Collectors' edition
The Samawi cousins offer viewers a peek into the minds of artists they have grown to love
Samawi Collection II is an exhibition that offers art lovers a rare opportunity to enjoy museum-quality, cutting-edge artworks from a private collection. It features a selection of installations, photographic and video art from the collection of Dubai-based collectors and gallerists Khalid Samawi and Hesham Samawi. The artworks, by emerging and established artists from the region and from France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Korea, Russia and the United States, provide a comprehensive look at the interesting and exciting developments in contemporary photography and conceptual art. The Samawis have also published a catalogue documenting the show, which is available free to all visitors.
The Samawi cousins, who are from Syria, are the owners of the Ayyam Art Centre in Dubai and Ayyam galleries in Dubai, Damascus and Beirut that nurture and promote upcoming and established artists from this region through exhibitions, residencies, publications, art auctions and the Shabab Ayyam Project. They believe in sharing their collection with art lovers through public exhibitions. Their inaugural exhibition last year featured 50 paintings by Arab artists, offering an overview of the history and evolution of contemporary Arab art. This show, featuring new media and technology and international artists, presents another aspect of their collection.
"We buy art that inspires and moves us. Although our galleries exclusively promote Middle Eastern art, we appreciate and collect art from around the world. The three rules we follow while buying art are — buy what we love and feel proud to own; buy only what we can afford; and buy from a respected gallery or artist. We exhibit our collection because we feel there is no point in having artworks if we do not share them. And we document and archive the artworks and distribute the catalogue for free to educate people," Hesham says.
The artworks in this show include work by leading names such as Newsha Tavakolian, Sadegh Tirafkan, Meera Huraiz, Halim Al Karim, Shirin Neshat, Richard Mosse, Philipe Dudouit, Sama Al Shaibi, Brad Downey, Sadik Al Fraji, Matthew Carver, Tammam Azam and Huguette Caland. The themes include gender issues, suppression in society, the effects of war, the transmission and loss of culture, and the influence of media on modern society.
The highlights include several thought-provoking installations. MAD: A Happy Explosion — by Lebanese artists Rima Chahrour and Michel Ayoub, featuring smiling, deformed figures in the back of an exploded car is a cynical comment on the madness of rebellions. Syrian artist Thaer Marouf's headless figure in Missing Identity questions the validity, symbolism and the meaning of a national identity. Amal Kenawy from Egypt explores the journey of a girl to womanhood and the forces that tie her down through an installation of legs amputated at the knee and decorated with butterflies and bows.
Other pieces that stand out include works by two South Korean artists. Seon Ghi Bahk's Existence Stairs is a staircase and frame composed of charcoal pieces suspended on translucent nylon fibres that refers to the various stages of life. And Chul-Hyun Ahn's Void Platfrom uses optical illusion to create an abyss in the gallery floor to explore the gap between the conscious and subconscious.
Among the striking photographic works is a picture of Queen Elizabeth, captured by Syrian photojournalist Ammar Abd Rabbo; works from Lebanese artist Rania Matar's iconic A Girl in Her Room series, looking at the private spaces of teenage girls in the US and the Arab world; and several works from Saudi Arabian artist Manal Al Dowayan's well known I Am series, exploring the aspirations and fears of Saudi women.
Another engaging and entertaining work is American artist Gregory Scott's video installation At The Beach. It combines traditional oil painting, HD video and archival digital printing to create illusion and takes viewers on a witty investigation of perception and human conditions of play, desire, identity and melancholy.
But perhaps the work that defines this show is Syrian artist Ammar Al Beik's installation Coloured Earth, which questions the definition of art by drawing parallels between modern art and the work of artisans who paint houses.
Jyoti Kalsi is an arts-enthusiast based in Dubai.
Samawi Collection II will run at the Ayyam Art Centre, Al Quoz, until April 26.
