@AbuDhabiArt Extensive Range of UAE Artists – from Emerging to Established – A Pervasive Presence in Abu Dhabi Art 2013 Programming

Resilient participation by UAE artists cements steadfast evolution of home grown art and cultural significance

A diverse range of UAE art and artists – from emerging to established talents – pervade the programming of Abu Dhabi Art’s fifth edition through design, visual and performance art.

Works by Khalid Al Banna, Afra bin Dhaher, Lamya Gargash, Mohammed Kazem, Dr. Najat Makki, Fatema Al Mazrouie, Abdul Qader Al Rais, Hoor Al-Qasimi, Hassan Sharif, and Hussain Sharif, along with pieces by Sheikha Alyazia Nahyan Al Nahyan will be exhibited throughout the multiple platforms of Abu Dhabi Art 2013, including the fair element as well as its surrounding public programme.

Abu Dhabi Art’s Design Programme returns this year with a focus on architecture, a major discipline that has an important and long-standing connection with the region, inspiration found from the early wind-towers through to today’s contemporary high-rises. The Abu Dhabi Art Design Souq will be held inside a specially-designed mobile structure, hosting demonstrations and interactive displays by a range of artists including Mohammed Mandi, Azza Al Qubaisi and artisans from Intangible Cultural Heritage, and designers from the UAE and abroad, highlighting different notions of sustainability, handicraft, and the unique materiality and aesthetics of the UAE.

The Abu Dhabi Art Design Programme continues to support and promote young UAE artists through the Wings Project, a unique initiative that invites emerging artists and designers to recreate the Abu Dhabi Art ‘wing’ logo in their own style. Winners for the Wings Projects 2013 are: Maryam Al Fahim, Khalid Mahmood, Kaltham Al Marzouqi, Rahma Al Mehairbi, Eman Al Raesi and Mariam Al Shamsi. Their winning designs will be exhibited across the international platform throughout Abu Dhabi Art’s branding and merchandise sold in Abu Dhabi Art’s boutique store Artyfact. Products will also be sold from Emirati designers Hajer Abdullah Al Tenaiji, Hajer Hamad Al Hajri, Hessa and Fatima Al Joker, Hind Al Jeraishi, Luluwa Khalfan Almehairbi and Shaima Abdul Rahman Al Marzooqi.

The new performing arts platform, Durub Al Tawaya, presents a synthesis between daily life in Abu Dhabi and artistic events of performance, public art and installations. Durub Al Tawaya refers to the Emirati term tawaya (points of respite where desert travellers could find underground water springs). These sites will present a series of activities and performances around the city from artists and poets including Afra Al Dhahri, Zeinab Al Hashmi, Salem Al Qassimi, Hamdan Al Shamsi, Aita Ben Masaaoud, Nora Noman, Mobius Studio designers Hadeyeh Badri, Hala Al-Ani, Riem Hassan and an evening of poetry will run in collaboration with UAE Writers Union.

“Abu Dhabi’s cultural landscape has evolved over the last five years, due in consideration to the constructive progression and driving force of Emirati talent. This has contributed significantly to the development of our society we live in today through substantial research efforts and hard work,” says HE Mubarak Hamad Al Muhairi, Director General, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority.

“With founders of art societies, conceptual artists and thinkers, international gallery and biennale participants, a cultural setting was established. The next generation, through inspiration and guidance, has contributed to the essence of the art scene in the UAE. Abu Dhabi Art provides the platform to showcase these talents, side by side with established Emirati and global artists, designers and performers. Talent from the Emirates enhances Abu Dhabi Art and reflects the culture and heritage of the county alongside the current climate of contemporary art.”

An Abu Dhabi Art Interview will be held in the form of a round-table discussion with interns from the 2013 UAE National Pavilion at la Biennale di Venezia. Called Venice Internship - The Future, the talk will include a short introduction to the programme, personal experiences by recent participants, and a look at what lies ahead, followed by a Q&A with the audience and speakers Munira Al Sayegh, Moza Al Matrooshi, Ahmad Al Areef and Mohammed Al Serkal.

In addition, a panel called Full Artist Circle during Abu Dhabi Art and as part of the upcoming Emirati Expressions exhibition brings together artists who participated in the past two Emirati Expressions: Abdul Qader Al Rais, Dr. Najat Makki, Jalal Luqman, Sumayyah Al Suwaidi and Mattar bin Lahej. It will be moderated by Reem Fadda the Associate Curator, Middle Eastern Art, Abu Dhabi Project, Solomon R. Guggenheim and Venetia Porter, Curator Islamic and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art, British Museum. The artists on this panel share a history of education, mentorship and efforts to establish a solid infrastructure for the arts in the UAE. This Full Artist Circle will bring together multiple voices to trace the correlations and variations between their practices and experiences, discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead, and outline the important historical points in the history of art in the UAE.

The next edition of Emirati Expressions which opens on 30 October and runs throughout Abu Dhabi Art under the heading Realised, presents commonalities in visual languages and art practice of Emirati artists, highlighting a linked history of connected experiences. The participating artists are Abdullah Al Saadi, Ebtisam Abdulaziz, Layla Juma, Mohammad Al Mazrouei, Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim and Mohammed Kazem. The 2013 exhibition is the latest in the Emirati Expressions series, and is curated by Reem Fadda, Associate Curator for Middle Eastern Art, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Project, with Maisa Al Qassimi, Programmes Manager, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and is held at Gallery One, Manarat Al Saadiyat.

Abu Dhabi Art organised by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority is an annual platform for modern and contemporary art and design to be held from 20-23 November 2013. The event is sponsored by Julius Baer, the leading Swiss private banking group with a focus on serving and advising sophisticated private clients. Abu Dhabi Art is held at Manarat Al Saadiyat and the iconic UAE Pavilion on Saadiyat Island.