UAE | Heritage and Culture
Art of the matter
With 68 galleries from 30 countries participating, Art Dubai has made.
- By Vinita Bharadwaj, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 00:38 March 20, 2008
- Artist Alex Flemming from Brazil with his creation, Flying Carpets.
- Image Credit: Karl Jeffs/Gulf News
Art Dubai got off to a grand start on Tuesday evening as participants, art-lovers and the spotlight regulars arrived for a patrons' preview.
Even the unimaginative PR ploy of launching whispers on the 50-50 possibility of Tom Cruise and Hugh Grant showing up,couldn't steal Art Dubai's thunder.
Art, they came for and art, they got.
With 68 galleries from 30 countries participating, Art Dubai is not limited to hall spaces with exhibits. Set in the Madinat Jumeirah, the galleries are divided into two halls and originate - really - from all over the world.
Additionally, special projects and initiatives are scattered across the complex, ensuring there's art all around you. Art Dubai runs until Saturday and also includes panel discussions and interviews.
If you still need more than a gentle nudge to visit, tabloid! picks out its "don't-misses'' of Art Dubai.
Khalil Chishtee, Art Park
Art Dubai's Art Park is an underground enclosure within the Madinat Jumeirah's basement carpark. Mainly a video zone, you can't miss Khalil Chishtee's white plastic people. He calls it pure,but at first glance it's almost eerie - underground setting and all.
Made simply by knotting white rubbish bags,Khalil,who lives in San Francisco,says his series is based on the various postures taken on unconsciously by train-commuters. Without any wiring or support, Khalil's art is quite remarkable particularly in the way he's shaped finer details such as books and shoes.
"White,because I'm beginning to wonder what's reality. Is the virtual world real or are we real? White is the only thing that strikes me as pure anymore,'' he says philosophically.
And transporting the figures? "Oh,not a problem at all I just made them and tossed them into a suitcase. There's no fear of getting crumpled,'' he says with a laugh.
Durriya Kazi, Pakistan Pavilion
We had to mention the Pakistan Pavilion, only because the special group show titled Desperately Seeking Paradise is really that good.
Durriya Kazi's evocative work "Witness'' can be easily missed, but once spotted,passers-by don't just pass by. Her piece depicts the images of two ravaged-by-war bodies. Keep your eyes open for this one. It's worth it.
Huma Mujli, Pakistani Pavilion
And lo! There's a real camel uncomfortably stuffed into a large suitcase. Of course,the camel is dead. And Huma is happy to share her story of sourcing the skin from a slaughterhouse. "Apparently camel meat is eaten in Pakistan. I didn't know that,'' she says.
Post-stuffing by a taxidermist, "Leila'' was packed into a suitcase to create what Huma describes as a "hyper-real'' piece. She has two other pieces - also in suitcases - which are her tributes to the Pakistani labourers in Dubai.
She uses what she calls "Muslim showers'' to play audio clips of two sides of the Dubai story. The gold-plated showers are coiled into her baggage and emerge in the shape of a date-palm. One shower relays the dreams of labourers in Pakistan desperate to be in Dubai and the other contains the voices of labourers in Dubai longing to return for their families.
Gonwar Gyatso,Rossi and Rossi
Tibetan artist Gonwar Gyatso is the main focus at the Rossi and Rossi stand. Gonwar's three main works include a series of self-portraits that introspect his identity with respect to Tibet's history, a Western shirt adapted to suit a Buddhist god and a series of the word God in various scripts embellished with loud stickers and the artist's subtle statements on the world.
In the quest for himself, Gonwar says he belongs to the "new generation of Tibet.'' Describing his identity as one that is far from the Western concept of a "Tibetan'', Gonwar still "feels emotionally and physically Tibetan.''
International Galleries
The presence of galleries from countries such as South Korea and Brazil makes for an interesting heads-up on what artists elsewhere are up to. Gallery directors and owners are extremely happy to chat about the movements in their countries.
South Korea's Sun Gallery also has a contemporary space and the proprietor, Joan Lee laughs at one passer-by's surprise that it's not all digital in the Far East.
"Our artists are into so many forms and mediums. And they're not afraid to make statements,'' she says.
Although they've brought works that they believe would be of interest to the Arab market – "We brought less figurative and some gold-plated works,'' says Lee – they also have catalogues and information on hand about other artists.
You might even get lucky and meet the artists as we did with Alex Flemming from Brazil,whose "Flying Carpets'' is his take on East meeting West. "It's like my anti-Bush statement,'' he says of the planes, which are decorated with Oriental rugs and carpets.
"It's a multi-identity and not right or fair to narrow it down to one layer,'' he says.
Art across town
Should you miss Art Dubai,the Creek Art Fair in Bastakiya is a lovely parallel event to the big fair. Set in the heritage site,XVA Gallery has curated the fair and brought the district alive with a whole bunch of art and culture activities and events. The fair runs until March 31 and more details are available on www.creekartfair.com
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