A curator explains what’s art got to do with it
Abu Dhabi-based Maya Allison — one of the region’s best-known names in art — tells us about what it takes to become an expert on Middle Eastern art
Curate: (tr) to be in charge of selecting, arranging, and presenting material (for an art exhibition or museum) — thefreedictionary.com
But curating is much more than that. It’s a passion, an obsession. Don’t the best curators often reach out for the sublime? To understand how the simple act of selecting elevated itself into art, we caught up with Maya Allison, founding director and chief curator of the art gallery at New York University Abu Dhabi. Allison’s exhibition opens on March 2 at the art gallery, and is (arcanely) called, “But We Cannot See Them: Tracing a UAE Underground, 1988-2008”. It focuses on a community of artists, sometimes called ‘the five’, an intersection of visual artists, writers, and filmmakers. In today’s interview for Expressions, Maya unravels the subtleties and facets of Middle Eastern art. Excerpts...
KT: We have been spammed by the word ‘curate’. We also curate news. But how does ‘curate’ play out in the world of art?
MA: Loosely defined, a curator can be simply someone who makes selections for a grouping, based on aesthetic or other information. However, in a museum, a curator must have several very specific skills and a distinct methodology. First, a curator is tasked with the care and interpretation of the art object. Interpretation includes conducting research on, and writing about, the making of the work, the historical context in which it was made, the artist’s motivations for making it, the physical processes, and finally, synthesising this research into presentations that help audiences better understand what they see.
KT: How deep do you go into a show to convey history and its message? You must be proud of the work that goes into it…
MA: Right now, I’m most proud of the show that we are installing as I write this, ‘But We Cannot See Them: Tracing a UAE Underground, 1988-2008’. It is an historical survey of a UAE community of artists and poets who supported each other’s creative development in ways that enabled them to thrive, and to become some of the most celebrated creative producers from the UAE, including Hassan and Hussein Sharif, Mohammed Kazem, Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, Abdullah Al Saadi, and Ebtisam Abdelaziz, but also the lesser-known members of that community. It will even have a reading and listening library of books and music that influenced this community.
KT: A curator’s task is never finished in today’s dramatically-changing world. How do you stay on top of trends?
MA: Trends are dangerous. I would say, in fact, a curator’s job is not to let trends distract him/ her from the important work of following the thread of artists and works that are especially crucial to that particular curator’s research. For me, artistic community is the single most important topic: from Duchamp to Warhol, from the Progressives in India to the so-called Group of Five in the UAE. Serious art historical breakthroughs regularly result from the artistic community.
KT: What goes behind the selection, orchestration and interpretation of a show? How do you select a theme?
MA: Most curators work in particular areas of expertise that arises in part from what they find most compelling. I’m particularly interested in connections among artists as points of inspiration. As chief curator at an academic museum, I think about sequencing exhibitions, I want to make sure that we don’t have two shows on similar topics in the same year. I look for subjects that feel deeply relevant to where we are. In particular, I am concerned with thematic links to the landscape, both built and natural, Arab and Islamic art history, and the many intersections and global dialogue that we see in art, specifically in the UAE. KT: The Middle East is suddenly ‘hot’ in the world of contemporary art. Everyone’s talking about its history and culture… MA: Different regions take turns being ‘hot’ — Russia, Latin America, China, and now here. I expect a lot of this results from political changes. For the last 15 years, the Middle East has been in the world news, people want to know more about it. Also, certain key institutions, like the Sharjah Art Foundation, have really drawn international attention to the deep talent and history of artistic production in the region.
KT: One last word… some advice, really. For someone who is just getting acquainted with Middle Eastern art, what are the must-attend shows?
MA: You absolutely cannot miss the Sharjah Art Biennial, curated by Christine Tohmé of Beirut’s Ashkal Alwan. She will have a perspective on art from the region, you will not find (such a) biennial anywhere else. For someone getting acquainted, this is a perfect place to start.
Of course, Art Dubai is a fantastic primer, particularly if you attend the Global Art Forum talks. Finally, a tour around Alserkal’s gallery district is a kind of who’s-who of Middle Eastern diaspora artists, most of whom are represented by these galleries.