GALLERIES REOPEN BUT WITH ADDED CAUTION AND CARE
▶ Art spaces are strictly abiding by government directives: introducing temperature checks, sanitisation and social-distancing measures. Alexandra Chaves has the details
As the UAE government eases lockdown restrictions, people are returning to public spaces, including parks and beaches, and business are beginning to reopen.
A few art galleries have also started returning to regular timings, replacing the appointment-only arrangement implemented around the end of April.
For most of these art spaces, the rules for entry are similar: masks must be worn at all times and a distance of two metres between people not from the same household or family must be maintained.
The National lists timings for galleries, as well as the measures being taken towards protecting visitors against Covid-19.
Maraya Art Centre
Located in Sharjah’s Shurooq complex, Maraya Art Centre resumed regular timings over Eid, operating from 10am to 7pm from Saturday to Thursday, and 4pm to 7pm on Fridays. Temperature checks will be conducted at the entrance and masks and gloves are required for visitors.
Only 10 people are allowed into the galleries at a time, and elevators are restricted to one passenger for each ride. Currently, the centre is exhibiting Shaikha Al Mazrou’s Rearranging the Riddle and the group show The Place I Call Home.
Jameel Arts Centre
Located along the Al Jaddaf Waterfront, this contemporary art institution is now open again, after being closed since March 16.
Jameel Arts Centre asks visitors to book a two-hour slot online before arriving, which allows it to monitor capacity. Beginning this week, the venue will be open daily except Tuesdays, from 10am to 6pm. Children aged below 12 and adults above the age of 60 are not allowed to visit as per UAE regulations.
Visitors here must also undergo a temperature scan at entry and wear masks. Each gallery has been designated a certain capacity, and the security staff will ensure this is maintained.
On view until November is Michael Rakowitz’s survey exhibition featuring large-scale installations that consider the ways architecture, artefacts and geopolitics intersect. In the lobby is Lubna Chowdhary’s Metropolis, a world of 1,000 ceramic structures that are vibrant and abstract. It is on display until October.
Next Wednesday, Jameel Arts Centre will present new iterations of its Artist’s Rooms series, with works by Larissa Sansour, Taysir Batniji and Lawrence Abu Hamdan.
Carbon 12
Presenting a solo exhibition of Andre Butzer, which features the German artist’s colourful and playful paintings, the gallery resumed its usual timings of Saturday to Thursday, 11.30am to 7pm.
The gallery says it is “maintaining government directives”, including ensuring that social distancing is maintained and there will be “frequent wipe-downs of common touch points”.
Five visitors are allowed at a time, with mandatory face masks. Hand sanitisers are also readily available, and temperature examinations are conducted at the entrance of Alserkal Avenue.
Gallery IVDE
Back to its pre-pandemic hours, Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde (IVDE) is now open from Saturdays to Thursdays, 10am to 6pm.
The space welcomes five people at a time, with masks required for all visitors and hand sanitisers available at the entrance. Temperature scans are conducted at the entrance of Alserkal Avenue in Al Quoz, where the gallery is located.
On view is Mohammed Kazem’s Infinite Angles, which features the Emirati artist’s new works on paper, including an installation comprised of a found door and his signature method of scratches on paper. The show also includes new hyperrealistic paintings.
Green Art Gallery
After reopening on May 31, the gallery is operating from Saturday to Thursday, 10am to 7pm. The usual measures apply, including the two-metre gap rule between people and the use of face masks. Temperature checks for Green Art is also completed at the gate of Alserkal Avenue.
On display is a group exhibition with recent works by Kamrooz Aram, Alessandro Balteo-Yazbeck, Hera Buyuktasciyan, Lubna Chowdhary and Ana Mazzei.
Gulf Photo Plus
Gulf Photo Plus is back to hosting photography workshops in its Al Quoz space, though with about 50 per cent reduced capacity as per the emirate-wide restrictions from the UAE government.
Teachers and students must have their faces covered for the duration of the class, with a distance of two-metres to be maintained at all times. Classrooms are sanitised after each session.
Visitors looking to purchase books and film at the space are asked to refrain from touching the products, and should ask for assistance from GPP staff instead.
In the gallery, GPP is currently presenting All What I Want Is Life, a photography exhibition that documents the protest movements that have swept the Middle East and North Africa in the past year.
thejamjar
The art studio and education centre, which typically offers workshops and classes in its space but has recently shared tutorials online, has reduced its timings to open only twice a week: Wednesdays and Saturdays, from 12pm to 6pm. Classes have not yet resumed, but visitors can use the studio for DIY painting sessions.
Temperatures will be scanned at the entrance, and visitors – who must be masked and gloved – will be required to sanitise their hands in the reception area. Children under the age of 6 are not allowed, and those aged 6 to 12 must be accompanied by a guardian.
Following social distancing rules, easels have been spaced two metres apart. All paint materials are washed after every use. Only 25 people are allowed inside the gallery at a time.