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The Tree of Life in Monashat’s Corona Age.
Muhammad Yusuf Featured Writer
Abu Dhabi Art (ADA) has announced that Abed Al Kadiri, multidisciplinary artist, publisher, curator and co-founder and director of Lebanese publisher Dongola Limited Editions, has been named guest curator of its annual Beyond: Emerging Artists programme (11 16 – Jan. 20). 22, 2023) Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi.
As part of the year-round event, Al Kadiri will mentor three emerging Emirati artists – Majd Alloush (Syria), Sarah Al Mehairi (UAE) and Mohamed Khalid, as they create new commissioned works that will be exhibited at the art fair for ten January. Each artist will explore concepts of boundaries, homes, man-made territories, and geographic maps, with a special focus on the artist’s books.
The Beyond project will run concurrently with an iteration of Al Kadiri’s acclaimed pandemic project Cities Under Quarantine: The Mailbox Project, which will travel to Al Ain and be exhibited at Qasr Al Muwaiji (16 November to 22 January 2023) ), coinciding with the opening of the show.
It features more than 50 prominent Arab artists, including Dia Al-Azzawi, Mona Saudi, Mohammad Omar Khalil and Mohammad Kazem, who have drawn inspiration from their unique experiences of isolation during the COVID-19 lockdown to create their work.
Artists were deprived of their studio practice of using canvas or sculpture and embraced another, perhaps more intimate, medium: the artist’s book. Each artist is given a book of their choice – a Leporello or a hand-sewn sketchbook – ready to fill their work.
Dyala Nusseibeh, Director of ADA, said: “Our annual Beyond: Emerging Artists programme aims to propel Emirati artists forward at an international level, enabling them to create ambitious projects under the guidance of guest curators and with funding and opportunities provided by the department. New work on Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.”
“In this edition, I hope to spark an in-depth conversation, weaving the works of the three artists together, while approaching the exhibition with a new perspective by focusing on the artist’s book-making practice,” said Al Kadiri, whose work focuses on translation The concept of violence investigates repressed personal and collective traumatic experiences while emphasizing the destruction of cultural heritage transfer and belonging.
As a director of Dongola, which he co-founded in 2017, he helps create limited-edition artist books that provide unconventional perspectives on art and contemporary themes in the MENASA region by collaborating with artists, writers and designers. Dongola Limited Editions is a leading publishing house positioning the artist’s book as a contemporary practice of art and aesthetics from the Arab world.
Born in Beirut, Al Kadiri double majored in Arabic literature and fine arts. His work is held in British Museum (London), Institut du Monde Arabe (Paris), World Bank (Washington, DC), Arab Foundation (Kuwait) and private collections.
Despite coming from different backgrounds and employing different artistic practices, the three artists selected by Beyond all explore themes of identity in their work. Alloush’s work spans multiple disciplines, including printmaking, sculpture, photography, moving image, installation and performance. His practice challenges notions of boundaries in concept, content and medium by exploring geopolitics and social and environmental issues such as the aftermath of war and displacement.
He says he finds himself “rethinking the term ‘digital cartography’ and the general meaning behind cartography. I hope to create works that delve into the notion of boundaries, dismantling and questioning these notions of the lines that divide us.”
Khalid examines the materiality of everyday objects for their metaphorical potential; he dissects the irony of his everyday environment with mundane material. He may begin his work in jest, but it develops into a coherent formula with philosophical content that reveals the relationship between his subjects and their relevance to humanity.
Al Mehairi was born in Abu Dhabi in 1998, where she currently lives and works. Her work explores the push and pull of materials to evoke a story that is both hidden and revealed. She investigates her presence in changing environments, breaking them down, weaving fact and fiction to build a language while exploring interrelationships. “I’m particularly excited about using scale and new forms in my practice and going through the process of translating it into an artist’s book,” she commented.
Beyond: Emerging Artists is an annual programme launched in 2017; the programme provides three emerging artists in the UAE with a platform to develop their practice and realize ambitious artistic projects. Selected artists are selected annually by guest curators. They undertook a year-long programme of workshops and studio visits initiated by guest curators, which led to the realization of the project at Art Abu Dhabi in November.
The works are still on display to the public several months after the show date. Nusseibeh has been the ADA Director since 2016. ADA goes beyond the traditional art fair concept with a strong emphasis on diverse public engagement programs, including art installations and exhibitions, lectures, and events at various locations throughout the year.
The year-long program culminates in November’s ADA event, which provides participating galleries with an important sales platform while also offering them the opportunity to showcase their artists’ installations and site-specific works to a broad audience. The Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi) promotes the sustainable development of Abu Dhabi’s culture and tourism.
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