A new perspective of Dubai

French painter, sculptor and engraver Claude Guénard’s work is about questioning, and debunking cultural references. Through his playful interventions on images taken from art and fashion magazines, the artist deconstructs and remodels familiar figures and popular iconography to create amusing, yet thought provoking paintings that confront archetypes of our society. His bold lines and quirky forms dominate the printed backgrounds in his artworks highlighting the contrast between the real world and the constructed world depicted in glossy magazines to reveal the hidden motivations of our society.

The artist is familiar with Arab culture because he was a professor at the University des Arts in Tunis for 10 years, but he had never been to Dubai till the opening of his first show here presented by Alliance Française Dubai. However, his artworks in the show, titled “Gold Up”, beautifully capture the ethos of the city.

Using his tactics of diversion and derision, Guénard has manipulated images of Dubai that he found in magazines and on the internet to create playful works. He has integrated perfume bottles, watches, jewellery, bags and shoes from well known international brands into comical portraits; depicted the Burj Al Arab as the tongue of a pop figure; and transformed Dubai’s skyscrapers into giraffes, giant lipsticks, stiletto-clad legs, or potted plants. The witty artworks present a lighthearted, new perspective of the city, while commenting on various sociocultural aspects of modern society such as rapid urbanisation and the rampant growth of consumerism.

Jyoti Kalsi is an arts-enthusiast based in Dubai.

“Gold Up” will run at Plantation, Sofitel Dubai Jumeirah Beach, until April 30.