Abu Dhabi: Portrait of a Nation, an exhibition showcasing the works of 20 Emirati artists reflecting on the UAE, opened its doors to the public at Emirates Palace Gallery on Sunday and will run until May 20 as part of Abu Dhabi Festival.
The exhibition is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF) by reflecting on the homeland and features a diverse range of visual artworks from large — scale indoor and outdoor sculptures to paintings, drawings, photographs, collages, videos and installations.
The exhibition and Abu Dhabi Festival were officially inaugurated by Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development. Shaikh Nahyan toured the exhibition and spent time speaking to the artists who explained their art and their inspiration.
The inauguration was also attended by Hoda Al Khamis-Kanoo, founder of ADMAF, and Michel Miraillet, ambassador of France to the UAE.
The opening of the exhibition was followed by a concert by French soprano Natalie Dessay and French baritone Laurent Naouri who put on a spectacular performance at Emirates Palace Auditorium.
The concert marked the opening of the festival’s live classic events and it also celebrated France as the country of honour at this year’s festival.
Speaking to Gulf News about France as the country of honour at the festival, the French ambassador said, “It is absolutely fantastic. For an ambassador it is always a matter of pride and also for my fellow 30,000 French citizens.”
The ambassador said that with the support of Khamis-Kanoo, over 100 free tickets for the festival were offered to French citizens in the UAE on social media, which were snatched up in a matter of minutes.
Speaking about the importance of the festival and other cultural investments that the UAE is involved in, Miraillet said, “At the moment when you see sites crumbling in Palmyra, in this country you have the love of culture, you see modern arts … it is moving and the leadership is encouraging that. At the same time they [UAE leadership] are creating the first universal museum since the creation of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, so where do you see this type of punch in the region? Nowhere. The message for the whole region but also for the European nations is this is fantastic, this is the place to be,” he added.
The evening also saw the award for The Gulf Capital-ADMAF Creativity presented to 22-year-old Jumanah Al Hashemi, a graphic design student from Zayed University, Dubai.
For more information visit www.abudhabifestival.ae
