A TIME TO REFLECT
Alexandra Chaves breaks down a new season of art to see you nicely into 2020
Art lovers can finally rejoice. The season is picking up again, with a series of exhibition openings and the highly anticipated inaugural Sharjah Architecture Triennial kicking off next week. Abu Dhabi Art will return this month for its 11th season, with new sections on Asian art and a line-up of interesting artists for its commissions programme. Here’s a rundown of what to see across the Emirates for the rest of the year and beyond.
Dubai ‘Nothing Looks the Same at Night’
Kazim Rashid’s latest video installation ventures into the deepest parts
of our psyche, where our secrets and unfiltered selves lie. As the title suggests, these sides of our characters are often explored after dark. The film’s non-linear narrative defies easy description, and Rashid conjures visions of forest fires and references to Mary Harron’s 1996 film I Shot Andy Warhol, based on the story of Valerie Solanas. The fragmented nature of Rashid’s film and his use of esoteric visual language asks viewers to pay close attention.
Monday, November 18 to Thursday, February 6; The Third Line, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz; www. thethirdline.com
Phantom Limb
Jameel Arts Centre’s thematic exhibition for the season considers how national identity is tied to material culture, including heritage sites and artefacts. What are the consequences for collective memory when those objects are destroyed or taken? Featuring 13 artists and collectives – including Forensic Architecture, Akram Zaatari, Kader Attia, Ali Cherri, Rayyanne Tabet and Pio Abad – the works in the show explore a variety of mediums, including sculpture, installation, video, photography and 3D rendering.
Until Saturday, February 15; Jameel Arts Centre, Jaddaf Waterfront; www.jameelartscentre.org
Between Floating Worlds
Using techniques of live drawing and animation, Syrian artist Kevork Mourad presents ink drawings that reflect on the struggles of migration, whether it is forced or voluntary, and the burden of remembrance for those moving to other lands. His process involves the transfer of very fine drawings from acetate to textile, which he proceeds to cut out and layer to create three-dimensional works that bear reference to Sumerian, Babylonian and Armenian designs.
Until Monday, January 6; Tabari Artspace, Gate Village 3, DIFC; www.tabariartspace.com
Composition for a Public Park
Spread across Jameel Arts Centre’s Jaddaf Waterfront, Sculpture Park is an arrangement of speakers, each dedicated to a specific instrument, sound or voice. They are clustered into three sections that represent three themed movements developed by the Egyptian artist and composer Hassan Khan. His work compels visitors to traverse the space as they listen to each of the movement’s musings, which touch on philosophy, seduction and politics.
Until Monday, June 8; Jameel Arts Centre, Jaddaf Waterfront; www.jameelartscentre.org
Tales of Thread
Textile art is the focus of Custot Gallery Dubai’s new show, featuring 25 tapestries and carpets created by modern and contemporary artists, including Pablo Picasso, Sonia Delaunay, Rene Perrot and Sheila Hicks. Known for his kinetic sculptures and celestial motifs, Alexander Calder also worked with textile, and one of his star tapestries is on view.
Monday, November 18 to Thursday, March 5; Custot Gallery, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz; www. custotgallerydubai.ae
Mantra
Known for his black granite sculptures, Egyptian-Armenian artist Armen Agop also produces drawings and paintings, and these will be shown for the first time in this exhibition. The title refers to Agop’s relationship to his practice, seeing his works as tangible outcomes of a metaphysical endeavour.
Monday, November 18 to Thursday, February 13; Meem Gallery, Umm Suqeim; www.meemgallery.com
Sharjah
Sharjah Architecture Triennial: Rights of Future Generations
The event begins with an opening programme of forums, screenings and performances across the emirate. Highlights include an Awakening Ceremony for the Ngurrara Canvas II,a large-scale Aboriginal painting that was used as evidence in a land claim case between the Ngurrara and the Australian government. There will also be an audio-visual presentation on reincarnation by Lawrence Abu Hamdan and a sound performance in Mleiha Fort by musician Nicolas Jaar. Themed Rights of Future Generations, the three-month-long event considers how the climate crisis has been shaped by intergenerational relationships, and what role architecture can play to address this.
Opening programme from Saturday, November 9 to Tuesday, November 12; Triennial runs until Saturday, February 8; www.sharjaharchitecture.org
Sunset, Sunrise
A retrospective of the work of the great Iranian artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian offers visitors deeper insights into her practice, with 70 works spanning more than six decades on view. Farmanfarmaian, who died at the age of 97 in April, was best known for her mirror mosaics, though she also produced drawings, jewellery and collages. Some will be shown for the first time.
Until Saturday, December 28; Al Hamriyah Studios, Sharjah Art Foundation; www.sharjahart.org
Marwan Rechmaoui: Slanted Squares
Lebanese artist Marwan Rechmaoui explores history through construction sites and structures. His latest show features three bodies of work that investigate infrastructure and objects of daily urban life. Using industrial materials such as concrete, rubber and glass,
Rechmaoui creates his series Pillars, which is made up of totem-like structures that look like fragments of a building that act as metaphors for urban archaeology.
Until Sunday, February 2; Sharjah Art Foundation; www.sharjahart.org
Music of Letters
Music and calligraphy blend gracefully in Bahman Panahi’s canvases. Trained as a musician and a visual artist, Panahi has developed his own individual style where his sweeping strokes bring to mind a musicality, and his use of colour a sense of orchestral harmony. With 30 works on view, the exhibitions present a wide range of the Iranian artist’s approach to calligraphy, whether it is to deconstruct letters to forms, or to unify characters, shapes and shades in a cohesive image.
Until Saturday, March 7; Sharjah Calligraphy Museum; www.sharjahmuseums.ae
Colour Bar: Colour, Space and Bits per Pixel
Curated by Emirati visual artist and video composer Hind bin Demaithan, this exhibition investigates the artist-audience relationship as mediated by social media, questioning how artwork is presented and perceived via virtual platforms. Expect surreal multimedia works by Ahmad Al Areef Al Dhaheri, Mansour Al Heera, Ahaad Al Amoudi and Fawaz Al Batati.
Until Saturday, November 30 at Maraya Art Centre; www.maraya.ae
Fashcultivate
The date palm is a traditional symbol of the Emirates, but it can also be a source of inspiration for designers, as seen in the commissioned pieces on view at 1971 – Design Space. Works range from a textile installation piece by Hessa Al Suwaidi to a voluminous dress with Emirati weaving patterns by Asma Al Mazrouie. As part of the exhibition, Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council has commissioned a research project on the use of the date palm as a sustainable material.
Until Saturday, February 8; 1971 – Design Space; www.1971design.ae
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi Art
The capital’s art fair is back for an 11th time, with 24 galleries participating in its modern and contemporary sections. This year, Abu Dhabi Art is introducing New Horizons, a section focusing on Asian art, specifically from China and India. The Beyond Emerging Artists programme will feature Ayesha Hadhir, Rawdha Khalifa Al Ketbi and Sheikha Fahad Al Ketbi, while Oliver Beer and Leandro Elrich have been selected for the commissions programme. Curator Paolo Colombo heads up this year’s Gateway, which will explore how everyday objects influence artist narratives.
Thursday, November 21 to Saturday, November 23; various locations including Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island; www.abudhabiart.ae
10,000 Years of Luxury
A massive exhibition of more than 350 objects, Louvre Abu Dhabi’s latest show takes a wide cross-cultural view of the history of luxury, from fashion, and art interior design. Highlights include the Abu Dhabi pearl, which dates back to 58005600 BC and was found on Marawah Island, and opulent dresses from French fashion houses such as Chanel and Christian Dior. The exhibition coincides with Comite Colbert, a series of initiatives exploring French luxury held across Abu Dhabi.
Until Tuesday, February 18; Louvre Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island; www.louvreabudhabi.ae
Structures of Impermanence
Centring on the bah-rah or water fountain found in Syrian architecture, the exhibition looks at how architecture carries social and cultural significance. In the case of the bahrah, for example, the structure often becomes a place for social interaction, and in time, engenders rituals and traditions. A series of fountains are installed inside the gallery, removed from the context of their common use. In this new environment, the viewer’s awareness is fixed on the object itself, baring its design and material in a new light.
Until Sunday, 29 December; Warehouse421, Mina Zayed; www.warehouse421.ae
Luminescence
In this survey exhibition of Najjat Makki’s work, themes of feminism and womanhood abound. The Emirati artist is a pioneer in the country’s art scene and has been practising for more than 40 years, experimenting with different styles and mediums. She is known for her elongated female figures, which became a prominent motif in her work from the 1990s. The show traces Makki’s work through seven sections, and provides that long overdue in-depth look at her practice.
Until Sunday, December 15; Cultural Foundation, Al Hosn; www.culturalfoundation.ae