inhotim, a botanical garden that
ments rich in biodiversity. It was opened to the public
is home to 100 paintings, sculptures, drawings, photo-
in 2006 as a visitation area, stitching together aston-
graphs, videos and installations by many more Brazil-
ishing artworks with forest fragments, 25 gardens and
ian and international artists from 30 different countries.
almost 5000 species of flora which include several rare tropical species. The artworks enjoy a symbiotic
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“NARCISSUS GARDEN INHOTIM” (2009) DE YAYOI KUSAMA FOTO PEDRO MOTTA
Three curators manage the park, including Rodrigo Moura, Jochen Volz, and headed up by Allan Schwarzman. While 100 pieces are on display, they are taken from a collection of more than 800 works, accumulated from Brazil and abroad from the Sixties to the present day, and refreshed every two years to introduce new acquisitions and reinterpretations. One of Inhotim’s best coups is Chris Burden’s Beam Drop, a reprisal of the artist’s 1984 work involving the release of a few dozen steel beams into wet concrete, an exercise in unreplicable chance. Elsewhere, gums will be set a-tingling by Hélio Oiticia and Neville D’Almeida’s Cosmococa, an installation in which visitors move through
The artworks enjoy a symbiotic relationship with the landscape, a Natural Heritage Private Reserve where pathways, stairways and patios built on natural quartzite rock formations link the 21 pavilions
above: Viewing Machine by Olafur Eliasson. Photo: Rassana Magri
right: Desvio Para O Vermelho by Cildo Merieles. Photo: Pedro Motta
opposite page: Beam Drop by Chris Burden. Photo: Eduardo Eckenfels
relationship with the landscape, very deliberately integrated in an area largely protected as a Natural Heritage Private Reserve. Pathways, stairways and patios built upon natural quartzite rock formations link the 21 pavilions, with visitors often required to move by golf cart – but the experience is very much regarded as an independent one, with people encouraged to create their own unique journeys around the site, as if Inhotim is, as Paz has described it, a “Disneyland of the future”.
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One of Inhotim’s best coups is Chris Burden’s Beam Drop, a reprisal of the artist’s 1984 work involving the release of a few dozen steel beams into wet concrete, an exercise in unreplicable chance
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a series of five rooms that aim to recreate the sen-
Since the World Cup, the number of visitors to Inhotim
sation of being on cocaine, fulfilled by a giant, floor-
has more than tripled, which is good news for Paz’s
covering mattress, strobe lights, Jimi Hendrix and a
expansive vision of a “post-contemporary society”. It
strange indoor pool; while over in Cido Mereiles’ Red
is meant as more than simply a passive experience
Shift, sits a house furnished entirely in red, with even
in more ways than one, and is an active hub for com-
the taps running red water.
munity development, currently employing 400 locals
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and hosting more than 30,000 students a year. Upcoming projects include an on-site guest-house and a science centre to specialise in biodiversity and climate change, whilst an old chapel and farmhouse will become new spaces for the ever-growing portfolio of artworks. Ultimately, Inhotim isn’t about art, and it isn’t about nature – it’s about an approach to life. You might call it a paradise with a purpose.
Celacanto Provoca Maremoto, by Adriana Varejão. Photo: Eduardo Eckenfels
Paz’s expansive vision is of a “postcontemporary society” Seção diagonal, by Marcius Galan Photo: Pedro Motta
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The Art Paper accompanies every issue of Selections for AN IN-DEPTH look at the art world In this issue: Collector profile with Ayyam founder Khaled Samawi Tim Noble and Sue Webster in conversation Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige in Nice Art after the internet with Omar Kholief Interview with Brit sculptor Fiona Banner Istanbul’s Art International in preview In the studio with Manuella Guiragossian Trevor Paglen’s installation sensation from Art Basel Bridge to Palestine at Beirut Exhibition Center reviewed The 10 art apps you should download now Beirut Art Fair Special: The art of Dharma: Indian pavilion Silke Schmickl talks video Curator comments from Philippe Tretiack Spotlight on Janine Rubeiz Art fair highlights
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Painting of Stromboli made at Volcano Extravaganza, 2014, Forget Amnesia, by Celia Hempton. Photo: Lewis Ronald
ISLAND CONTEMPORARY by Kasia Maciejowska
Stromboli, the lava-filled sea-bound peak located off the toe of Italy’s boot, hosts an annual contemporary art festival organised by the Fiorrucci Art Trust and enthusiastically named Volcano Extravaganza. This year titled Forget Amnesia, under the guest curation of artist Haroon Mirza, it plays with ideas about memory and island mentalities, and makes reference to that infamous Mediterranean isle, Ibiza, where the club Amnesia has drawn escapists since 1976 when it was initially named The Workshop of Forgetfulness. For ten days in July, artists, curators, performers and thinkers made the pilgrimage to Stromboli, this most captivating of the eight Aeolian Islands that was rendered a cult destination when Roberto Rossellini made his film of the same name there starring Ingrid Bergman. Here we visit the fourth iteration of art’s dreamy summer retreat.
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Summertime on Stromboli feels moody and somnolent. Despite it being tourist season, this last stop on the ferry route from Sicily, following the larger islands of Lipari and Vulcano and the chic haven of Panarea, feels hidden and hushed – until the last week of July that is, when a subset of the London art world arrives to wreak playful mischief among the black rocks and white houses. This year that included video artist Ed Atkins, art-pop
1. Artists Factory Floor, aka Nik Void and Gabriel Gurnsey
2. Ketuta AlexiMeskhishvili, Always someone to cover your silence, painted fabric / performance. 28th July 2012, Stromboli. Photo: Ken Okiishi
3. Florence Derieux, Rimbaud, talk, 3rd August 2012, La Lunatica, Stromboli. Photo: Giulia Casanova
bands Django Django and Factory Floor, multi-media artist Hassan Khan, DJ-composer Shiva Feshareki, multi-disciplinary artists Celia Hempton, Prem Sahib and Richard Sides – plus the curators, gallerists, writ-
4. Jessica Warboys, Underlap, sea paintings,20th July 2011, Stromboli. Photo by Morten Norbye Halvorsen
ers and committed art audience who travelled from Bangladesh, Italy, Brazil and Turkey. Most happenings were held at the trust’s two venues on the island, fabulously named La Lunatica and the House of Extravaganza, with others hitting the shores and winding alleyways. Each one was recorded and live broadcast via NTS radio. The festival’s line-up is always just as resolutely contemporary, but Haroon Mirza’s curation, executed in
5. Chiara Fumai , Free like the speech of a Socialist, performance, 15th August 2011, Stromboli. Photo: Matthew Stone
6. One of Stromboli’s continuous eruptions, July 2014. Photo: Lewis Ronald
7. Andro Wekua, action performed by Nick Mauss,27th July 2012, Stromboli. Photo: Giulia Brivio
collaboration with Milovan Farronato, director of the London-based Fiorucci Art Trust, brought dual emphasis on technology and immersion – two keynotes of club culture – to this year’s lectures, exhibitions, film screenings, music, dance and performance art. As seen in works by artists such as Jeremy Deller and Mark Leckey, the celebration of rave culture is enjoying a moment in the arts as the nineties generation becomes today’s leading image-makers. Forget Amnesia is part of that, exploring rave’s escapism-fromthe-self on an isle with an off-the-map ambience. As a result, works echoed the dream-like trance state and radical inclusivity that characterised this mass practice of collective disappearance.
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1. Osman dresses painted by Celia Hempton, July 2014, Stromboli. Photo: Lewis Ronald
2. Jessica Warboys, sea painting, 20th July 2011, Stromboli. Photo: Milovan Farronato
Stromboli’s micro-eruptions, which happen between three and twenty times every hour, produce similar seismic waves (under 20Hz) as those that emanate from the sub-woofers of speakers used in clubs like Amnesia – the Balearic nightlife institution referenced in this year’s Volcano Extravaganza theme. In the spirit of things, the festival made use of the island’s two tiny
3. Stromboli island seen on departure 2 4. Baga Stead installation, July 2014, Stromboli. Photo: Lewis Ronald
5. Stuart Comer, You Stole My Dream, lecture and film program with musical accompaniment by Emily Sundblad and Andreas Reihse. 27th July 2012, Stromboli. Photo: Giulia Cenci
clubs Mega and Tartana to host big DJ names like James Lavelle. While this year’s theme thought about the social and psychological role of island escapism, last year’s theme Evil Under the Sun (after the film adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel) tapped into Stromboli’s distinctive atmosphere of natural mystery and simmering heat, and the notion that this bears or brings out some sort of human or earthly malevolence.
6. Richard Sides installation, July 2014, Stromboli. Photo: Lewis Ronald
Stromboli does hold an ominous power over those who set foot there. Erupting continuously, as she has
All images courtesy the artist and Fiorucci Art Trust
done for 2,000 years, her cratered peak is perpetually shrouded by a grey puff of cloud tinged with volcanic ash that further darkens the lava-derived rocks and sands below, acting as a reminder of the potentially destructive terrestrial force contained within. In the words of Haroon Mirza and Milovan Farronato, “What happens in London stays in London – but sometimes it also goes to Stromboli.”
Listen to Haroon Mirza’s soundtrack for Forget Amnesia on Fiorucci Art Trust’s Soundcloud.
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A CURATED NIGHT’S SLEEP
by Miriam Dunn
Since art hotels have become the most inspiring way to spend the night, we asked hotel curators for the inside track on their collections.
Understandably diverse and sometimes entirely un-
manship that went into the floor-to-ceiling tapestry of
expected, the art greeting guests at hotels undoubt-
Kate Moss, by photographer Chuck Close, which is
edly brings something extra to a stay. What a privilege
one of the most popular pieces in the $30m art col-
to dine at the restaurant of the majestic Dolder, Zu-
lection on display at The Surrey, New York? Whether it
rich, against the backdrop of Salvador Dalí’s Femmes
sums up the personal tastes of its owners, or pays trib-
métamorphosées – Les sept arts, or take in the price-
ute to its location, a hotel’s art collection puts a signa-
less portrait of King Louis XIV, the Sun King, by Hya-
ture stamp on a space, adding value in both financial
cinthe Rigaud, at the legendary Le Negresco Hotel in
and experiential terms.
Nice. And who wouldn’t be impressed by the crafts-
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Femmes Metamorphoses by Salvador Dali, Dodler Zurich
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opposite page: Louis XIV portrait by Hyacinthe Rigaud, Versailles Salon, Negresco, Nice
below: Kate Moss by Chuck Close, The Surrey, New York
Kate Moss by Chuck close-courtesy the surrey
137
When the Intercontinental Westminster curated its
matic The House Always Wins – you can guarantee at
art, the team were keen for it
least one guest to be gazing at
to reflect the rich tapestry of
it at any time, Instagramming or
London life and connect with
tweeting away.”
both locals and visitors, as Ed Purnell, Area Director of Market-
The art on display at the Ju-
ing, London, explains. The col-
meirah Creekside Hotel, Dubai,
lection includes limited-edition
also pays tribute to its surround-
prints from political satirist Ger-
ings, albeit in the broader, re-
ald Scarfe, lithographs by Chris
gional sense, comprising almost
Orr and political cartoons by
500 works by both acclaimed
Marin Rowson. “From the mo-
and emerging talents from the
ment you walk through the front
greater Middle East. Camelia
doors of the hotel you get a real
Esmaili, whose atelier curated
sense of location. Tom Clarke’s
the programme, explained that
bronze sculpture The Ladder To
the challenges ranged from
welcomes you to Westminster,”
the practical to meeting the
Purnell said. “One of our stand-out pieces is the dra-
top and above: Print of Radeau de la Meduse by Eugene Delacroix, Jumeirah Creekside, Dubai
138
very specific demands of the hotel’s owners. “In a
Isla Simca, Panama
living environment you have to give a strong con-
Looking to celebrate talent from far afield rather
sideration to aspects like whether light could dam-
than close to home, the business mogul, collector
age the art, while making sure that the pieces are
and philanthropist, Jean Pigozzi, made it a mission
immersed where they’ll shine brightest, be it in the
to use each wall and open space at his eco-luxury
rooms, the lobby or the garden,” she said. “We had a
jungle retreat, Isla Simca, in Panama, as a means
huge space that the owners wanted to fill with a car-
of celebrating African contemporary art. Another
pet, to reflect the Middle Eastern heritage. Eventually,
champion of leading lights from the contemporary art
we managed to convince them to do something dif-
world, fellow collector and industrialist, Dakis Joan-
ferent.” Today, an enormous sculptural art installation
nou, also uses his portfolio of hotels to support cre-
Flying Carpet by Iraqi-born Halim Al Karim occupies
ative talents. His latest Athens venture, the New Ho-
the space in question. At 15 metres high, officially the
tel has been reinvented by the Brazilian architects,
largest art installation in the UAE, the work is likely to
Humberto and Fernando Campana, famed for cre-
leave a lasting impression.
ating living art from cast-offs. Ingeniously-upcycled
139
ful in a space, but will also create an energy, start conversations, spark curiosity in the hotels guests and visitors.” The work on permanent display in the hotel is by James Knowles, Roger Smith’s president and
artist-in-residence,
whose bronze sculptures at the entrance and band of aluminum works that wrap around the second floor have become part of the building’s infrastructure. “Many guests don’t realise that there is this additional element to the hotel’s existence, until they arrive,” Druttman said. “... it is a joy to be able to invite hotel guests to also join us and experience the art more intimately.” The general manager of wooden furniture scraps are displayed throughout, alongside works from Joannou’s private collection by Jack Pierson, Douglas Gordon, Laurie Anderson and Jenny Holzer.
Enveloped by Lateefa Bint Maktoum, Jumeirah Creekside, Dubai
the Pullman Dubai Deira City Centre, Laurent Chaudet, shares her view that, “Art immerses guests in a world of discovery, while also providing a more personal connection with them, leaving
The art programme at the Roger Smith Hotel in mid-
behind a priceless memory.” Whether it
town Manhattan, New York, acknowledges emerging
does or not obviously depends on the
artists through its Introducing Series at The Window
guest – but as art hotels (rather than
at 125. Director of Art Programming, Danika Drutt-
simply hotels with art collections) pro-
man, who curates a portion of the shows in-house,
liferate it should be easy for guests to
explained, “I am looking for work that will look beauti-
find their ideal match.
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PUBLIC ART ON THE FLY by Eliana Maakaroun
Doha’s new airport, Hamad International, boasts a multimillion dollar collection of installations that are the latest jewel in Qatar’s elaborate crown of public art
Sitting there, at the centre of the new Hamad Inter-
Doha from all over the world. As a result, permanent
national Airport in Doha, one cannot but pause in
and iconic art installations by world-renowned artists
awe and stare at the US$6.8 million, seven-meter-tall
such as Damien Hirst, Richard Serra and Adel Abdes-
bronze canary-yellow teddy bear - with a lamp over
semed mark the country all the way from its streets to
its head. Dubbed the Lamp/Bear by Swiss artist Urs
its desert.
Fischer, it is slowly becoming the most photographed artwork at any airport. Which is a strange one, because
The airport, being the first impression tourists take
how many airports have art like this – with such scale
of Qatar the minute they land, is the latest project in
and impact, enabled by Qa-
the country’s strategy for
tar’s generous budget and
becoming a public arts
commitment to exhibiting a world-class collection of art in public spaces. As Qatar grows into an international country, Qatar
“When dealing with an international location, we want artworks that speak to all different nationalities and ages”
destination. “When dealing with an international location, we want artworks that speak to all different nationalities and ages,” explains Jean Paul Engelen,
Museums Authority, an or-
Director of Art at Qatar Mu-
ganization committed to
seums. “The Tom Otterness
help the country originate art, culture and heritage
work is a great example of art being a playground for
experiences from within, aims to present the very
children,” he says, and adds that he is confident that
best in art and culture and takes on the role of build-
Iraqi artist Ali Hassan’s Desert Horse sculpture will be
ing bridges among the diverse peoples who live in
“very popular”; it is visible to all departing travellers.
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Lamp Bear by Urs Fischer
Oryxs by Tom Claassen
“It’s all about education. The more you learn, the more you see, the more you know” Jean Paul Engelen, Director of Art at Qatar Museums
below: Desert Horse by Ali Hassan
“Thanks to the several artworks installed throughout
In line with the country’s National Vision, anticipated
the country, art and creativity are becoming part of
to be accomplished by 2030, Qatar Museums plays
people’s everyday lives in Qatar,” Engelen adds. When
a crucial role in supporting the country’s aim to be-
choosing pieces for the Hamad International Airport,
come a knowledge-based economy. “It’s all about
he describes the importance of playing to each artist’s
education,” says Engelen, “the more you learn, the
strength. “Tom Otterness is great with playgrounds
more you see, the more you know.” When asked why
and works in bronze, while Yousef Ahmed’s work is
few existing airports have integrated public art to the
more sensitive and delicate, and therefore better suit-
extent that Qatar is planning to, Engelen recognises
ed in a first class lounge,” he clarifies.
that it is a matter of budget as much as one of vision. “We are fortunate that the country has a major vision
Unlike most of its neighbouring countries, Qatar has held a number of local art exhibitions over the past years, including a photography competition for Qatarbased artists, the four winners of which now enjoy exposure in the airport’s departure hall. Yet there is also commitment to bringing the outside world to the Gulf: “Qatar Museums is heavily involved in bringing in international artists to give lectures and conduct workshops with local artists as a way to further support them,” says Engelen, “it shows both artists and the public here what is going on outside – and visitors see what we’re about here in Doha.”
144
and it acts upon it.”
FINE DINING, FINE ART
by John Ovans
Eating at a restaurant that has been well-curated can give your visual aspect something extra to chew on – as four curators explain by sharing their very different approaches to art for dining spaces
Historically, the relationship between art and restau-
eat, their meal experience becoming positively syn-
rants was eked out a while back – from Picasso to
aesthetic. Other approaches remain more casual, with
Miro, impoverished post-Impressionists would sing for
friendships dictating what fills with walls: there seems
their supper by way of a paintbrush and canvas, creat-
to be some kind of affinity between the chef and the
ing works that now hang on the wall at distinguished
artist, due to both being creative maestros in their
places like Colombe d’Or on the Cote d’Azur, and
own ways. The rise of the ‘art restaurant’ is not without
are worth millions. Now, the link between fine art and
controversy, with elitist murmurs expressing distaste at
fine dining manifests in a variety of ways: some res-
the apparently reductive nature of the munch’n’muse
taurants employ curators to conjure the desired ambi-
combo, but as we’ve discovered from talking to cura-
ence, others have their own artist-in-residence. The
tors and restaurateurs in cities across the globe, when
most impactful is when entire spaces get treated as an
done well, food and art can complement one another
installation, with diners participating in the art as they
very tastefully indeed.
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Artist plates at Lucio’s, Sydney
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Mark Hix, Tramshed, Hix Mayfair, Tramshed etc. London, UK Mark Hix—one of London’s best-known chefs, restaurateurs, and art lovers rolled into one—owns a multitude of restaurants across the city. One of these is Tramshed, in Shoreditch which boasts a bespoke Damien Hirst installation as the centerpiece: a Hereford cow and cockerel preserved in a glass tank of formaldehyde, floating four feet above a swathe of hipster diners. Much of the work that hangs in Hix’s restaurants comes from his friends, many of whom are YBAs and who create works specifically for his restaurants, or else come to his attention through his Cock’n’Bull Gallery, a subterranean space below Tramshed. Perhaps explaining his willingness to hang something as unsettling as a dead cow in the air, Hix states that he believes the work should “enhance the space but also stand in its own right as art. I’m not trying to curate an exhibition ‘in a restaurant’ nor am I just looking for art to put on the walls.”
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Francesca Gavin, Soho House London, UK After spending time researching emerging artists, doing studio visits and flitting from gallery to gallery, Francesca Gavin, the curator for London’s most popular members’ club Soho House, not only chooses the work, but places it all too, in what she describes as a “wonderful frenzy of salon hanging.” As a critic herself—she is currently the visual arts editor at British magazine Dazed & Confused, and has contributed to innumerable others—Gavin is aware that some in the art world regard the re-contextualisation of artworks into a social space such as a restaurant as a form of dumbing down. “The exhibitions I curate outside of Soho House are very different in approach, I admit,” she says. “However, I think art is something that should be integrated into life, not just something to be worshipped in a white cube. Having a coffee and daydreaming on the canvas next to you can be just as thoughtprovoking.”
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Lucio Galletto, Lucio’s Sydney, Australia “Food for me is an art,” declares Lucio Galletto. “The same passion and love goes into cooking a great meal and looking after people as into a piece of art. Combining the two is one of the most beautiful experiences you can have.” More than any of the other individuals we’ve interviewed, Galletto finds art and food to have a common soul, therefore should sit together bound by logic. The Sydney chef established his Italian restaurant in Paddington, Australia in 1983, and has been filling it with artwork ever since, courtesy of his friends in the art world, both locally and internationally. “The paintings change and move all the time,” he says. “We are running out of space on our walls so paintings have to be hung higher and closer together to allow more space. The walls are almost completely covered now so it is hard to fit in new pieces, but we always manage.” Although, perhaps considering practicalities, he adds: “We will have to move to the ceilings soon!”
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Bob Ramchand, La Petite Maison Beirut, Lebanon Much like the chicken-and-egg causality puzzle of old, we can sometimes ask: which came first, the restaurant or the art? An ensemble of six canvases by Lebanese artist Mansour El Habre was the starting point for designing the Middle East incarnation of cult Nice restaurant La Petite Maison, which also has a branch in London, and opened its Beirut doors last year. “We simply built the space around it!” says director Bob Ramchand, who counts the likes of Youssef Aoun and Ara Azad amongst his collection. Looking across the ocean, Ramchand asserts that he is always looking for artists from the South of France who represent the laid-back, understated luxury lifestyle of the French Rivera. “Ingenus, outspoken a bit disrespectful but oh-so talented,” he soliloquises, citing drawings from signature artist of the house Max Cartier, and Cacou, Annanou and Zebulon, who for Ramchand, do everything to add to his desired Mediterranean flavour.
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A Peek into the diary of Nicholas Chrisostomou In his latest diary entry for Selections, events consultant, Gulf regular and founder of new on line travel and lifestyle portal The Cultured Traveller takes us with him to London Fashion Week
Catwalk shows are complicated beasts. Every year in
fashion was already over. It turns out that the lady whose
February and September hundreds of thousands, some-
name I didn’t know was Hilary Alexander, who in 2013
times millions of dollars, are lavished on fifteen minutes
was made an Order of the British Empire by the Queen
of what can best be described as pure indulgence. I,
of England for her for services to fashion journalism. My
for one, enjoy wearing beautiful clothes, but getting up
bad. Fashion PR was obviously not my calling.
close and personal with the world’s style police can be a terrifying experience, so before you accept an invita-
Jump forwards 20 years to London Fashion Week Feb-
tion to attend a September fashion show in London, New
ruary 2014, where I was seated in the front row of a British
York, Paris, or Milan this year, you might like to think twice.
designer’s show, after having been plied with bottomless drinks and banging house ‘music’ while being kept wait-
154
I recall a day back in my youth when I was doing an in-
ing for two hours. Said designer’s name is used to mar-
ternship with top London fashion PR Beverley Cable.
ket everything from stunning clothes worn by the likes
Clutching my clipboard I waited nervously for the torrent
of Beyoncé, to department store ready-to-wear, cush-
of fashionistas to storm the venue for Maria Grachvogel’s
ions, vases and even yoghurts. What struck me as I sat
show, hunting their seats like wolves chasing rabbits. It
there, on the other side of the clipboard, was how much
was my job to seat the international fashion press. Now
worse it was being a guest. I felt the eyes of everyone
of course I know that Anna Wintour is the international
behind me burning into the back of my head. Nowhere
fashion press, but back then I barely knew the difference
had I ever before experienced so many fraught egos
between a tie and a cravat, let alone who wrote fash-
squeezed into one venue. And when the show eventu-
ion blurb for which publication. The first to approach me
ally started, few were interested in what came down the
was a bespectacled lady who promptly asked where her
runway, many bitched about the models or what so-and-
seat was. I had no idea who this person was (who it has
so was wearing, and the never-ending debate about
to be said was dressed like one of my aunties) so in my
size zero rambled on. So if you accept an invite to attend
best English I politely asked her name. This met with a
a fashion show next month, make sure you arrive glow-
cacophony of oohhs and aahhs from numerous fashion
ing and confident, wear an invisible body suit of fashion
assistants who couldn’t believe I had asked such a ques-
armour and have a sense of humour. Of course it’s best
tion. I was instantly relieved of my clipboard and ushered
to arrive on the arm of a celebrity and head for the front
to a chilly corner of the venue where I wouldn’t come into
row. Sitting anywhere else would be like holidaying in
human contact for the rest of the day. My short career in
Torremolinos when you packed for Mykonos.
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