Harpers Bazaar Art - November-December 2015

6 | Harper’s BAZAAR ART | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2015

CONTENTS

ART NEWS18 From a preview of Istanbul’s Art International, the opening of Fondazione Prada in Milan to the Zayed Museum’s new acquisitions, here is our round-up of art news

THE FEATURESLALLA ESSAYDI

32 The artist’s Moroccan Women of the InteriorJAOU

38 A tunisian art adventureSHANGRI-LA

40 An islamic haven in HawaiiEDWARD SUTCLIFFE

42 The British painter’s portraits

MUSTAFA ALI

46 The Syrian artist’s poignant sculptures

IN CONVERSATIONSARA RAZA

28 Conversations with the Guggenheim UBS MAP curator

MUSTAFA ALI’S THE GUILLOTINE

EXPECTATIONS OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE ARAB WORLD. 2008. WOOD. 100 X

275 X 180 CM

SHANGRI-LAAN OASIS FOR ISLAMIC ART AND CREATIVITY

The S ixth B iennial H amad bin K halifa Symposium on Islamic A rt November 7– 9, 2015 in Doha, Qatar

www.islamicartdoha.org

By the Pen and What They WriteWriting in Islamic Art and Culture

By the Pen and What They Write will convene thirteen speakers who will give original presentations on the topic of writing in Islamic art and culture. For more information or to register, please visit: www.islamicartdoha.org

the hamad bin khalifa symposium on islamic art, chaired by Sheila S. Blair and Jonathan M. Bloom, is a leading international conference on Islamic art and culture. Sponsored by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of the Arts, VCUQatar, Qatar Foundation and Hamad bin Khalifa University.

saturday, november 7 | 18:00 – 19:30Al Rayyan Theater, Souq WaqifReception and Opening Ceremony followed by Sheila Blair, Keynote Address – Writing as Signifier of Islam

sunday, november 8 | 9 – 16:00Auditorium of the Museum of Islamic ArtRobert Hoyland, Angelika Neuwirth, Hugh Kennedy, Dana Sajdi, Ludvik Kalus, Huda Smitshuijzen Abifares

monday, november 9 | 9 – 17:00Auditorium of the Museum of Islamic ArtJonathan Bloom, Kristine Rose Beers, Massumeh Farhad, Heba Barakat, Nasser Al-Salem


THE EXCHANGECHANEL 3D

76 Karl Lagerfeld’s 3D haute couture suitCHINA THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

80 A meeting of east and west, fashion and art at The MetLOUIS VUITTON’S

LA GALERIE

84 The Maison’s new art gallery opens in Asnières

ZEGNA ART

88 A meeting of fashion, art, food and performance

FERRAGAMO EXHIBITION

92 A tale of shoes, a palazzo and the city of Florence

CONTENTSLA PHOTOGRAPHIETHE DEVIL MAY CARE

50 Photographs that take risksHASSAN HAJJAJ

52 Morocco’s Andy Warhol

POURAN JINCHI54 The Iranian artist’s upcoming show Black and Blue

MIDDLE EASTERN COLLECTORS + ARTISTS56 Conversations on the importance of collecting and the meaning of art

K AMIAR MALEKI68 On the collector’s fi rst exhibition Hashtag Abstract

WOMEN ART

POWER70 The world of

Christie’s art consultant, curator

and art advisor Dina Nasser-

Khadivi


IMPRESSIONS OF SAMARKAND ARCHITECTURE.Patchwork pano, 375 x 370 cm.

VYACHESLAV ‘YURA’ USEINOV – SOLO SHOW – MIXED THREADS VERNISSAGE: SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 AT 7PM IN ALIF ART GALLERY Exhibition will run until November 20, 2015

S P O N S O R E D B Y :

ALIF ART GALLERY

WWW.ALIFARTGALLERY.AE +971 4 385 9897


CONTENTS

THE REVIEWS96 Venice Biennale

100 Art Basel104 Frieze New York

106 Shubbak108 Shirin Neshat

110 Mona Hatoum112 Home Ground

114 Ammar Al Attar

STUDIO VISIT

MONA SAUDI

116 the artist’s Beirut sculpture garden

MONA SAUDI THE SEED. 2007. LEBANESE MARBLE. 25 X 22.5 X 22.5 CM. Courtesy of Lawrie Shabibi and the artist.

MY EAST IS YOUR WESTAN INSTALLATION SHOT OF WORK BY SHILPA GUPTA. 2015. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK BLOWER.


ART INSTAGRAM127 Arty restaurants

FLASH128 Harper’s Bazaar Art in New York

ART ESCAPE129 Oslo’s art scene

LAST LOOK130 Adel Abidin on his art and his

microphones

BOOK REVIEWS118 TALKING ART

If art could speak what would it say? These books let you know.

EXHIBITIONISM

120 A selected round-up of current

and upcoming Middle Eastern

art exhibitions around the

world

AISHA KHALID, YOU APPEAR IN ME, I IN

YOU. 2015.GOUACHE ON

PAPER,GOLD LEAF, ACRYLIC BOX, 30X30X30 CM

FROM THE EXHIBITION MINOR HEROISMS. Courtesy of Galeri

Zilberman

MONA HATOUM. Over My Dead Body. 1988. Billboard

and ink on paper. 204 x 304 cm. © Courtesy of the Artist © Courtesy Galerie Max

Hetzler Paris Berlin.


ContributorsLUCIAN HARRIS

Dr. Lucian Harris is a British journalist and an art historian who has written extensively on the South Asian and Middle Eastern art markets. His PhD was on British collecting of Indian art in the era of East India Company rule. He has contributed to publications including The Art

Newspaper, Apollo, Art & Auction, the Burlington Magazine, and Art India. He recently relocated

back to London after six years in New Delhi.

ISABELLA ELLAHEH HUGHES is a curator, critic, and co-founder of the Honolulu

Biennial Foundation, which will present the Honolulu Biennial, launching in 2017. Based between Abu

Dhabi and Honolulu, she’s written for a variety of publications including, ArtAsiaPacific, Brownbook,

Contemporary Practices, Frieze, and Ibraaz, amongst others. Most recently she served as editor

of the monograph, Sama Alshaibi: Sand Rushes In (2015), published by

Aperture Foundation and editor of Barjeel Art Foudation’s 5th

anniversary exhibition catalogue, aide-mémoire: footnotes (Part II).

LAURA EGERTONLaura Egerton is a freelance curator and art historian from London, based in Dubai. She works as curator at Lawrie Shabibi Gallery, Dubai and is currently co-editing a monograph on the artist Nadia Kaabi Linke. Laura worked for Art Dubai for seven years and was the curator of the Abraaj Group Art Prize. She received MA’s from Cambridge University and the Courtauld Institute of Art and previously worked for the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice.

SIMON BOWCOCK’S photographs have appeared

in titles ranging from The Guardian to The British

Journal of Photography to Time Out. He writes

about art for magazines and

other media in Austria, France, America, the Middle East (where he used to live) and the UK (where he lives now). He has a first degree

in Middle Eastern studies from Oxford University and a second degree in

Photography.

MARINA IORDAN is a contemporary art consultant and writer based in the UAE. She regularly contributes to a number of publications which all have Middle Eastern culture as common thread. Her most recent articles were published in Selections Magazine, Contemporary Practices, and Aesthetica Magazine. In her blog, My Velvet Instant, she explores the art scene in and out of Dubai, focusing on contemporary art from the Middle East and Arab world.

SARAH HASSANis a writer, editor and dancer. Her work has appeared in publications and on websites such as Fine Art Connoisseur, Treats!, Artwrit, Haute Living, ReOrient, Coilhouse and the fine art catalogs of Bonhams auction house. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, where she has also served on the guest faculty, sarah now lives in New York City.


JOOBIN BEKHRADAn award-winning writer, Joobin Bekhrad (BBA, MSc.) is the founder

and Editor of REORIENT, a publication celebrating contemporary Middle Eastern arts and culture. He has contributed to such publications as

the Cairo Review of Global Affairs, Christie’s, Canvas, Encyclopaedia Iranica, and Songlines, seen his articles translated into Arabic, Italian,

and Norwegian, among other languages, and interviewed personalities including Parviz Tanavoli, Ziad Doueiri, Mohammad Rasoulof, Joana

Hadjithomas, and Khalil Joreige. Writing about visual art, literature, music, and film, many of his articles focus on themes such as rock and roll,

Orientalism, and the experience of being caught between two cultures. Joobin is also the author of a new translation of Omar Khayyam’s poems

from Persian into English. He is currently based in Toronto, Canada.

SIMON COATES

is an English artist, writer and curator living and working in Dubai. He runs the

Middle Eastern office of the Hungry Castle artist collective and is behind Tse

Tse Fly, the region’s first ever platform devoted to sound art and experimental

music. He has also contributed to Contemporary Practices and Guernica.

NICOLA BAIRD is a freelance writer based in East London who, aside from working as researcher at the Ben Uri Gallery, blogs about the best the big smoke has to offer in terms of literary, visual and cultural happenings. She has written on Modern British art for Christie’s, enigmatic Italian artist, Alighiero Boetti’s iconic Aerei series for Sorbet magazine, and contemporary Middle Eastern art for Reorient, among many other contributions. Baird previously worked at Christie’s, Gazelli Art House, Saatchi Gallery and White Cube.

RAJESH PUNJI is London based art critic, correspondent and

curator, with as an academic background in European and American art history and curating

from Warwick University, and Goldsmiths College respectively. He has a specialist interest in Asia and

the Middle East, and is currently correlating a volume of selected interviews with leading international

artists, collectors, and gallerists from India; due for publication in 2017. Punj is regularly commissioned by international publications, including Art Paper (Beirut),

Art&Deal (New Delhi), and Sedition (London). He has also written extensively on the emerging art markets, and has curated internationally.

DR. SHIVA BALAGHI is a scholar and curator specializing in modern and contemporary visual culture of the Middle East. She is Curatorial Director and Director of International Programs at Leila Heller Gallery and a Visiting Scholar of art history at Brown University. She has taught at NYU and Brown University. Her articles have appeared in Artforum, Ibraaz, Canvas, Iranian Studies, Jadaliyya and MERIP. She recently co-curated the retrospective of Parviz Tanavoli’s art at the Davis Museum and wrote an essay for the catalogue for Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian’s exhibit at the Guggenheim, NY. Her books include Picturing Iran: Art, Society and Revolution.

ELISABETA TUDOR Born in a small village in Romania,

Elisabeta grew up in France and Germany. Her interest in writing was inspired by a stint at Sleek magazine

five years ago. Today, she works as a journalist and consultant in Paris,

and writes about fashion and art for international publications, such as Vogue Italia, Nowfashion, Style.

com/Arabia, Indie Magazine, and Kunstzeitung, among many others.

VICTORIA TOWNSENDBorn and raised near Toronto, Canada, Victoria majored in French Literature at McGill University in Montreal. After several years in Monaco, Bahrain and Jordan where she worked with advertising agencies and read the evening news on English language TV, she is now settled in France as a correspondent for international business and lifestyle magazines. These include Al Iktissad Wal Aamal; Al Hasna’a; Arabian Watches & Jewellery; Bespoke, and Haute Time. Editorial interests range from watches and jewelry to fashion, perfumes and cosmetics.

Contributors


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HARPER’S BAZAAR ART ARABIA EDITORIAL

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF REBECCA ANNE PROCTOREDITORIAL ASSISTANT JESSICA MILEK

ART EDITOR KELLY MASSIEISSUE ART DIRECTOR DOMINIKA DURTAN

INTERNS FELICITY STOKES AND MALVIKA STROFF

CONTRIBUTORSJOOBIN BEKHRAD, NICOLA BAIRD,SHIVA BALAGHI, SIMON

BOWCOCK , SIMON COATES, LAURA EGERTON, LUCIAN HARRIS, SARAH HASSAN, ISABELLA ELLAHEH HUGHES, MARINA IORDAN, RAJESH PUNJ, VICTORIA TOWNSEND,

ELISABETA TUDOR

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NASSER-KHADIVI, LAUREN POLLOCK, NIGEL RUBENSTEIN, AND KATRINA WEBBER ASHOUR

CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN Sweet Charity Python Vulcano, AED11,990

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2015 | Harper’s BAZAAR ART | 17

n admirable female artist takes center stage in this issue. Gracing our cover is the last panel in Lalla Essaydi’s triptych Bullets Revisited

#3. The work of the Moroccan artist, who is currently based in New York, examines the identity of the Muslim woman. Recalling the style of turn of the century Orientalist painters, Essaydi utilizes a unique

performance-based medium whereby she merges painting, interior design, stage directing and photography. She then applies layers of text written by hand with henna and in Islamic calligraphy to the faces of her subjects. Her

works of starry-eyed long black haired beautiful women question the representation of Arab female identity. The result are subjects that are in a state of in-betweenness — oscillating from east and west, tradition and modernity.

Elsewhere the plea to break free from engrained stereotypes and cultural innuendos is explored in a review on the Middle East at the 56th Venice Biennale. Okwui Enwezo’s All the World’s Futures had much to say about the state of the world today and while the art that was featured was not exceptionally uplifting, its success was found in its raw and uneasy experience. It was an urgent cry for help and for humanity.

On a lighter note, this edition of Harper’s Bazaar Art also marks our fi rst special feature on Middle Eastern artists and collectors. Five eminent collectors from the region were selected to pick an artist of their choice and interview

them. In conversations that took place in London, New York and throughout the Middle East, roles were reversed and these collectors turned journalists spoke with their artist about topics of their choice. Their selections and subsequent interviews reinstate how the love of art is not dependent on one’s origin or ideological vision, but rather on the sheer magnifi cence of the experience, the personal richness that comes from owning a work of art and the intimate relationship that ensues with the artist and the artwork over many years.

This might seem obvious to state and something that human beings have overcome long ago, but during a time when race, national borders, religion and culture come to the forefront of contemporary politics and society, it is important to show once again how our tastes and thirst for beauty are ultimately what

binds us. ■

A ON THE COVER Lalla Essaydi. (Detail) Bullets Revisited #3.

2012. Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum in three parts. Dimensions variable.

Courtesy of the artist and Edwynn Houk Gallery New York/Zurich.

REBECCA ANNE PROCTOREDITOR-IN-CHIEF

@REBECCAANNEPROCTOR

INNER HAREM

F R O M A R O U N D T H E W O R L D

New Milan venue of Fondazione Prada. Architectural project by OMA. 2015.Photography by Bas Princen. Courtesy of Fondazione Prada



A TALE OF ART MARKET

MELODRAMMA

THERE IS NOTHING THE MEDIA LIKES MORE THAN TALES OF UNFATHOMABLY HUGE SUMS OF MONEY FRIVOLOUSLY SPENT, AND IN RECENT YEARS THE INTERNATIONAL ART MARKET HAS DELIVERED IN SPADES. Rarely, however, has the sale of a work of art generated more of a media furore as that of Picasso’s Les Femmes d’Algers (The Women of Algers (Version O)) which was bought by an anonymous telephone bidder at Christie’s, New York, on 11 May for $179 million. Well in excess of the $140 million estimate, the sum made it the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction.

The painting was the last and best of a series of 15 canvases made by Picasso between 1954 and 1955, the first year of the Algerian War of Independence, and lettered consecutively A to O. The works were based on French Romantic painter Eugène Delacroix’s 1834 Orientalist masterpiece Women of Algiers in Their Apartment, which depicts four prostitutes smoking hashish from a hookah pipe. Picasso’s women, represented in a Cubist style, are nude with their breasts and buttocks bared, recalling also the Spanish artist’s famous Demoiselles d’Avignon.

The entire Women of Algiers series was originally bought by American collectors Victor and Sally Ganz in 1956 for $212,500. The next time Version O changed hands was at Christie’s in 1997 when it was bought by a London-based Saudi businessman for $31.9 million. When this year it sold for the stratospheric price of $179 million it sent an immediate buzz around the world’s media. Who was the mysterious telephone bidder who captured the prize after an eleven minute tussle with other determined high-rollers? Where would the painting end up? Why would anyone spend so much on any single canvas and was this particular painting worthy of such a price?

The Guardian published no less than four pieces on the sale in the space of a week. Art critic Jonathan Jones described it as a “palpably absurd price”, pointing out that Nude, Green Leaves and Bust, 1932, which sold in 2010 for a then record of $106 million, was a far better work. Other reports focused on the huge amounts of money that collectors are prepared to pay for trophy works, and reflected on the

kind of censorship different from MyFoxNY? Days later a number of press sources

appeared to have second thoughts about the story and retractions began to appear. The Telegraph was one of the first to publish a correction, perhaps mindful of a recent property dispute between HBJ and its owners the Barclay brothers. CNBC also reported that sources indicated that HBJ was definitely not the buyer, while Qatari newspaper The Peninsula stated that Christie’s had issued a formal denial of the rumours.

In fact Christie’s did not explicitly deny that HBJ was the buyer, stating only that it “does not disclose client information and does not comment on the identity of any buyers.” Indeed,

likelihood that the work might not be seen again until it next comes onto the market.

The debate spiralled even further when New York television news station MyFoxNY ran a report on the sale accompanied by a censored image of the painting, blurring the breasts of the two nude women. New York Magazine senior art critic Jerry Saltz who had already published a piece entitled Say Good-bye Forever to Picasso’s Women of Algiers took to Twitter, fulminating: “How sexually sick are conservatives & Fox News? They blurred part of the Picasso painting #SickMinds.” His reaction, and that of a number of other art critics who leapt on social media to voice similar condemnation, was met by a counter wave of anti-liberal invective, many pointing out that the station was not the cable channel Fox News but rather a local broadcast news affiliate owned by 21st Century Fox, which had probably acted out of fear of the Government appointed Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

A week later on 20 May, the New York Post revealed the information that everyone had been waiting for, announcing that according to “art world sources” the painting had been bought by former Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, a billionaire international property magnate widely known as “HBJ”. The report added the opinion of another source that “The painting almost certainly will not go on public display in Qatar because of the nudity, even though it is a cubist work.”

This revelation triggered a new round of headlines, some incredulous. The International Business Times screamed: “Qatari sheikh is the mystery buyer of £116m nude un-Islamic Picasso painting.” If the painting was indeed headed to Qatar, would the Gulf state’s strict religious code mean that it would never again be exhibited in public or published? How was this

PICASSO’S LES FEMMES D’ALGERS RECENTLY BECAME THE WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE WORK OF ART TO BE SOLD AT AUCTION. HOWEVER, ITS SKY HIGH PRICE AND MYSTERIOUS BUYER HAVE BEEN SUBJECT TO MUCH SPECULATION, AS HAS THE PAINTING’S PROVOCATIVE SUBJECT MATTER. LUCIAN HARRIS DELVES INTO THE DRAMA.


CENSOREDVIEW(Left) Pablo Picasso. Les Femmes d’Algers (Version ‘O’). 1955. Oil on canvas. 114 x 146.4 cm. Courtesy of Christie’s.

the idea of a Qatari buyer for the Picasso was ostensibly believable considering the huge sums spent to bring art to the Gulf state in recent years. In February, the Qatar Museums Authority was reported to have privately bought Paul Gauguin’s Nafea Faa Ipoipo from Swiss collector Rudolf Staechelin for $300 million making it the most expensive work of art ever. Another monster purchase was Paul Cezanne’s The Card Players acquired from Greek shipping magnate George Embiricos in 2011 for a reported $250 million.

Still HBJ always seemed an unlikely candidate. Even if he had no plan to take the painting to Qatar, why would he buy a Picasso that was considered offensive by his own country’s

cultural and religious standards when he could easily afford to buy one which did not carry such baggage?

With a 50 percent rise in Chinese spending on the international art market in the last year and an increasing gravitation towards Western art, a Chinese buyer seems just as likely. This May at Sotheby’s New York Wang Zhongjun, chairman of Huayi Brothers Media Group paid $29.9 million for Picasso’s Femme au Chignon dans un Fauteuil, once owned by Hollywood mogul Samuel Goldwyn Sr., while the Dalian Wanda Group paid $20.41 million for Monet’s Le Bassin aux Nymphéas, les Rosiers, and an as yet unknown Chinese buyer paid $66.3 million for Van Gogh’s L’allée des Alyscamps.

The Women of Algiers(Version O) will not be the first or the last important painting by Picasso to light up the art market with a high profile sale only to vanish into the anonymous clutches of a mega-rich collector. The global nature of the international art market and the stratospheric value of trophy art as a super-luxury commodity have a unique potential to trigger the sort of web of cultural paradox and irony that will always capture popular imagination. With Picasso’s iconic stature as an artist, second to none, it will not be the last time the multi-million dollar sale of one of his paintings makes international headlines.


THE RETURN OF ART INTERNATIONAL

LAUNCHED IN 2013, ART INTERNATIONAL HAS GROWN INTO AN ART FAIR THAT OFFERS COLLECTORS AND VISITORS A PROGRESSIVE COLLECTION OF INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ART. The fair, whose artistic director is once again Stephane Ackermann, is a newcomer to the Turkish art scene and one which concluded last year with mixed reviews, particularly when positioned next to the popular Contemporary Istanbul which will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year. Even so, as many will attest, competition is a good thing, but more importantly, the fair’s return emphasizes the importance of Contemporary and Modern art to Turkish culture and the city of Istanbul. As Fair Director Dyala Nusseibeh states, “Istanbul continues to be a dynamic global hub for art and this is reflected in the diverse, exciting quality of works being presented at the fair.”

This year’s fair presents 91 galleries, its highest number yet. Participants represent 26 countries spanning Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East, Central Asia, India and China. Alongside the art on show, the fair is set to provide a diversified mix of programs involving discussions, talks,

ISTANBUL’S ACCLAIMED GLOBAL CONTEMPORARY AND MODERN ART FAIR ART INTERNATIONAL RETURNS THIS SEPTEMBER FOR ITS THIRD EDITION AT THE HALIÇ CONGRESS CENTER. FELICITY STOKES REPORTS.

screenings, performances, installations and alternative art spaces curated by Paolo Chiesera. In addition, By the Waterside is a returning alternative art space for large sculptural artworks, situated on the front pier of the Haliç Centre, overlooking the Goldern Horn and historic Istanbul. Returning galleries include Paul Kasmin Gallery (New York), Pearl Lam Galleries (Hong Kong, Shanghai & Singapore), Gallery Lelong (Paris), Kalfayan Galleries (Athens & Thessaloniki), Deweer Gallery (Otegum, Belgium) and Galleri Andersson/Sandström (Stockholm & Umeå). Newcomers will include London-based Victoria Miro Gallery, Sakshi Gallery from Mumbai, Hong Kong’s Galerie du Monde, Aspan Gallery from the Kazakh city of Almaty, and Aicon Gallery, which has bases in New York and London.

A startling array of Contemporary Spanish art will have a presence this year through the participation of 15 galleries from Spain. These include AND Galeria, Angels Barcelona, Galeria Carles Tache, Galeria Joan Gaspar and Galeria Joan Prats. The majority of galleries are from Barcelona, while two are from Madrid, such as Palma de Mallorca. In addition to the works

TO JAPANJOURNEY

TALENTED YOUNG ARTISTS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, DESIGNERS AND FILMMAKERS ARE WELCOMED TO ENTER CREATIVE PROJECTS TO WIN AN INSPIRATIONAL CREATIVE EXPERIENCE TO JAPAN. “Discovering new and unfamiliar ‘worlds’ can greatly enrich the creative process,” says Imogen Ware, Managing Director of the Crossway Foundation, a UK-based charity delivering art and education initiatives to young people in the Middle East.

The two like-minded organizations, The Crossway Foundation and Art Jameel have come together in collaboration with the joint aim of enriching and supporting the future of art talent in the Gulf. “Being in Japan can stimulate the mind of any artist in a myriad of ways,

says Dr Monira Al Qadiri, the Artistic Lead for the project and visual artist. “This journey can become a gateway to endless sources of inspiration for years to come.” The experience thus

also assists in the development of creative awareness across cultures.

The competition is open to 18-25 year old

nationals and residents of the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UK. Applicants are invited to submit a creative project that is focused on the theme, ‘Encounters with Another World.’ Applicants may use pre-existing artwork or a new work that is created solely for this competition. Eight winners will then be selected and given the opportunity to explore and discover Japanese art and culture in November 2015.

“This initiative marks Art Jameel’s commitment to making a meaningful investment in the next generation of creative talent in the Gulf,” says Fady Jameel, President of Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives (ALJCI) International. “It is also timely because it marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Distributor Agreement between ALJ (Abdul Latif Jameel) and Toyota.” Japan and the UAE through art and culture – a nourishing artistic experience this is sure to be. crossway-foundation.org

displayed by these galleries, there will also be a selection of paintings by 20th-century Catalan artist Joan Miro at the fair. Turkey, on the other hand, will be represented by 12 galleries, including Kuad, Öktem&Aykut, and The Empire Project.

This year, Art International also coincides with the 14th Istanbul Biennial, offering an added area of interest for art professionals at the fair. The city will surely be alight with artistic activity come early September. We look forward to the adventure. Art International opens Friday 4 September for the VIP Preview and Press Preview and on 5 and 6 September for the Pubic Opening artinternational-istanbul.com

THIS JUNE, CROSSWAY FOUNDATION AND ART JAMEEL RELEASED THIS YEAR’S TRIP OF A LIFETIME COMPETITION, JAMEEL JOURNEY TO JAPAN, WRITES FELICITY STOKES.

Iv Toshain. Shooting Stars - Linda after Steven Meisel. 2014. Stainless steal throwing stars, mimaki

print, paint, wood, 55 x 35x 15 cm. Courtesy of Galerist, Istanbul.

Mona Al-Qadri. Courtesy of Crossway Foudation.


and political borders. Moreover, it will be a space that overcomes such boundaries through the art it displays and the ideas it sets forth. “To this end, it is working to establish a whole network of partnerships around it, as well as using its digital platforms and networks to connect with its publics wherever they are in the world,” Persekian added.

To realize this goal, the Museum team is working to established temporary offices in Ramallah in order to prepare for a program of exhibitions and projects that will take place both within historic Palestine and in several other parts of the world coinciding with the opening of the physical Museum in May. The creation of a digital archive and a series of educational programs is also underway. These projects will be implemented via partnerships across major cities including: Jerusalem, Haifa, Nazareth, Gaza, Amman, Beirut, Dubai, London, San Diego, Santiago, and Cape Town. Watch this space. palmuseum.org

ALSERKAL AVENUE’S FIRST PHASE OF OPENINGS IN ITS EXPANSION

PROPOSED 15 YEARS AGO WITH THE AIMS OF CONNECTING 10 MILLION PALESTINIANS ACROSS THE WORLD, THE PALESTINIAN MUSEUM IS NOW SET TO OPEN IN MAY 2016. Realized on the hilly terrain of Birzeit, a town located outside the Ramallah on the West Bank, the building will be dedicated to preserving and celebrating the culture, history, and society of Palestine over the last two centuries.

The museum’s opening coincides with the 68th anniversary of the Nakba, a defining moment in Palestinian history that led to the displacement and dispossession of over 60 percent of the Palestinian population. “The decision to open the Museum on the 15th of May is designed to underline the enduring importance of the Nakba to the Museum’s work,” said Persekian. The Museum was originally conceived in 1998 as a flagship project of the Welfare Association (an independent non-profit organization committed to providing development and humanitarian assistance

A rendering of the Palestinian Museum.

PALESTINIAN MUSEUM TO OPEN ON ANNIVERSARY OF NAKBA

to Palestinians). As an institution it would commemorate the Nakba, document the tragedy and also chart its role in refiguring Modern Palestinian history. “Although this original concept has since been considerably modified,” adds Persekian, “the Nakba still has a central role to play in the Museum’s work.”

The scope of the Museum is to bring Palestinians everywhere together through art. “More than half of the Palestinian population currently resides in the diaspora, and what makes the Palestinian Museum different from any other institution of its kind is that it is located in the Palestinian territories, where many will be unable to reach it,” adds Persekian. “It is for this reason that its digital presence and international partnerships are so important. These networks and branches are the backbone of the Museum, and are just as important as its hub in Birzeit.”

Unlike any other institution of its kind, the Museum will not be confined by geographical

THE DUBAI ARTS HUB ANNOUNCES KEY INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL GALLERY EXHIBITIONS TO MARK THE OPENING OF ITS EXPANSION IN FALL 2015.

as well as her latest foray into ceramics publicly exhibited for the first time. Custot Gallery, will open their new 700 square-meter space in Dubai to guests prior to its inaugural exhibition, East meets West, in January 2016. In partnership with Alserkal Avenue, the Jean-Paul Najar Foundation will open a permanent space for its collection with its inaugural exhibition Vision & Legacy. The show will offer a thoughtful look into the Founder’s lifelong friendships with artists. Finally, regional stalwart The Third Line will open the doors of its new space with a solo exhibition by renowned Iranian artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian. Entitled Works on Paper, the exhibition will feature the artist’s drawings alongside the soft launch of her new publication of the same name, written by Hans-Ulrich Obrist. The gallery will also present a new film by Youssef Nabil.

“The launch of these respected international

and regional galleries is affirmation of how far Alserkal Avenue has come as a community for the promotion of arts and culture,” said Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, Founder of Alserkal Avenue. These openings couldn’t more greatly support this statement. And the Alserkal expansion is not over yet. Additional launches and exhibitions are lined up for January and March 2016. alserkalavenue.ae

COMING UP ON 16 NOVEMBER AS PART OF GALLERIES NIGHT, LEADING MIDDLE EASTERN ARTS DISTRICT ALSERKAL AVENUE has announced an evening of openings at current and new galleries. November will see the first phase of openings at Alserkal Avenue’s new expansion, which was unveiled in March 2015. Of note will be exhibitions by newcomers Leila Heller Gallery, Dubai; The Third Line; Jean-Paul Najar Foundation and Stephane Custot Gallery, Dubai. “Seeing regional stalwarts move into the Avenue endorses the growth that we have seen in the region’s affinity and curiosity for artistic expression,” says Alserkal Avenue Director, Vilma Jurkute.

Not to miss are two separate solo exhibitions by Ghada Amer and Wim Delvoye at Leila Heller Gallery. Curated by Dr. Shiva Balaghi, the exhibition of Amer’s work will include the artist’s iconic embroidered paintings, metal sculpture

Jene Highstein’s four forged steel sculpture at FOCUS Centre Culturel du Marais in 1978.

Photography by Daumerie. Courtesy of the Jean Paul Najar Foundation.

SET TO OPEN ON 15 MAY 2016, THE MUSEUM WILL CONNECT PALESTINIANS THROUGHOUT HISTORIC PALESTINE AND THE DIASPORA.


CURRENTLY STATIONED IN NEW YORK AT THE GUGGENHEIM HEADQUARTERS AS THE ASSOCIATE CURATOR OF MIDDLE EASTERN ART FOR THE ABU DHABI GUGGENHEIM SOLOMON R. PROJECT, we recently learned that Reem Fadda, a stalwart in the promotion of art from the region, will be the Artistic Director of the 2016 Marrakech Biennale. Entitled Not New Now, the upcoming Biennale investigates Afro-Arab heritage and contemporary culture in relation to what is modern. “[It] examines the typecast of modernity — and the ideas of newness, originality, and advancement stemming from it — as applied historically to modern and contemporary art,” explains Fadda. This edition’s curatorial project will “challenge the concept of the new and at the same time highlight historical commonalities and tropes of the Afro-Asian artistic and cultural landscape,” she adds. In unison with the curatorial concept and the theme of the event, MB6 will also be presenting complementary lectures, conferences, and film

Hicham Benohoud. La Salle de Classe. 2014. Analog photography. 50 x 60 cm. Courtesy of

L’Atelier 21 and the artist.

projects. But there’s also a social aspect to this year’s edition. “Artists mainly from African and Arab countries and their diaspora will be presented through a broad range of site-specific projects and commissions,” adds Fadda. “The projects will be developed with particular attention to public installation, video and sound art, and performance, as a way to actively engage with historical landmarks and the urban and social tissue of Marrakech.”

The Marrakech Biennale, which was founded in 2004 by Vanessa Branson, hopes to create an international dialogue of different ideologies by addressing social issues through the arts. The 2016 Biennale, or MB6, will reportedly involve over 100 artists and 50 venues across its core curatorial projects, including the Partner Projects, and the Parallel Projects, with the hope of bringing in an estimated 100,000 visitors. In addition, MB6 intends to engage a broader audience through online platforms, as well as through new

projects which will be set up in other areas, including the city of Essaouira. For the first time the event will run continuously over 10 weeks and the entrance fee will be free.

In her new position Fadda is most excited about “the opportunity to work with a wide network of cultural institutions, artists, and cultural agents in Morocco and beyond.” What Fadda aims to bring to the table is a new sense of cultural awareness and this can only be done through the unison of art world personalities from across the globe. Ideological differences will be explored through art and conversation as a way to further explore the current cultural discourse of the Middle East region. As Fadda explains, “[It’s] a wonderful occasion to gather artists, scholars, and art lovers from all over the world and explore critically and collectively issues so central to our cultural discourse such as what is new and modern.” The sixth Marrakech Biennale runs from 24 February until 8 May 2016.

THE SIXTH MARRAKECH BIENNALE ANNOUNCES THE GUGGENHEIM ABU DHABI’S REEM FADDA AS ITS CURATOR. JESSICA MILEK GETS THE SCOOP.MOROCCO

MOVING UP IN


ON 9 MAY, THE CULTURAL CENTER FONDAZIONE PRADA OPENED ITS DOORS IN MILAN. This second venue for the Fondazione Prada comes more than 20 years after its first outpost in Venice was opened.

The innovative architecture of the Milan location was developed by OMA and led by Rem Koolhaas. OMA restored and reinvented a 1910’s distillery into three separate spaces: the Podium, Cinema and Torre. The architecture of the venue represents both the old and the new, and is structured to give an air that is at once sharply modern and timelessly classic. Koolhaas described the project to Fondazione Prada as: “not a preservation project and not a new architecture. Two conditions that are usually kept separate here confront each other in a state of permanent interaction – offering an ensemble of fragments that will not congeal into a single image, or allow any part to dominate the others. [These contrasting elements] establish the range of oppositions that define the new Fondazione. By introducing

Milan receives an added dose of contemporary culture, says Jessica Milek.

Pino Pascali. 1 metro cubo di terra. 1967. Installation view of Trittico curated by the Thought Council (Shumon Basar, Nicholas Cullinan and Cédric Libert).Photography by Attilio Maranzano.Courtesy of Fondazione Prada

so many spatial variables, the complexity of the architecture will promote an unstable, open programming, where art and architecture will benefit from each other’s challenges.”

Fondazione Prada in Milan has also opened a café which transports its guests into a wondrous world of imagination. Designed by film director and screen writer Wes Anderson, the café Bar Luce is meant to be a haven for creativity. “While I do think [Bar Luce] would make a pretty good movie set, I think it would be an even better place to write a movie,” said Anderson. “I tried to make it a bar I would want to spend my own non-fictional afternoons in.”

The Fondazione was created for the awareness and analysis of contemporary culture as a means to nurture intellectual creativity. And along with the new space comes also a newly expanded program. Fondazione Prada Milan is set to spark ingenuity with an

NEW VENTUREFONDAZIONE PRADA’S

WITH IMAGES THAT JUXTAPOSE THE UNDERGROUND CITYSCAPE OF ABU DHABI AND NEW YORK, IN SUE DE BEER’S LATEST FILM THE BLUE LENSES THE ARTIST OFFERS A LOOSE NARRATIVE THAT FOLLOWS A MISSING MAN AND A YOUNG ARABIC WOMAN’S RECOLLECTIONS OF HIM. While a constant stream of voiceover permeates the movie taking the viewer through the young woman’s experience, it is the enrapturing images that entrance the spectator the most. They convey the beauty of the Middle East through its landscapes and cultural innuendos that when positioned next to those of New York make for a moving visual commentary of east meets west.

The title of the film is taken from Daphne du Maurier’s novel of the same name which tells the tale of a woman given surgery to restore her vision. When the bandages are removed from her eyes she sees people differently — they become predatory animal heads rather than human heads. The story, like de Beer’s film, explores the sinister side of human nature. Questioned are notions of trust versus deception and reality versus fiction. The texts for the two main characters in The Blue Lenses were written with Nathaniel Axel during filming as well as in response to the shoot locations and the performers.

The sinister character of the film is Daniel. “He was inspired by a friend who told me about

someone who worked in retail and who was shoplifting at the same time,” explains the artist. “Daniel is the western guy and also the bad guy. He is a con artist and he is pushing the limits.” The other main character is the young Arabic female whose voice is spoken by the Iranian-Parisian singer Lafawndah. She leads the viewer through the film, following Daniel wherever he goes. What is so poignant about how it the work is shot is that it merges seamlessly scenes from New York with those from Abu Dhabi in a way that makes the two locations ever-present. For example, the film shows old, decrepit buildings in New York, mosques in Abu Dhabi, and juxtaposes scenes of an Emirati sword dancer with those of a western burlesque dancer. These are interspersed with haunting moments whereby Daniel seems lost between the worlds searching for the meaning of his existence in the midst of such enrapturing encounters.

“The film was half shot in New York and half in Abu Dhabi,” says de Beer. “I shot with two different cameramen. I sat through it with the New York cameraman and he spent a lot of time picking through what he shot. When you watch the film it seems seamless. The film is located in two places but simultaneously in neither place. I think this is a poignant observation that someone who shot it is not able to locate within the film where it is.”

It was De Beer’s first time in the Middle East. “I

came with no expectations of the place but let the place dictate to me,” she says.

The texts for the two main characters in The Blue Lenses were written with Nathaniel Axel during filming and in response to the shoot locations and the performers. “When I was planning in New York for the film I did not plan on how to shoot in the UAE,” says de Beer. “What I am so excited about portraying in the UAE is the beautiful imagery of the Gulf, such as the dancer that I found in Dubai.” De Beer has also created a site-specific environment at BOESKY East representative of the beauty of the Middle East in which to view the film. There will be two walls of floor-to-ceiling aluminium screens cut with patterned motifs found in Islamic architecture which were used as inspiration for various scenes within the film.

The film’s power is its ability to move effortlessly between east and west and between reality and fiction. As the artist says, “It is up to the viewer to simply accept the world as it is presented, or to unravel the fictional from the real.” The Blue Lenses by Sue de Beers will debut at BOESKY East in New York on 9 September. marianneboeskygallery.com

A still from The Blue Lenses by Sue de Beer.

experimental approach involving projects

in different languages and disciplines. Programming will include art exhibitions as well as architectural projects, philosophical panels, artist residencies, cultural education for children and cinematic experiences. The Fondazione believes in free thinking, and as such strives to create programming with flexible points of view.

Fondazione Prada’s Milan location is already hosting a wide range of exhibitions and projects. New this September is the dance and action project Atlante Del Gest, choreographed by the Italian mastermind Virgilio Sieni, which is set to run until 3 October. fondazioneprada.org

BOESKY EAST TO PREMIERE THE BLUE LENSESSHOT IN NEW YORK AND ABU DHABI, SUE DE BEER’S NEW TWO-CHANNEL FILM USES THE MIDDLE EAST AS ITS PRIMARY SUBJECT OF INFLUENCE. REBECCA ANNE PROCTOR SPEAKS WITH THE ARTIST IN NEW YORK.



UAE GAINS PROMINENTART LOANS

ZAYED NATIONAL MUSEUM (ZBM), THE FORTHCOMING STAR MUSEUM OF THE UAE HAS ANNOUNCED THAT IT WILL BE BORROWING ARTIFACTS FROM THE BRITISH MUSEUM. The museum is being built in Saadiyat Cultural District in Abu Dhabi, under the aegis of The Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) and the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA-Abu Dhabi). In 2009, the British Museum (BM) signed an agreement with TDIC to provide curatorial counsel and operational advice on the development of the Zayed National Museum.

The Zayed Museum is being erected in honor of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and will sit between the Louvre and the Guggenheim museums in the Saadiyat Cultural District. The Museum’s mission is to showcase the culture of the UAE through historical artifacts, research, and contemporary art. It will be the first institution in the Middle East to showcase local history in the context of the region and its relationship to the rest of the world.

“It has always been understood that Zayed National Museum will be borrowing from the British Museum, the largest lender in the world, as well as other institutions,” said a British Museum spokesperson. The loans have been welcomed in the UAE but have stirred minor controversy in Britain. A leading British newspaper reported that the British Museum would be loaning 500 artifacts to the Zayed National Museum for up to five years, a length of time that is highly uncommon for museum loans. It also reported that activist groups were critical of the loan due to concerns about workers’ rights in the UAE.

When we spoke to the British Museum the communications team noted that “these loans will only supplement the permanent collection of Zayed National Museum...The Trustees of the British Museum are always very conscious of the balance to be found between displaying objects to people around the world and having them available in Bloomsbury. This process, of cultural exchange and redisplay, is vital to the British Museum’s long term planning..”

According to The Art Newspaper, artifacts that are being considered include pieces “that the museum classes among its 5,000 ‘highlights’. The most valuable of these artifacts allegedly includes Assyrian reliefs, some of which are pieces from heritage sites that ISIS has recently destroyed, such as Nimrud. The

Zayed Museum’s spokesperson has told us that “the choice of loan objects to the Zayed National Museum from the British Museum has not yet been made, nor have the durations of any potential loans been confirmed.” However, the British Museum gave us a hint that some of its artifacts could well be seen at ZNM: “Emirati audiences have already been able to see the potential range of such loans in exhibitions that have taken place in Abu Dhabi including Splendours of Mesopotamia in 2011, Treasures of the World’s Cultures in 2012, and A History of the World in 100 Objects in 2014.”

Interestingly, the British Museum has been criticized for the large sum that they will be receiving for lending out such artifacts. According to an initial report in 2009 by The Sunday Times, “The British Museum has struck a multi-million-pound deal to help launch [Zayed National Museum].. Critics are likely to argue that the British Museum is being too commercially driven for a publicly funded body. However, its undisclosed annual fee could help fund a £135m extension in London as government spending for the arts faces cuts.”

Government cuts have since occurred. When we spoke with the museum about their business deal with Zayed Museum, they replied: “As the British Museum are a consultant on the project, the relationship between the two parties is commercially sensitive, therefore no financial amounts can be disclosed.” While the British Museum will not openly discuss the amount of money involved, they will say that it is being earned through fees for the loans as well as through consultancy.

The British Museum and the Zayed National Museum are working together to create a program that is informative and engaging. There is a “partnership between the British Museum and Abu Dhabi and [a] mutual commitment to the vital importance of cultural exchange to civil society,” says the British Museum’s communications team. One thing is for certain, despite some criticism, there has been substantial hype regarding the Zayed National Museum project and the British Museum’s role in its creation. The preliminary structures of the Zayed Museam have been completed. However, the construction tenders for the main building has not yet been awarded. Due to this construction delay the opening date is still to be confirmed. In great anticipation we wait to see what this powerful partnership can create. zayednationalmuseum.ae

THE ZAYED NATIONAL MUSEUM AND THE BRITISH MUSEUM HAVE A MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL PARTNERSHIP. JESSICA MILEK REPORTS.

From left to right: HE Mubarak Al Muhairi, HE Zaki Nusseibeh, Neil MacGregor, HE Sheikh Sultan and HE Mohammed Al-Murr at the opening of A History of the World in 100 Objects.

Statue of Mithras. Marble100–200 CE. Rome, Italy 102.9 x 104.4 cm© Trustees of the British Museum


(Above) A rendering of Zayed National

Museum. Courtesy of TDIC.(Left) Reem Al Marzouqi’s foot controlled car

from A History of The World In 100 Objects.

Courtesy of TCA Abu Dhabi.

Visitors view the statue of Ramesses II. Granite. Circa 1280 BCE. From the Temple of Khnum, Elephantine, Egypt. 143 x 68 x 52 cm© Trustees of the British Museum


In CONVERSATION

“What an artist offers is an analysis of

different parts of history and an individual culture which

is very interesting to me.” SARA RAZA

Sara Raza. Photography by David Heald.


In CONVERSATION

ats in abundance. As many as one would admit to owning, which in London, where Sara Raza was born and lives today, could be many. She does own quite a few (hats), although metaphorical ones—curator, critic, writer, editor, and also Ph.D. candidate. When asked about the existence of an administrative routine to keep all of them afl oat, she nonchalantly explains

that all the roles in fact coalesce into an interconnected practice wherein one feeds the other. So, no there is no predetermined schedule for the one who populates social media feeds as Punk Orientalism — an intriguing juxtaposition of terms, eponymous of Raza’s soon to be published book. A parallel to her Ph.D. research, Punk Orientalism can be defi ned as an exploration of the dissident praxes that have emerged in Central Asia and the Caucasus after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The protagonists of Raza’s research: artists who have striven to renegotiate a dogmatic post-Soviet art system through punk aesthetics all while remodelling the fi ctional characteristics of Orientalism.

The geographical areas of concern in Raza’s polyvalent trajectory (Central Asia in her academic work and the MENA region in her curatorial projects) result from a conscious decision taken very early in her career, partly motivated by a substantial interest in the social conditions and practices of artists living East of Europe and the post-Soviet Asia. The other half of Raza’s decision-making most probably stemmed from her family’s roots, which extend to Central Asia and Iran.

“Cultural capital has obviously played a role in my work,” she explains, referring to her interest in examining the migration of people and ideas while articulating them into a historical or

philosophical framework. The accurate verbalization of concepts — a starting point of any

curatorial project Raza delves into — is what lead her to study Art History and English literature at Goldsmiths, University of London where her master thesis examined the impacts of Iranian Ta’ziyeh theatre on Modern and Contemporary Persian arts.

Raza’s inclination towards historical dissection as means to shed light on cultural commonalities hybridizes with her focus of thinking sciences — a subject she became acquainted with from an early age given that her parents and grandfather were involved in various degrees of scientifi c research or practice.

“I grew up in a home with a lot of books and a lot of research on Islamic sciences or sciences that have merged from Greek, Persian, and Arabic scholars. They fascinated me as a child and still continue to do so today”, shares Raza about the aspect that threads in all her projects, and most recently in her curatorial role at Guggenheim’s UBS MAP Global Art Initiative.

Fostering artistic and cultural exchanges through education about emerging regions, MAP recently entrusted their Middle East and North Africa section to Raza, who joined curators June Yap and Pablo Leon de la Barra, spearheading the South-East Asia and Latin America programs respectively. Although the three don’t directly work together, their efforts to highlight the rise of a global south all while emphasizing the specifi cities of each dynamic region brings several historical crossovers. During her two-year residency, Raza’s role of selecting artists and creating educational tools to promote their practices will culminate in a 2016 exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York that will later travel to the Middle East. Sara works closely with Chief Curator Nancy Spector and Director of Curatorial Affairs Joan Young as well as regularly conferring with the Abu Dhabi team.

Only a few months into a project that has her travel between her London base and the Guggenheim’s New York City offi ces, what Raza accepts to disclose thus far is an approach geared towards presenting the MENA region as an origin for the world’s many inventions and ideologies. However, she feels that the heritage of the Middle East region is largely forgotten in our contemporary world. “It is not a nostalgic project in any type or form,” she states. “It addresses the cultural and social conditions, which are global conditions. Foreign policies that are created in Europe and America have a huge impact on the region so it’s a more global project.”

STARS, CROSSOVERS, &ABSENT BORDERS Art world personality of many hats Sara Raza speaks with Marina Iordan about her multidisciplinary practice, her fascination with sciences, and her latest curatorial projects with YARAT and the Guggenheim.

H


In CONVERSATION

1. An exterior

view of YART

Contemporary

Art Centre, Baky.

Photography by Fakhriyya Mammadova.

2 and 3. Stills from

Camille Henrot’s Grosse Fatigue. 2013. 13 minute color and sound fi lm.

4. Ergin Çavusoglu

Liquid Breeding. 2015. Mixed media anamorphic fl oor drawing with CCTV camera and monitor. Courtesy of the artist and YARAT.

5. Farkhad

Farzaliyev. Green Grass in the Sky Turned Blue. 2015. Mixed media light installation. Courtesy YARAT, Photography by Rauf Askyarov.

1 2

3 4

5


In CONVERSATION

Raza asserts her determination to bridge the existing gaps in today’s transmission of knowledge between cultures.

To reverse the current trend of what she identifi es as a “crisis of thinking”, Raza intends to draw parallels between art and science as a means of ensuring access and understanding of the MENA region and its practices to the Western world. Looking at the region through a scientifi c lens becomes a welcome refreshment in times when the region is regarded as the theatre of bloody turmoil. Its artists, on the other hand, are increasingly viewed as political activists and expected to take a stance against their respective countries’ agitations. A view that Raza strongly refutes against stating, “I do not believe that artists should be considered as political tools or employed as such.”

Crafting relations between art and local communities to widen the reach of exhibitions is something she has proven to be successful at since the inception of her curatorial career at South London gallery in 2004. It was there that she designed a program of talks, fi lms, and screenings in order to entice the audience. “Curatorial work doesn’t end when the exhibition goes up,” she says. “There is a much wider dialogue to engage with the community, particularly in the public sector, [which] is hugely benefi cial to the regular, normal public because the programs are devised for them.”

At MAP, Raza’s efforts to create intercultural bonds start with the selection of artists who are involved in a deeply conceptual, thoughtful practice which refl ects pragmatic approaches to art, whether from a scientifi c or a philosophical standpoint. In bringing together such practitioners, Raza relies on the universal aspect of the sciences taught worldwide such as geometry to dissolve barriers between the public and MENA artists.

“General American audiences might be more familiar with the sciences [than with MENA art],” she says of her methodology. “Showing them that artists from the region use familiar elements in their practice will create curiosity and not only bring them closer to the art practices from the MENA, but also familiarize them with the cultural aspects of the region.” The initiative will eventually translate into an educational program in New York City, as well as interviews with artists that will be posted on a blog to ensure a global outreach.

Technology as a globalization tool for local projects is a common denominator in many of Raza’s curatorial projects. The third Public Art Festival in Baku, commissioned by YARAT Art Space, is an example of such initiatives. Intended for Baku audiences, the exhibition A Drop of Sky takes an international dimension with such artists as Nazrin Mammadova, who designed a fi ctional futuristic video game that can be downloaded worldwide. “In Baku,

the strategy is geared towards looking at the local and then looking at the local within the global context: exploring the regional dialogue and spreading that out,” explains Raza about an angle of approach that is valid both for the festival and her involvement at YARAT, where she was the Head of Education. As such, she is actively involved in the mentoring of young artists—a role that entails the exploration of trends in the art world on a micro level to relate to each individual’s practice.

It is this constant interaction with practitioners that Raza considers the most thrilling part of her career, because of its impact on her thinking and understanding. “What an artist offers is an analysis of different parts of history and an individual culture which is very interesting to me,” she admits. Among her favorite artists are Lida Abdul, Sheza Dawood, Ergin Cavusoglu, Wafaa Bilal, whose rigorously academic practices intertwine the thinking sciences. “Their work is more than just a surface study,” she explains. “They have delved deeper.”

When asked about the artwork that impacted her most recently, Raza mentions the Akbank Sanat International Curator Competition in Istanbul, where she saw Camille Henrot’s Grosse Fatigue — a video installation that was awarded the Silver Lion at the 55th Venice Biennale and examines the origin of the universe and its subsequent evolution through multiple superimpositions of computer windows projected onto a large-scale screen.

Like Henrot’s installation, Raza admits to an attraction for artists who have grown up with the Internet and whose digital practices stand as irrefutable proofs of technology’s global impact. The interest becomes even more compelling when the artists come from regions where there hasn’t been a great history in museology, and where, as Raza puts it, “the real rock star is the artist and not the superstar curator of the West.” And this, as she so boldly states, is the focus in all of her work. It is the artists and the ideas they set forth through their studio practices that, ultimately, must prevail.

“CURATORIAL WORK DOESN’T END WHEN THE

EXHIBITION GOES UP.”

(Above) Sara Raza. Photography by David Heald.


(Right) Bullets Revisited #23. 2013. Chromogenic

print mounted on aluminum. Dimensions variable.

Grappling with the perception Orientalist art has created of women

from the Middle East, the art of Lalla Essaydi aims to portray the Arab female in her own right. Sarah Hassan speaks with the

artist and learns of the private spaces, personalities and beauty of Essaydi’s

contemporary pictorial harem.

OFTHE

INTERIOR

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2015 | Harper’s BAZAAR ART | 33SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2015 | Harper’s BAZAAR ART | 33

“Living in another culture, but

symbolically marked by my homeland, I

chose to engage the language and materials associated with traditional Arab and Islamic art as part of a negotiation of

identity.”


he work of Moroccan multi-media artist Lalla Essaydi has become iconic in the canon of Contemporary Middle Eastern art. Her stunning photographs of coolly beautiful Arab women wrapped in white cloth with hennaed calligraphy on their hands, faces and garments are explorations of both traditional Islamic life and the misconceptions of that life perpetuated by 19th century Orientalist painters who chose to depict sumptuous fantasies of harems, slave markets and grand bazaars which still resonate with Western viewers today.

Born in Marrakech in 1956, Essaydi spent much of her childhood in Morocco and later Saudi Arabia, encountering a strict Islamic environment and code of traditions that would shape her - and later her body of work - long after she moved to the West to embark on a formal artistic education. Beginning in the early 90’s at the famed L’Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris where she studied painting and drawing, Essaydi went on to receive her BFA from Tufts University in Massachusetts and her MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts where she would fi rst encounter photography as a medium to document her paintings. Thus, a new tool — and new love — was found and Essaydi, who always considered herself a painter fi rst, recalling her intense relationship with color even as a child, embarked on a series of photographic

t works, unaware that this medium would propel her to international acclaim. Beginning in 2004 with her series Converging Territories, Essaydi sought to debunk the representations of the Middle East, and most importantly, Middle Eastern women, as documented in the saturated, sexual tableaus of turn of the century Orientalist painters. Particularly infl uenced by the French academic artist, Jean Léon Gérôme, whose work Essaydi encountered during her own deep, personal investigation of Orientalism while a student, Essaydi turned the notion of a ‘harem’ on its head by removing the overt sensuality and injecting a new, domestic reality — a reality close to home for the artist, whose father had multiple wives. No nubile slave women, no scantily clad dancers or pipe-smoking bathers to be found here; instead, Essaydi wrapped her models in white cloth and hennaed their skin with intentionally indecipherable calligraphy — an artistic practice traditionally dominated by men — and placed them in starkly intimate Moroccan settings, whether gazing with kohl-rimmed eyes at the camera, engaging in household tasks in a group, or reclining on a bed of hennaed sheets, recalling the classic poses of Gérôme’s odalisques while keeping the viewer at bay. “These paintings and odalisques — of Gérôme’s — provide a kind of foil for my own work, which sets out to invoke, interrogate, and complicate the Orientalist tradition,” Essaydi explains. “In so doing, I hope to make possible, within the projected space of


Orientalist painting, a new space — an openness to a new kind of understanding.” Space is a crucial element in Essaydi’s oeuvre. In her artist’s statement, Essaydi admits to the need to go back to the space of her childhood in Marrakech — ‘space’ being a term that exists not only in the physical, but in the mental and spiritual. Here she refl ects on the role of men in Arab society to fi ll ‘public’ spaces such as the city streets and work places, while women are typically confi ned to the ‘private’ spaces, the home or harem, which in turn fashioned an identity of them belonging to ‘a place’ and confi ned by the walls which hold them. Continuing with Les Femmes du Maroc, and continuing in the riotously colorful Harem and Harem Revisited series, Essaydi juxtaposed the elements of traditional Arab interiors — beautiful wood carvings, jewel-toned mosaics, grand courtyards and private resting places — with the literal skin and clothing of her models. These women seem to blend in with their very surroundings while remaining subversive and so very alive, a hallmark of Essaydi’s technique to present Arab women as beyond objects of male desire or subservient fi gures in a male-dominated society. The effect is chilling, beautiful and challenging, calling into question the clichéd tropes that have plagued the history of Western art. “Living in another culture, but symbolically marked by my homeland, I chose to engage the language and materials associated with traditional Arab and Islamic art as part of a negotiation of

identity,” Essaydi explains. “Looking back to my point of connection, I found new patterns formed in the metaphors of absence and presence, nearness and distance, and in the continuous dialogue between Eastern and Western art.” The distance between girlhood and adulthood is a wide gap, and Essaydi’s lens turns into a metaphorical bridge between memory and reality. This bridge is at once necessary and urgent after encountering the Orientalist tradition of depicting a place so strangely resonant and beautiful yet so unfamiliar to the artist – and so common in the imagination of unknowing Westerners. “I am able to appreciate the beauty Western painters found in Morocco, Egypt, and other Arab countries, which they rendered in such loving detail,” Essaydi admits. “Yet at the same time, I cringe at their distorted and degrading view of the Eastern way of life, as portrayed in their work and most strikingly in their presentation of Arab women.” When speaking of contemporary Western engagement with artists from the Middle East, Essaydi cites the globalization of popular media and the promotion of artists from the region by their home countries as perception-shifting factors. “I have heard many people from the West describing art from the Middle East as having substance and how lucky we artists from that region are that there is so much tumult and chaos in the area to feed our imagination and infl uence our creativity,” she says. That tumult and chaos has profoundly infl uenced the artist’s

Harem Revisited #34b. 2012. Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum in three parts. Dimensions variable.

LallaESSAYDI


latest series of photographs, Bullets Revisited. At once a continuation of her previous explorations – the poetry on hennaed skin, the Orientalist posturing, the Arab interiors - Essaydi takes this work a step further and introduces a new element into the frame. What fi rst appears as layers of shimmering gold tile or fabric is soon recognized as the round brass ends of bullets, encased on furniture, adorning the background, and even looped together to create shimmering robes and clothing fashioned on the models like heavy haute couture. The effect is mesmerizing; objects of violence are seen anew when re-purposed by Essaydi’s hand, yet not once does the viewer forget the tragic implications such objects have had on the lives of these women and the environments they encounter. It may be a ‘man’s world,’ but Essaydi’s models remind the viewer who dominants the space between and despite their suffering, are the reserves of strength within a too-often misunderstood culture. When speaking of the labels that the art world has all too eagerly placed on her - Middle Eastern artist, woman artist, Arab woman artist - Essaydi is dismayed by the need for such labeling, but accepts that as a multi-faceted, multi-national artist, the naming is inevitable. Instead, she offers that “the spectrum of emotional, psychological and physical elements that feed the artists is not bounded by their nationality or by their religion. Art exists in a border-less place, where the artist and the viewer work together to create experiences and bring you into their world.” Further to the point, Essaydi categorizes her own work as both confrontational and intimate. “...the political is personal,” she says. “It demands that the viewer face my true complexity—as a woman, Arab, Muslim, and African—living elsewhere, mediating between worlds.

“Ibelieve that it does not matter who

you are or where you come from,

that an artist’s duty is to communicate a message,

to their viewers.” It is not a fi xed identity; it is a continual exploration of the tenuous relationship between memory and experience.” Those meditations have landed Essaydi in some of the most prominent private and public art collections in the world, and her work has been exhibited in a staggering number of international venues from Texas to Syria, England, New York, the Netherlands, Japan, Sharjah, Boston, U.A.E, Colorado and elsewhere. With the new urgency of Middle Eastern artists to expose their work internationally, the role of the artist as truth teller takes on a heightened importance. Essaydi’s work, now in the public eye and international spotlight for over a decade, had begun and continues to dispel the myths of Arab society and the roles of women therein. She has been a crucial artist for not only Westerners, but the community at large, to engage with while exploring what it means to be marked by a complicated region yet conscious of the country you now call home. By “blowing up” the intimate spaces of her childhood and rendering them in her own unique hand, Lalla has created an unforgettable cast of characters who dare the viewer to think of the Middle East as merely a place for fantasy and exploitation. “I believe that it does not matter who you are or where you come from, that an artist’s duty is to communicate a message, whether it be big or small, to their viewers,” Essaydi says. This message, thanks to her body of work, resonates loud and clear beyond time and space, the Occident and the Orient, to ‘mark’ us anew and so very aware.

(Facing page) Harem #14c. 2009.chromogenic print mounted

on aluminum Dimensions variable

(Right) (Detail) Harem 19b. 2009.Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum in three parts.

Dimensions variable.

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FOR THE


Who said that the Arab world would bow down before the rising religious violence? JAOU Tunis, the yearly event organized by the Kamel Lazaar Foudation dedicated to contemporary art practices from the Maghreb and the Middle East, reminds us that political frictions do not only fuel the flame of extremists, but also serve to push the boundaries of creativity for the sake of new cultural dynamics. Elisabeta Tudor reports from Tunis.

his year’s edition, which took place in the suburbs of Tunis from 28 to 30 May, was not only aiming to support the local art scene, with a day dedicated to exhibitions at Galerie Aicha Gorgi, Galerie Ghaya and Galerie Selma Feriani, among others, but also successfully attempted to gather the region’s intelligentsia for a two-day long symposium entitled “Visual Culture in an Age of Global Confl ict.” The symposium was led by regional and international art practitioners — think Sultan Al Qassemi, the President of the Barjeel Art Foundation; Anthony Downey, Editor-in-Chief of Ibraaz; and Art Dubai’s Antonia Carver, among many others — who analyzed the challenges that the Contemporary art scenes of the Maghreb and the Middle East have to face today. This was accomplished through various panel talks dedicated to topical art subjects and issues, such as the base and evolution of Contemporary art practices across the Middle East,

and the current challenges of art institutions in the Arab world. But beyond its numerous round-table discussions, JAOU Tunis was also about promoting a certain “Tunisianity.” In this context, the

young Tunisian artist Atef Maatallah stood out from his peers with his Under Construction exhibition at Galerie El Marsa. Maatallah’s work — which has been featured in private collections in Europe, the Maghreb and the Middle East, as well as in the collection of the Ministry of Culture in Tunisia — conveys a bold realism that reinterprets the codes of narrative fi guration by illustrating Tunisia’s day-to-day life, the country’s current socio-political context, and more importantly, the human condition of the popular class. He does so through meticulous pencil and pen drawings as well as acrylic paintings on raw brick walls. His elder fellow Tunisian artist, Halim Karabibene, for his part, offered Cocotteries & co, a conversation and performance piece linked to an exhibition: a fi ctional discussion set in the future, between the

director of the nonexistent MNAMC Tunis — the fi ctive National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art — interpreted by Karabibene himself, and art critic and curator Christine Bruckbauer, who played the role of the interviewer. Needless to say that this satirical conversation pushed right to where it hurts, by pointing to the government’s lack of cultural investment. It was a performance that boasted a fervent critical spirit as well as sharp humor refl ective of the most iconic theatre of the absurd plays.

Critics who aren’t convinced by now and think that JAOU is of a theoretical rather than a practical nature will be proved wrong: All the World’s a Mosque, a traveling exhibition curated by Lina Lazaar that highlights 22 Contemporary artists from the Maghreb and the Middle East, turned out to be an audacious cultural initiative in times of political instability. In fact, the container exhibition calls for a higher form of togetherness, by bridging the gap between those who think of faith as a rite and those who defi ne it as a spirituality fi rst. In this sense, the exhibition aims to lay the foundation for a new inter-Arab communication platform, in stark contrast to the omnipresent inertia imposed by Islamist ideologies and the skittish international intelligentsia who treat Muslim-related Contemporary art with kid gloves.

“Let there be no mistake about the title,” stated Lina Lazaar, Founder of JAOU, International Contemporary Art Specialist at Sotheby’s, and member of the Kamel Lazaar Foundation, which produces JAOU. All the World’s a Mosque is not an attempt to annex the entire earth to a rite or to a Muslim space. Nor is it a proselytizing work.” Lazaar further explained that the participating artists were encouraged to appeal to the fi ve senses in the same way that Islam calls upon fi ve pillars, in order to invite the visitor on a spiritual journey whose goal is not so much about asking the meaning of the mosque as a place of worship, but more about the reasons behind the worship itself: “To pray or not to pray.” That is the question. “It is a way to desecrate closed spaces and turn them into open, diverse and lively spaces,” she explained. Faith would therefore evolve beyond the actual physical place of worship with Contemporary art as a tool, and thus turn into a matter of heart and spiritual expression. “We were amazed by the amount of people who attended the opening — this shows us that we’re not only supported by the art scene, but that there is a real interest coming from the public,’’ concluded Lina Lazaar, who added that “the exhibition will follow its own pilgrimage’’ by traveling throughout 2016 and that upcoming destinations will soon be revealed. An artistic pilgrimage that is much needed, as it will elevate the cultural expression across North Africa and the Middle East — even if it’s just for the fun of it. kamellazaarfoundation.org

T (Facing page) A view of the entrance to All the World’s a Mosque.

(Above) A view of Halim Karabibene’s exhibiton Cocotteries & Co.

JAOU OF IT

JAOU


Smaller Syrian Room at the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, Honolulu, Hawai’i. 2012. Photography by David Franzen.

SURPRISE IN PARADISEWithin its Shangri La, Center for Islamic Arts and Cultures is one of the most extensive collections of Islamic art in North America. Isabella Ellaheh Hughes reports from

Honolulu, Hawaii on the beauty, history and current residency programs of the institution.



estled on fi ve acres in the exclusive Black Point neighborhood of Honolulu, a stone’s throw from iconic Diamond Head, the extinct volcano that often graces kitschy postcards, lies a most unexpected surprise: Shangri La. The 14,000-square-foot Islamic-styled mansion, built in the 1930s for American tobacco heiress, Doris Duke, comprises a main house with a variety of courtyards and landscaped gardens, as well as numerous fountains inspired by those from the Islamic world. Duke,

an avid traveler, collected arts from the Islamic lands for nearly 60 years, amassing during her lifetime a collection of roughly 2,500 pieces, primarily kept at Shangri La, which originally served as one of her seasonal homes. Now offi cially known as Shangri La, Center for Islamic Arts and Cultures, the property houses a veritable treasure-trove of Islamic arts and is an increasingly important player in the fi eld of Islamic scholarship, as well as Contemporary visual arts and culture from the MENASA regions.

Today, Shangri La is owned and operated by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, which is governed and supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, whose mission is to promote the study and understanding of Islamic arts and cultures. Open to the public as a museum since 2002, Shangri-La now runs guided tours, publishes catalogues, showcases pieces from the collection, arranges traveling exhibitions and has a robust set of public programs that occur both on and off-site making it a requisite place to visit for lovers of Islamic art.

As the 50th state in the United States, the importance of Shangri La as a beacon for tolerance and understanding between American and Islamic cultures makes its mission and complementing programming all the more relevant. “At a time when ‘the West’s’ perception of Islam is so poor and all things Islamic are contested, Shangri La is a kind of touchstone,” says Executive Director, Deborah Pope, who deftly oversaw the transformation of Shangri La into a public museum and has lead the organization for more than a decade. “It is a place where traditional Islamic art and architectural elements are surprisingly integrated with 1930s modernism and a distinctly Hawaiian landscape; the sheer beauty of the place and the art seep into you. To quote one visitor, ‘Who knew I liked Islamic art?’ — testament to the power of place and art to touch the heart and spirit and adjust perception.”

A renowned collector and patron of the arts, “Doris Duke loved the visual and performing arts and she specifi cally mentions scholars and research in her will — but at this point in time I think she would be proudest of Shangri La’s power to inspire a love and engagement with Islamic cultures through the arts,” adds Pope.

Shangri La also is home to one of the most distinctive, albeit somewhat under-the-radar, residency programs for scholars and artists (working in all mediums, ranging from performance to the visual) from and/or focused on the Islamic world. The residency programs are upon invitation and since 2004, on the academic front, notable Islamic scholars such as Boston College’s Dr. Sheila Blair, who has written or co-written 17 books, including several international award winners and Dr. David Roxburgh, the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Professor of Islamic Art History in the Department of Art and Architecture at Harvard University, have all been in-residence.

Meanwhile, through the arts residency, Shangri La has welcomed many notable visual Contemporary artists since the program’s inception, ranging from the emerging to the established. This past year, Egyptian artist Ganzeer, who rose to prominence during the Arab Spring, was in-residence in conjunction with Honolulu’s weeklong international street art festival, POW! Wow!, which resulted in him creating a large-scale mural. While the Honolulu Biennial Foundation’s prologue exhibition, Chain of Fire in the fall of 2014, co-presented with the Hawai’i International Film Festival, saw experimental new media artist Hasan Elahi, then in-residence, create a new, site-specifi c installation entitled Peak. Other notable past artist-in-residents

include Walid Raad, Afruz Amighi, Shezad Dawood and Shazia Sekander.The artist-in-residency program distinguishes itself in its ability to take in

artists working in a variety of disciplines and backgrounds. “Shangri La’s artist residency program is distinctive for a number of reasons,” says Carol Khewhok, Program Manager at Shangri La. “In accordance with Shangri La’s mission, artists from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds are invited for residencies based upon their qualifi cations, achievements and how their work relates to and advances the understanding of Islamic art and culture.” Artists-in-residence have the option to reside on site, staying in the pool house, which as Khewhok shares, enables them to “have the opportunity to immerse themselves in and respond creatively to the unique landscape, architecture, and Islamic art collections and also interact with their peers from Hawaii’s unique blend of Pacifi c, Asian and Western cultures.”

Of note is former artist-in-residence, Shezad Dawood, who has received numerous accolades for his interdisciplinary practice over the years. “When I fi rst got the invitation to Shangri-La I didn’t respond as I thought it was some kind of phishing scam,” he remembers. “I mean who invites you to Hawaii to stay in their pool-house, within a space that is a museum open to the public for set times of day, and where you have unprecedented access to an amazing collection of Islamic art (including textiles - which I can never quite resist) and a fi lm and photographic archive? Doris Duke posthumously is who.”

And indeed, the pull of the natural landscape of Hawai’i, coupled with the mesmerizing beauty of Shangri La also had an impact on former resident artist, Shazia Sikander. “I was taken by the diversity of Hawaii’s landscape and the degree to which the gardens of Shangri La were integrated into its identity,” she says. Notably, when Sikander was in residence, she created drawings that responded to different aspects of the buildings at Shangri La, which she projected directly onto Shangri La at night, calling them “a light tattoo” that “transformed into ephemeral and monumental sculptures.” The impact of the residency experience at Shangri La was profound for Sikander. She subsequently created what she says was “an ambitious work two years after the residency.” She further added to the piece when she returned to the Middle East. “In 2012, I began work on a video animation informed by the surrounding landscape of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf,” she explains. “As I drove in the region, I gathered topographical information that I incorporated into the drawings and later animated them. This work, entitled Parallax, is a three-channel projection with an original score and is currently on view at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.”

Another distinguishing factor of the Shangri La residency is that artists are obligated to share their work with the public. This, according to Khewhok, takes place in ways appropriate to their practice such as presenting exhibitions, lectures, performances, workshops, and outreach programs to schools. And the public can see all of this via tours that originate at the Honolulu Museum of Art. Due to the nature of the historic site, coupled with the fact that Shangri La is located in a residential neighborhood, does limit the volume of visitors it can accommodate on any given day. However, true to the mission of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art (DDFIA) to promote the study and understanding of Islamic arts and cultures, aligned with this era of technology and global interconnectedness through the virtual world, Shangri La offers an extensive virtual tour complemented by archival photographs of Duke and her travels on their website, in addition to a very detailed and user-friendly section on items from the extensive collection. Shangri-La is surprise in paradise.

The beauty of the Pacifi c and the enrapturing surroundings of the Shangri-La itself make it an idyllic spot for creative minds and hearts. And it’s this sort of ambiance that has lured so many artists. “The Pacifi c islands have an additional pull for me in terms of their petroglyphs which seem to hide clues to earlier, more primitive systems of meaning, and their very particular fl ora and fauna,” says Dawood says, who made use of the extensive archive of Duke’s travels that comprise part of the collection during his residency. “The volcanic greenhouse of the Big Island is an almost holy spot,” he adds. Seemingly holy it is and otherworldly - a surprise in paradise, the Shangri-La couldn’t be anything less.

For more information, visit: www.shangrilahawaii.org

NSHANGRI La


Self Portrait. 2010. Oil on canvas. 30 x 35 cm.


In his last year at primary school, Edward Sutcliffe was spending his time in England’s West Midlands wondering how things were going to turn out for Kylie and Jason in Neighbours and knocking about with his mates in the playground. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles Rap collective

NWA released their debut album Straight Outta Compton. Educated at the University of Central England and London’s Central

Saint Martins, Sutcliffe has lived and worked in Dubai since 2013. Sutcliffe paints often staggeringly detailed portraits of sitters that include UK politicians Glenda Jackson and Neil Kinnock and convicted art forger John Myatt (entitled Copycat) as well as more anonymous subjects. It’s perhaps unsurprising that his work is often tagged as photo-realism. But is that a fair label? “I’m happy for my work to be described as photo-realism,” says Edward. “But leaving it there is not doing it justice because there’s far more to it than that, whether there’s a conceptual angle or the work is more narrative-based. Classic photo-realism is a genre like any other — whether it’s close-up ketchup bottles or shiny mirrors and my work is defi nitely not that.”

It really isn’t. There’s something else at work here. Sutcliffe’s paintings exude soul: eyes are bloodshot and veins pop. Papery skin is rendered as just that. The use of open composition means subjects exist outside the borders of the canvas. Often fragile, just as in life. Forget photo-realism, this is beyond portraiture, even. His work offers a series of confessionals on the human condition.

Edward Sutcliffe is a seven-time fi nalist in the vaunted BP Portrait Award and the winner of the 2014 BP Travel Award. The BP Portrait Award is an annual competition whose fi nalists’ work is exhibited in London’s National Portrait Gallery. The BP Travel Award is part of the exhibition and is given

to the artist whose proposal is deemed most worthy of commissioning. And Ed’s proposal was a corker. Listening to the radio one day Edward heard a piece about a cricket club in Compton. More research revealed that the club was founded in 1995 by homelessness campaigner Ted Hayes and fi lm producer Katy Ed as an alternative to L.A. gangster life, with its members made up of Compton ex-gang members and local disaffected youth. Ed’s winning proposal was to visit Compton to paint the cricket club members and thus he spent two months in West Hollywood last summer doing just that. The resultant exhibition is a collection of portraits entitled Cricket Outta Compton as a nod to the 1988 NWA album and the culture it underscored. Erm, isn’t Compton quite scary? “We were meeting the players one weekend at the back of Martin Luther King Hospital in Compton,” Edward recalls. “They call it Killer King because people go in there and they don’t come back out. The cricket club guys were holding a barbecue so I went to the store to get some drinks. There was Plexiglass everywhere. Then a local woman came in, looked at me and said — what is a white guy doing in Compton? She was joking luckily but it was a real shock for her. In a lot of these places people are just forgotten. I think sometimes life could be a little bit fairer on the poor.”

To quote Dr. Dre’s character in the fi lm Training Day, “You were a long way from Starbucks, homie.” And just like this statement, much of the artwork for the Compton show was executed in Dubai — far from home. I ask Edward if when he was back in more familiar surroundings if he felt more engaged with the UAE art scene. “I took part in the RCA Secret postcard project in Dubai in March and I’ve loved teaching painting DUCTAC,” says Edward. “Also, for the past eighteen months I’ve been busy working on commissions. I’m sure there are serious collectors here but I’ve been happy on the periphery. I think the art scene here is used as cultural collateral. Art education could be better — art could be encouraged as a serious educational option rather than an additional study.”

1988.

COPYING AND THE CRICKETERS OF COMPTON Known for his incredibly detailed portraits, Dubai-based English artist Edward Sutcliffe won the prestigious 2014 BP Travel Award. He talks with Simon Coates about the resulting Cricket Outta Compton exhibition at London’s National Portrait Gallery and his approach to his art.

“ A L L P H O T O G R A P H S A R E T H E R E T O R E M I N D U S O F W H A T W E F O R G E T . I N

T H I S — A S I N O T H E R W A Y S — T H E Y A R E T H E O P P O S I T E O F P A I N T I N G S .

P A I N T I N G S R E C O R D W H A T T H E P A I N T E R R E M E M B E R S . B E C A U S E E A C H O N E

O F U S F O R G E T S D I F F E R E N T T H I N G S , A P H O T O M O R E T H A N A P A I N T I N G M A Y

C H A N G E I T S M E A N I N G A C C O R D I N G T O W H O I S L O O K I N G A T I T . ”

J o h n B e r g e r

Edward SUTCLIFFE


“ I H A V E N O I N T E N T I O N O F

F L A T T E R I N G P E O P L E . I L I K E

W R I N K L E S A N D C R O W ’ S

F E E T A N D F L A W . ”

C h u c k C l o s e

Glenda Jackson. 2011.

Oil on canvas. 80 x 55 cm.


(Clockwise, from left)

Danny. 2014. Oil on canvas.

20.5 x 15.3 cm;

Sergio. 2014. Oil on canvas.

45 x 30 cm;

Steve. 2014. Oil on canvas.

42 x 28 cm.

All of the above are from the

Straight Outta Compton

series.

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One recurring theme in Sutcliffe’s work is the notion of copying. Not just creating lifelike artwork but copying as a concept. Look-a-likes, doppelgangers, even forgeries: themes of the double turn up in his paintings. In Dostoyevsky’s novella The Double the protagonist sees another version of himself, with the key subtext of the tale being one of identity loss. In that, if someone has a double, then they’re not unique. Is this something that interests you? “It’s more the fact that we’re brought up in a copying culture,” he answers. “How do we learn to read? How do we learn to write? How do we learn to read music? Through copying. I believe we live in a post-Romantic, logic-driven society and that copying is very much part of that. However, in a logical world art still exists, so I’m interested in how copying can actually be unique. For example I have an idea to go to China and do a series of portraits of Dafan workers then send their portraits back to them to copy.” In fact, in 2014 Edward sent his portrait of John Mayatt to a Chinese forger named Li Wu Da in Dafan who made a smaller version of the painting that is displayed along with the original.

So Edward Sutcliffe doesn’t make epistemological work that relies on a concept to succeed. What he creates is very much of this earth. It’s hematic and corporeal, resonating as it does with artists like Alyssa Monks and Jenny Saville — or even his hero Chuck Close — all of whom create paintings that scream honesty and humanity.

But one more thing before we wrap this up. What would you do if you found that someone was forging your work, Edward? “I’d like to think that I’d be quite cool about,” he says. “That said I’d probably fi nd them...”

The BP Portrait Award 2015 and Edward’s BP Travel Award 2014 exhibition are at the National Portrait Gallery in London until 20 September 2015. The exhibition will then head to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh (10 October 2015 - 28 February 2016) and the Ulster Museum, Belfast (March - June 2016). edwardsutcliffepaintings.com

Edward SUTCLIFFE


Love Ship. 2011. Wood and bronze. 20 x 30 x 65 cm.

S C U L P T I N G T H E I N F I N I T EKnown for his elegant and monumental sculptures, Syrian artist Mustafa Ali

has become one of the Arab world’s foremost sculptors. Rebecca Anne Proctor meets the artist in Dubai on his way back to Damascus.


He and She, The Eternal Relationship. 2010. Wood. 40 x 80 x 170 cm.

of human bodies in movement, agony and joy take over the space they are given. Heads, solemn and elongated, are detached from the body seemingly in a state of meditation. They are abstract renderings of the artist’s world imbued into wood and stone in a way that encapsulates the philosophies and thoughts he wishes to preserve. And even now, as Syria’s fate lies heavy with war and destruction, the artist maintains his studio and the renowned Damascus art center, the Mustafa Ali Foundation, which encourages creativity and exhibitions for youth and aspiring artists.

Born in Latakia in 1956, after training in sculpture at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Damascus, Ali continued his studies at the Fine Arts Academy in Carrara, Italy, graduating in 1996. Since 1979 he has exhibited internationally and has participated in a number of high-profi le events such as Latakia Sculpture Biennial, where he was awarded the Golden Prize in 1997; the Biennial of Alexandria, Egypt (1994); the Sharjah Biennial (1995); and the International Symposium for Sculptors in Valencia, Spain (2001). Ali’s work can now be found in numerous private and public collections, including in Syria at the National Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Damascus, in addition to the Jordan National Gallery in Amman, the Sharjah Museum of Art and the Arab World Institute in Paris. His bronze and wooden sculptures can be found in notable public spaces, such as The Gate of Syria, which is on display in the Mediterranean Olympiad in Pari, Italy, and The Tower of Memory, which placed in the Damascus International Fairground.

Through his sculpture Ali refl ects on the inner world of a human being. What he depicts is the mind’s eye — the voices that tell of our identity and need for survival. His sculptural beings carve out notions of ego, life, death and empathy. And these are all tenets that the artist continues to explore in his work — even when faced with the upheaval around him. “The war in Syria has infl uenced my work to move in two directions,” says Ali. “The fi rst trend references the human head as a center for ideas and expressive power. For example, Distance, my last exhibition that was held at Art Sawa in 2014, featured work whereby there were rifts or divides in the human face. These two divides recalled the valley rift in Syrian geography. This “distance” has translated into a split in the human face — the two halves are separate.”

Several sculptural works in the form of wooden heads in this exhibition were entitled Distance – and within each one was a clear cut, or “rift” as Ali says, down

the front of the face separating the two halves of the head. “The second trend apparent now in my work is people building from fragments and wreckage to form a human body. I want to get rid of the falling boulders and the mass of people screaming. I want to create a sculpture that reveals a human being made from destruction and yet stays standing and defi ant in the face of all the violence.” Such a statement is true to Ali’s work in Syria and with the continuance of The Mustafa Ali Art Foundation that was established in 2003 to support new artists and a younger generation of initiators through art workshops, solo and group exhibitions. “The gallery and the neighborhood became an

important center where a large number of artists gathered and visitors came from all over the world,” says Ali. The center continues to hold regular exhibitions and artist talks throughout the year. And so, the show goes on.

Wood plays a crucial part in Ali’s creative process. The use of this natural material endows his sculptures with feelings of permanence,

belonging, and grounding — even if his subject matter is at times not so. And perhaps this is because wood is from the earth — the only place that grounds us all. “Wood is part of a long experience,” says Ali. “It is

Mustafa Ali’s sculptural works pierce human consciousness. Renderings


(Above) The Guillotine, Expectations of what will happen in the Arab World. 2008. Wood. 100 x 275 x 180 cm. (Below, from left) Distance, The Distance and the Power of the Pain. 2009. Wood. 80 x 50 x 60 cm.; Asleep Face, Birth from a Dream. 2010. Wood. 90 x 45 x 55 cm.

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my body, passion, and soul. It is known that a new experience needs new materials to help you build a creative process that revolves in the mind before it materialized, but wood is something I can’t stop using.” He tells me how Damascus is surrounded by a forest of trees that to him resemble the bodies of human beings — hence the use of the material and it’s shaping thereafter into so many bodily forms. “This inspired me to create a new experience where wood was the basic material in the construction of many works full of dreams, love, and sadness.”

And so they are and become Ali’s wooden and steel works. He tells me how he’s in the process of creating new sculptures and working greatly with the element of fi sh and water. Some of his favorite pieces are Cruel Dream, a sculpture made of steel and wood and others such as Al Ghota that is made in the form of a rusted woman’s body. There is also Canaanite Memory, made of wood, and Head of Steel, and Rift Valley. All his works hold something special for him and for those who see them. “I think it is diffi cult to defi ne one artwork only,” he says. “I can say that at every stage of my art creation I fi nd work close to my heart.”

“ I W A N T T O C R E A T E A S C U L P T U R E T H A T

R E V E A L S A H U M A N B E I N G M A D E F R O M

D E S T R U C T I O N A N D Y E T T H A T S T A Y S

S T A N D I N G A N D D E F I A N T I N T H E F A C E O F

A L L T H E V I O L E N C E . ”

MUSTAFA ALI


o began the text accompanying The Devil May Care, a recent exhibition at Noorderlicht gallery in the Dutch city of Groningen. The curator in question was Netherlands native Hester Keijser who, while maintaining a global outlook, is something of a specialist in Middle Eastern photography. Having worked intensively with photography galleries in the Gulf in recent years, including The Empty Quarter and East Wing, she has now stepped back from the commercial world to focus on Stead Bureau, her own non-commercial venture “with a more refl ective and critical focus” on

photography from the region.Consisting of work by fi ve emerging artists with very different backgrounds and

approaches, this mischievous exhibition tried to redress the prevalent curatorial trend towards worthy (and arguably dull) photography. Unsurprisingly, given Keijser’s interest in the region, two of the fi ve photographers she selected are from the Middle East: Aso Mohammadi and Eman Ali.

“My name is Aso, which means the sun shining between mountains in Kurdish,” says Mohammadi. “I’m from Kurdistan of Iran, but I grew up in Switzerland. I’m very happy to have two cultures, and I always mix my Swiss and Kurdish education.”

A 25-year-old, Mohammadi’s infl uences also extend well beyond these two traditions. The work, which was shown in Groningen, is collectively called Folon after an album by Malian singer-songwriter Salif Keita, and the photographs themselves also betray a wider world view, as Keijser explains. “In his work you can see the visual infl ux of oriental elements, but it’s in this young and global manner where things fuse,” she says.

“I started Folon at the age of 15 when I saw Kurdistan for the fi rst time,” says Mohammadi, who is currently studying at ECAL (École cantonal d’art de Lausanne). “I wanted to save the memory of everything around me with a video camera, which I used as a photo camera. For the moment, I just want to enjoy everything I shoot, and it doesn’t matter with what kind of camera. I had my long period of doing still-lifes and colorful pictures, most of them in my room. My room is also like my studio — I don’t need a lot to do a picture, just some paper, some object, and a wall — that’s

S

PLAYING WITH FIRE

A respected photography gallery in The Netherlands isn’t afraid of taking risks with young artists, including two photographers from the Middle East. Simon Bowcock investigates.

“ D E A R P H O T O G R A P H Y ,

W H Y H A V E Y O U G R O W N S O P A I N F U L L Y S E R I O U S A N D F O R M A L I N T H E S E

T I M E S ? W H E R E I S Y O U R P L A Y F U L N E S S , T H E S K I P S A N D J U M P S , T H E M U C K I N G

A B O U T , Y O U R D E V I L - M A Y - C A R E A T T I T U D E T H A T L A U G H S A B O U T R U L E S A N D

C O N V E N T I O N S ? S H O W M E T H E O N E S W H O D A R E H A V E G E N U I N E , G E N E R O U S

F U N W I T H T H E C A M E R A … ”

A C u r a t o r

Aso Mohammadi. Folon. 2013. Digital print. Dimensions variable. Image courtesy of the artist.


enough. I want to be more spontaneous, like when I started photography. More and more I use just my phone for pictures.”

Spontaneity and a lack of pretension also characterize Eman Ali’s photographs. “My approach is quite experimental and I like my creativity to free fl ow,” she says. “On the one hand, I take everyday snapshots and create a story through these images, on the other it is more of a conscious decision to capture something specifi c: a photograph documenting a moment in history or a certain situation be it political, religious or otherwise.”

In her late twenties, Ali is an Omani who lives in Bahrain but studies in London. Some of her photographs shown at Noorderlicht lift the lid a little on Bahrain’s nightlife, revealing a party culture that many — especially in the West do not readily associate with the Middle East. Placed in a context of censorship, the pictures play with often-confl icting notions of how people present themselves and how they act.

Keijser paints a positive general picture about young photographers with a Middle Eastern background. “What their work feeds on is their own experiences of growing up in a truly globalized world, where the economic and political weight is felt to be shifting from Western-centric to South-South and South-East relations,” she says. “Photographers — perhaps feeling bolstered by this or at least becoming more comfortable in their own growing artistic traditions are more confi dent in developing their own narratives, and fi nding their own voices and codes to do so.”

“What I personally fi nd exciting is to see work emerging that is both lyrical and minimalist at the same time — for lack of better words I need to take recourse to old Western terms to describe it. You can sense how the landscape and this very strong tradition of oral poetry fi lter into the visual arts, and give it a very particular presence. When you see that, you know the work has hit on solid ground .”

The Devil May Care ran from 27 June through 16 August at Noorderlicht, Groningen, Netherlands. www.noorderlicht.com

(Left) Eman Ali. Untitled from the series Site Blocked. 2013. Photographic print. Dimensions variable.

(Below) Eman Ali. Untitled from the series Site Blocked. 2014. Photographic print. Dimensions variable.

Aso Mohammadi. From the series Folon. 2011. Digital print. Dimensions variable.

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oroccan-born artist Hassan Hajjaj is perhaps best known for his idiosyncratic brand of post-pop portrait photography. Heavily infl uenced by London’s club, hip

hop and reggae culture as well as by his North African heritage, Hajjaj is a self-taught and incredibly versatile artist whose oeuvre to date is instantly recognizable and yet amazingly diverse, including: performance, portraiture, installation and interior design work as well as fashion and furniture made from recycled consumer goods’ packaging.

Leaving Larache for London at the height of punk, Hajjaj soon became involved in the capital’s music scene. Subterranean soul and reggae nights, for which he sold tickets in a shop fi lled with his friends’ clothes, were followed in the late 1980s, by his involvement in Covent Garden hub, ‘Rap.’ “I was selling John Smedley, Levi’s 501s- odd things that were a bit new to London,” he says. “By 1987 I was selling Vivienne Westwood and the John Galliano diffusion range.” As creative as he was entrepreneurial, the purchase of a friend’s camera in the early 1990s saw the beginning of Hajjaj’s enlightened experimentation with photography. While many see something of Matisse or Koons in his work, others are convinced he is “Morocco’s Andy Warhol,” or indeed, the next David LaChapelle. In any case, Hajjaj’s increasingly international reputation has led to his inclusion in numerous prominent exhibitions including Islamic Art Now at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art as well as his nomination for the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Jameel Prize in 2009.

Currently on display at LACMA are two chromogenic prints by Hajjaj, Gang of Kesh Part 2 and Caravane. The former, surrounded in its wooden frame by car paint cans, depicts the Kesh Angels, a provocatively dressed group of girls in patterned veils and djellabah posing on motorbikes in the streets of Marakech’s Medina. Daring and defi ant, at once traditionally and yet contemporarily clad, Hajjaj’s girl gang subvert preconceived notions of the socio-cultural role of women in Arabic society. The latter, Caravane, is a humorous portrait of the anonymous lady in red. Playful and similarly framed by found cans, Caravane exploits and thus comments on the ubiquity of big brands, the effects of global capitalism.

Following on from his acclaimed Kesh Angels series, Hajjaj makes his fi rst foray into fi lm with B-movie cult documentary, Karima: A Day in the Life of a Henna Girl, which premiered at LACMA in May to coincide with current exhibition, Islamic Art Now. Karima follows the fi lm’s eponymous character and her moped-riding cohort as they leave home to spend the day practizing the art of henna in Marrakech’s legendary Jemaa el-Fnaa. A captivating muse and the subject of many of Hajjaj’s portraits over

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(Above, from left) Maalem Simo Lagnawi. 2010. Metallic Lambda print on 3mm white dibond. 136 x 100.5 cm; Mr James. 2009. Metallic Lambda print on 3mm white dibond. 136 x 100.5 cm;

Bouchra on the Phone. 2008. C-type on Fuji Crystal. 133 x 94 cm.

(Below) Poetic Pilgrimage. 2010. Metallic Lambda print on 3mm white dibond. 136 x 100.5 cm.

(Facing page) Blue Eyes. 2010. Metallic Lambda Print on 3mm white dibond. 133.3 x 93 cm.

Hop, skip and jump is what Hassan Hajjaj does through his work and around the world. Nicola Baird interviews the

multidisciplinary artist and learns about his latest film, Karima.


the last seventeen years, Karima is for Hajjaj a “very interesting, very inspiring, a very strong woman” hence his wanting to “introduce her to the world” so that audiences might be able to appreciate her “as an artist in her own right.”

The Jemaa el-Fnaa, or ‘eternal meeting place’ has long been the site of commercial and cultural exchange. Founded in the eleventh century, this triangular square, located at the entrance to the city’s Medina, represents a unique concentration of popular Moroccan musical, religious and artistic traditions. Karima’s mother and grandmother were business women of the Jemaa el-Fnaa before her but she is the fi rst woman in her family to sell the art of henna. Like Hajjaj, Karima is self-taught and was the fi rst of a new generation to attend what Hajjaj calls, the “Jemaa el-Fnaa University of Street Life,” starting out as a teenager who practiced on her friends. “It’s kind of grunge,” Hajjaj observes, “Just girls doing henna in the square,” indeed the “punk edge to it all” is something that Hajjaj consciously exploits in seeking to elevate Karima and her crew to the status of “cult B-movie stars.”

Henna has been used since antiquity to dye skin, hair and fi ngernails, as well as fabrics such as silk, wool and leather. Historically used for cosmetic purposes in Ancient India (or Carthage) as well as other parts of North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and South Asia, henna remains an important part of the bridal ritual, particularly among traditional families. Despite Karima’s evident business mindedness, modernity and insatiable energy, it is clear that Karima has a profound respect for this ancient art and is passionate about her ‘noble profession’- “Henna is beautiful, henna is from heaven,” she says.

LACMA’s Curator of Islamic Art, Linda Kormaroff is a big fan of Hajjaj, telling me assertively that he is “the one to watch.” Following its premiere at LACMA, Karima was subsequently screened at this year’s edition of Art Basel as part of the fair’s fi lm program alongside Takashi Murakami’s feature fi lm debut, Jellyfi sh Eyes and the European premiere of Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict. Karima is the work of which Hajjaj is most proud, and he has therefore been delighted with how positively audiences have responded to it. However, he admits that, “It isn’t for everyone.” When asked if fi lm is a medium he will continue to experiment with, Hajjaj replies, “Yes, defi nitely, but I’m still learning. I’m not technical at all. I would like to do maybe two or three more fi lms like this on other characters I’ve been taking pictures of, [such as his friend, Brazilian Capoeira master, Toca Feliciano] that I think the world should see.”

But what ultimately infl uences Hajjaj’s art? “Life,” he says, “As well as by ‘food, travel, music, art, fi lms, people, textiles, markets, sunny weather, cold weather, happiness and sadness.” But there is more. “It has to be more than just a pretty picture,” he says of the relationship between form and content in his work. “I have been lucky to have these amazing people posing for me, they are the ones who should be taking the credit. It is their strong energy and a certain swagger which brings my images alive.”

Humble, unpretentious and wildly talented, Hajjaj is a visionary artist whose arresting and hybridized creations are far more nuanced than one might at fi rst assume. Firstly, it seems important to mention that, like Karima, his subjects are his friends. Secondly, his sets are carefully curated. In addition, he designs each of his subject’s outfi ts, hiring local (Moroccan) tailors and artisans to fashion bespoke suits, branded veils and djellabah. These people are his collaborators in a neat fusion of stylistic and sartorial dichotomies — the Western suit pieced out of regional fabrics, and traditional feminine attire printed with unorthodox designs and symbols of global consumer culture. Hajjaj then plays the role of artist, designer, and stylist as well as social and cultural commentator — a multifarious achievement for someone who started out simply wanting to capture the essence of his home country in ways his

ROCCO’S ANDY WARHOL

friends in London would appreciate. When asked whose work he most admires, Hajjaj replies,

“people like Malick Sidibé”, the Malian documentary and portrait photographer perhaps best known for his black-and-white studies of popular culture in 1960s Bamako, elaborating, “because he wasn’t trying to be an artist.” Indeed, it can be seen from comparison that Hajjaj’s images owe much to Sibidé’s work as well as to that of another African luminary, Seydou Keita. And yet Hajjaj’s modernity is unmistakable, staging as he does street style shoots, vibrant colors and highly patterned backdrops designed to highlight his subjects’ inner rock star. Energizing and visually revitalizing, his pictures prove highly infectious. Able to distil a unique blend of irrepressible good humor and characteristic swagger. One feels in each case a palpable sense of each character’s presence, a sense in which we are seduced and enveloped by a kind of aura.

Hajjaj is currently working on new material for a number of solo shows due to open in 2016, at The Third Line Gallery, Dubai in March and at Taymour Grahne Gallery in New York’s Tribeca in May. A

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rawing on diverse cultural sources including literature,

history, folk art and religion, Pouran Jinchi has developed a

visual vocabulary that inhabits the space between abstraction and

calligraphy. Working in a realm that is defi ned by the overlapping fi elds of

painting, sculpture, drawing, and writing, her art practice entails a

conversation between the materials she uses and the subjects she addresses.

Inscription in her art becomes a visual apparatus beyond meaning.

Jinchi produces textual landscapes that are recognizable yet illegible.

This fall, Leila Heller Gallery New York will mount Black and Blue, an exhibition of Jinchi’s

most recent work. This body of work is an artistic response to pervasive social and political violence.

Revisiting Sadegh Hedayat’s modernist classic, The Blind Owl, Jinchi explores the universal tropes of

pain and violence threaded throughout the novel. One particular passage is explored repeatedly across

various mediums – “I write only for my shadow, which is cast on the wall in front of the light. I must introduce

myself to it.” Jinchi dismantles the text, drawing fragments of the letters onto patches of paper that are then

stitched together with copper thread into quilts. She paints the sentence onto raw canvases where the characters evoke a

(Below) Wound 4. 2015. Inks on linen.

122 x 122 cm. Courtesy of Leila

Heller Gallery.

battlefi eld strewn with the wounded. Each line of the fi rst page of the book is rendered into sculptural form; Jinchi painstakingly cuts each letter from a sheet of copper, forming it into abstract shapes by hand, and stringing it onto a chain fabricated from copper safety pins.

Currently living and working in New York City, Pouran Jinchi was born in Iran and studied engineering before becoming an artist. Her work has been collected and exhibited in leading museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and Zayed National Museum, Abu Dhabi. Two of her paintings are currently on view at the 56th Venice Biennale through November 2015.Over the past year, I’ve been making regular visits to your studio here in Brooklyn. It’s a beautiful space, filled with light. It’s peaceful and embracing.

The space in which I work is very important to me. There is a sense of order to my studio that helps my creative process. I sketch out my work carefully before I begin making it. And even as I am making the pieces, I have a sense of how they will be presented in an exhibition. Your process is very planned, very meticulous. It strikes me that there is a distinct relationship between the materials you use, the colors you use and the meaning embedded in the work. Can you discuss this in relation to this particular body of work?

Every new body of work presents new possibilities to me. I like to experiment with new forms, new materials, and new colors. I think about how the material can add dimension, texture, and color to the work that can help convey meaning. For this exhibit, I used a defi ned palette of blues, blacks, red, and fuchsia. I use raw canvas,

BLACKANDBLUE



handmade paper, transfer paper, and shiny copper. These surfaces all refl ect something about the work itself.

Of course ultimately, my art takes different meanings based on how other people see the work. That communicative capacity of art is very important to me, for people to be able to see the work through their own lenses and understand it in their own way.The pieces in the show are extraordinarily beautiful. Yet in this exhibit, you are exploring the themes of pain and violence. Describe the tension between beauty and pain in this work.

The idea for this body of work stemmed from a human reaction I had to this pervasive violence in our society. There is always news of more violence – in Syria, Iraq, the earthquake in Nepal. What is a possible artistic response to all this violence? This question led me back to Sadegh Hedayat’s novel, The Blind Owl. Pain and violence are threaded throughout the novel. So it became a starting point for this new work.

At the same time, I then wanted the viewer’s experience of the work to be refl ective and contemplative. When it comes to art, beauty is very important to me. When we see something beautiful, it attracts us, draws us in, and puts us in a space of contemplation. In each work, there is an element of fear, of danger, of angst. Yet this is balanced by a sense of calm, of beauty. Sadegh Hedayat’s writing clearly resonates with you. On the one hand, his writing was very rooted in Iranian problems and thematics. On the other hand, his writing has a universal resonance and translates well into other languages. I can see this element in your own art.

In some ways I do identify with Hedayat, even though we are from different eras. I can identify with his life experiences. His stories are dark, always full of angst and pain. But he’s always holding something back, either consciously or not. I think this is a reason he uses so many metaphors in his writing. And yes, his


writing is deeply Iranian on the one hand, but it also translates well and has a universal meaning. This aspect has been very appealing to me.There is a fascinating installation piece in this exhibit. It features 243 ink drawings of dots—the diacritical notations taken from the pages of The Blind Owl. Each noqteh or dot has its own unique design—your detailed interpretation of various Islamic designs.

In Islamic art and calligraphy, the noqteh represents the beginning. Each word we write, each line we draw begins with a dot. In writing, the dots help determine the letters and therefore give meaning to the words. And yet, when Persian is written by hand, these dots often get overlooked, they can disappear. So I wanted to focus on these dots, on their importance in giving language its meaning. Sometimes the things we don’t notice at fi rst glance are the most important of all. In this body of work, you return to Persian calligraphy. But the letters are fragmented; nothing is actually legible. Can you talk about the relationship of language to this body of work?

My art is text-based. I’m really a writer without words. At some level, every work in this show is a form of writing. Artists always use their art to say something they can’t convey with words. I happen to work with Persian text, but any language can be translated into a visual experience.

Black and Blue runs until 24 October at Leila Heller Gallery, New York.

In July, Dr. Shiva Balaghi, a curator and scholar of Middle Eastern art, spoke with Iranian artist Pouran Jinchi in her Brooklyn studio about the works in her forthcoming exhibition, Black and Blue.

“ M Y A R T I S T E X T - B A S E D . I ’ M R E A L L Y A W R I T E R W I T H O U T W O R D S . A T S O M E

L E V E L , E V E R Y W O R K I N T H I S S H O W I S A F O R M O F W R I T I N G . A R T I S T S A L W A Y S

U S E T H E I R A R T T O S A Y S O M E T H I N G T H E Y C A N ’ T C O N V E Y W I T H W O R D S . ”

P o u r a n J i n c h i

PouranJINCHI


MIDDLE EASTERN

UNITECOLLECTORS+ARTISTS

COLLECTORS+ARTISTS This page: left: Mohamed Afkhami with Ali Banisadri in the artist’s studio in New York. Photography by Mike Vorrasi. Above: Maryam Eisler speaks with gallerist Hannah Barry and artist Mohammed Qasim Ashfaq. Facing page: Above: Maya Rasamny. Photography by Maryam Eisler. Below: Dana Farouki with artist Nina Katchadourian in Central Park. Photography by Mike Vorrasi.


Art collecting is for lovers. While history reveals how the acquisition of an artwork can be fueled by matters of diplomacy, wealth, and power, ultimately, what drives one to collect is the aesthetic pleasure of beholding a particular work of art. The piece, in whatever medium it is made, must resonate something with the buyer. As Walter Benjamin once wrote in his 1931 essay on collecting entitled Unpacking my Library, “Every passion borders on the chaotic, but the collector’s passion borders on the chaos of memories.” And so, as the base for Middle Eastern collectors has grown, we decided to sit down with six individuals who have championed art from the region and internationally and have them interview an artist of their choice. Here Mohammed Afkhami, Maryam Eisler, Dana Farouki, Maya Rasamny, Alia Al-Senussi and Abdullah Al-Turki speak with a contemporary artist about their creative process, current work and the timeless power of art. Each recount a personal affi liation with the artist — a relationship that has further spurred the collecting of each artist’s work. So, fueled by love, beauty and the power of aesthetics, in the following pages Middle Eastern art collectors and artists meet and speak about art that they love.

Mohammed Afkhami with Ali Banisadr in the artist’s studio in New York. Photography by Mike Vorrasi.


M O H A M E D A F K H A M I A N D A L I B A N I S A D R

Collector Mohamed Afkhami meets Ali Banisadr in his New York studio. They speak about the Iranian art scene, the

medium of painting and the ideal exhibition space.

met Ali Banisadr about fi ve years through a studio visit organized by art dealer Thaddaeus Ropac — Ali’s fi rst European dealer. When we met there were quite a few people present. Ali was in the midst of making four big works and a few smaller works. He was dead set on placing his larger works in institutions — larger works meaning over two meters high. We talked and I told him that I would be a long-term collector. I fi nally spoke to his dealer and

managed to get a big piece — at last! Ever since that day Ali and I have been great friends. We recently saw each other in New York and were also in Venice together in 2013. The reason we are friends is that we are also peers. Being an Iranian myself I know some of the struggles that he has been through. The reason why I love his work is that he has taken the traditional themes of Iranian folklore and culture and abstracted them on canvas. He also blends them with a post-Renaissance infl uence. Ali’s also a painter. He’s not a conceptual artist. He is incorporating great techniques and creating something new and that’s what I love about his work.

I have a single masterpiece on display in my home where it has been positioned on its own wall with customized lighting so that the viewer can zoom in on the detail of the work. Ali makes maybe at best 15 or 20 works a year and maybe four or fi ve of great magnitude refl ecting his belief in giving his artwork to institutional collections. He is very disciplined about his career and has the right mentality to grow it. It’s not just that he’s Middle Eastern. He happens to be from the region — but his work transcends so many cultural boundaries and that’s what I love about him and his art. And it’s for this reason that his collectors are not just from the Middle East — they are from all over the world.

i How much infl uence do you draw from your Iranian heritage when making your works? What infl uences you to create your art?I think the infl uences always work their way into the paintings subconsciously and somewhat obliquely. It always works better this way, when the imagery comes from your memory and imagination. Since I am Iranian and am very much interested in its culture historically and lived there a quarter of my life, there are certainly some Iranian infl uences that come through in my paintings. But of course when it comes to my work there are no borders or limits to where the infl uences come from.

If there were a dream location to exhibit your work, where would it be and why?At this point I would like to have a traveling museum show. I’d like to be able to reunite the body of works that I have made in the past 10 years and see their reception by different audiences in the US, Europe and beyond.

As an artist, how important is it to you that your works end up in collections you admire?It is very important for me to know that my work ends up in the collection of a private or public institution that I admire and know that the collectors are passionate about my work. I like the relationship and conversation that comes from collectors who truly care about the pieces they are acquiring and are really interested in how art works relate to each other throughout history.

Do you one day envisage exhibiting your work in Iran now that sanctions are being lifted and Iran is re-entering the international community of nations?It would be wonderful to be able to exhibit in a museum or institution in Iran and to meet the artist community there.

Do you think that one day you will do work beyond traditional painting?I never like to limit myself so if the works require me to use a different medium then I would do so. However, I feel that the medium of painting is so challenging and diffi cult that it will keep my interest going for years to come.

+ARTISTSCollectors

DA N A FA R O U K I M E E T S N I N A K A T C H A D O U R I A N

Abraaj Group Art Prize chairperson, collector and curator Dana Farouki meets artist Nina Katchadourian in New York. They speak about Nina’s new work for Creative Time

and the importance of public and also ephemeral art.

had the pleasure of spending a morning in Central Park with artist Nina Katchadourian who was commissioned by the public arts projects organization Creative Time to realize The Lamppost Weavers, a work for their exhibition Drifting in Daylight.” Not your typical setting for a group show, Creative Time and the Central Park Conservancy activated the park with art installations and performances that ran on Fridays and Saturdays from 15 May through 20 June.

The Lamppost Weavers is a series of birds’ nests, designed by the artist and produced with the help of weavers at the Textile Arts Center in Brooklyn. Three different types of nest groups were installed

in three of the street lamps in the north part of Central Park. Made with both traditional nest materials, like grass and twigs, along with unexpected additions, such as soccer balls, tennis balls, and sneakers, Katchadourian’s colorful and fantastical nests were captivating.

A conceptual artist who works with a variety of media, from sculpture and photography to video and sound, Katchadourian’s practice often stems from observations of daily life — and in this instance, she was thinking not only about the daily lives of humans, but also about the daily lives of the birds in the park.

i As Chair of the Board of Trustees of Creative Time, I was excited about doing this site visit with Katchadourian and highlighting some of the exceptional and sometimes unusual work that the organization presents.

To see more of Katchadourian, don’t miss her work at the 2015 Venice Biennale. Her video installation Accent Elimination is part of the Armenian Pavilion, winner of this year’s Golden Lion for the Best National Pavilion.

Can you tell me a little bit about The Lamppost Weavers, your project for Creative Time’s Drifting in Daylight exhibition?Central Park is an important space for both human and non-human animals in New York City. Humans use it as a place for leisure, contemplation, exercise, and socializing. For birds, it’s a habitat, and also a very important stop during migration. This makes Central Park one of the best places for bird watching in the northeast. I started by thinking about the different ways that the lives of birds and humans intersect and overlap in the park.

Why bird nests?Birds can construct incredible nests from materials they fi nd around them. In an urban situation like in New York City you fi nd many odd materials in bird nests: string, wires, fabric, even cigarette butts. In nests like that, bird lives and human lives are literally woven

Dana Farouki and Nina Katchadourian in Central Park, New York. Photography by Mike Vorrassi.


together. I decided to create nests that combined the kinds of materials a bird would usually make us of — grasses, leaves, sticks — with materials that refl ected the various human leisure activities in the park, like running, soccer, and tennis. I designed three very different types of nest groups, and each one is placed near a site where one of these sports activities happen.

What kind of research went into this project?A lot! I made a special visit to the Museum of Natural History in New York for a viewing of birds nests with the Ornithology Collections Manager in order to understand how certain kinds of nests are constructed. For my project, I focused on the nests of three very specifi c types of birds. The Sociable Weaver bird, whose nests are built collectively and can house a few hundred birds, was the model for the nest near the tennis ball courts, which looks like a large, spiky, grassy sleeve on the arm of the lamppost, embedded with about 40 tennis balls. The Village Weaver bird makes soft, puffy nests that resemble the shape of a shoe. In New York, you often see pairs of tied-together sneakers hanging from lampposts, so soft organic materials were woven over many pairs of running shoes that were then installed onto a lamppost arm at the top of a hill where a lot of runners stop to take a break. The third type of nest is based on the Oropendola bird, whose nests are long and pendulous. Near the ball fi elds, where you see a lot of soccer and football being played, I designed a type of hanging nest that had soccer balls and footballs embedded into them, as if the birds had found a way to use the balls as armatures to weave around.

How does working with Creative Time, a public arts organization without walls, (permanent exhibition space) differ from working with a museum or gallery?When you work in the public sphere, you can take people by surprise. In the public realm, a viewer might think: Wait, what is going on here? Is this a normal situation, or a manipulated one? With my piece, perhaps people wonder “This structure looks like an animal made it, but is that really true?” An experienced birdwatcher might think “I know that Oropendolas don’t live in this part of the world, but that really looks like an Oropendola nest!”

Have you worked a lot in the public sphere? How does it inform your general practice?I’ve been making public projects since 1994. Public projects are one of the most challenging ways to work because of all the logistics and unpredictable elements involved. Working with Creative Time has been a dream come true—they can really get miracles to happen, and are full of creative solutions to unusual problems. They have such an established presence in New York and such excellent credibility, and having such a trustworthy advocate is exactly the kind of situation you want to be in as an artist.

How do you feel about making ephemeral works? Works that you know will have a temporary lifespan?A few years ago I made a public project in bronze, and I realized this was the only project I’ve ever made, in any context, that is likely to live a great deal longer than me! My work is usually so situationally and temporally specifi c that ephemerality is inherent to the concept of the piece. Bird nests are seasonal entities, for instance, so it makes sense that they are only there a little while, not permanently. On the other hand, some of my ephemeral projects have been shown again on different sites, so there is a way that works can travel and have new incarnations.

How does this differ from making work for the market, work that can be collected by an individual?

I make a lot of very different kinds of things, including objects and images that are sold and collected in conventional ways. But I’ve also made several permanent public artworks, which institutions and even the government do regularly commission. Over the entire breadth of my practice there is plenty of room for both the more ephemeral and the less ephemeral.

You often employ humor in your work. Can you discuss this sensibility?I never set out to make work that is funny—that’s not the goal, in other words—but I think humor is a very useful tool, and I am often attracted to situations that might start with humor as a way of breeding curiosity in the viewer. Perhaps through an encounter with something that is odd, awkward, or out of place, there is a way to make a viewer more alert to the other things around them that could have this kind of resonance.

You have spoken about “productive confusion” when discussing your practice. Can you explain?We do some of our most reckless and creative thinking in those moments when we don’t quite know what is going on. I am always trying to see where my own thoughts go when I am really puzzled about something, and the things I grasp for as a way of “making sense” of them. Sometimes, the explanations you provide yourself with are evidence of a kind of expansive thinking that we often shut down when we are thinking more rationally.

Can you tell me about the video that you made for the Armenian Pavilion? Was this work specifi cally made for Venice?My video installation Accent Elimination chronicles my attempt to learn to speak in the accents of my Armenian father and Finlandswedish mother, as well as my parents’ attempt to learn to speak “Standard American English.” We worked with an accent elimination coach for several intensive weeks in 2005 to generate the raw material for the piece, which I later edited. My parents were born in very different parts of the world but in each of their lives their home language was different from the dominant languages of the cultures surrounding them. As a result, my parents speak with accents that are very noticeable to people but very hard to place, so they are always being asked questions about them. Focusing on their accents is a way of bringing up broader questions about diaspora, inheritance, cultural infl uence, and assimilation.

What are you working on now?At the moment, I’m working on something for the Museum of Modern Art in New York, as part of a program called Artists Experiment in their Education Department. My project is about dust. I’ve interviewed MoMA staff from all different parts of the museum: curatorial, building operations, visitor services, conservation, preparation and installation, and others. Due to the incredible numbers of people who visit the museum each day, a lot of dust comes into the museum, and a lot of effort goes into controlling and managing it. I’ve gotten very interested in dust as both a physical material but also as a metaphorical one that reminds us of our own ephemerality. I’ve done about 15 audio interviews that will be edited into an audio tour that MoMA visitors can use in the museum to visit specifi c sites and hear these different perspectives on dust. ■

The Lamppost Weavers by Nina Katchadourian in Central Park.

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M A R Y A M E I S L E R A N D M O H A M M E D Q A S I M A S H FA Q

Maryam Eisler, Co-chair of the Tate Middle East North Africa Acquisitions Committee in London, was acquainted with the work of Mohammed Qasim

Ashfaq with the help of Peckham-based galerist Hannah Barry. When Maryam fi rst encountered the works of the artist, she was immediately mesmerized by the

linear simplicity, precision, and sharpness of Mohammed’s sculptures in relation to the light and their occupied space.

Mohammed Qasim Ashfaq and Maryam Eisler. Left: Right: MAKE ME A BLACK HOLE AND I WILL BELIEVE YOU XIV. 2012. Graphite on paper. 157 x 153 cm. Right: FALLING STARS II. 2014. Lacquered steel. Three parts. Each 88 x 143 x 82 cm. Dimensions variable. Photography by Robin Friend.


Maryam Eisler: How would you categorize the degree of spirituality in your work? To note, I am not talking about religious spirituality.Mohammed Qasim Ashfaq: It’s diffi cult to separate religion from spirituality.

ME: What I’m referring to is some degree of meditative content, especially in your graphite works on paper. M: The drawings take a long time to make. There is this amazing point where you start a drawing. You’ve got this huge bit of paper and you think, ‘Oh yes, this is so good.’ It’s a huge bit of paper and it’s totally perfect, straight. Then you draw the circle on it and then you draw the geometry and then you stand there and look at it, and it’s like, ‘Okay, this is going to be the drawing.’ Then you draw the fi rst line and you’re thinking about the fi rst couple of lines, right? ‘Cause it’s like you’re drawing for the fi rst time. And then you don’t really think about it until it’s almost fi nished. I don’t want to say it’s an automatic reaction to what’s in front of me, it’s just that I know what the goal is when you start the drawing. The geometry is there and you know what the lines are going to be pointing towards. I only realize it when the work is in its last couple of minutes. You’re drawing the last lines, and all of a sudden, it’s done.

ME: Do you mean to say that you lose yourself in your work? M: I don’t really. I mean, I know we’re in 2015, but I don’t quite know how I got here. The works are not about instant gratifi cation. Even making the cardboard maquettes takes a long time, or the sculptures… it’s a massive process, and it takes time. In the same way, it’s like a sheet of steel that has to be transformed into this greater vision …

ME: What about the repetition in your drawing? Are you trying to reveal a personal or collective memory?M: I’m not sure. You’re talking about these huge journeys that take place over the course of anywhere from eight to ten hours a day-my drawing journeys that is. When you’re working every day for such long hours and you’re listening to an opera (generally Wagner) on repeat, nothing really changes. I’m not sure what the memory is. I’m not sure what I want to remember or what I want to forget.

ME: There’s a fi ne line between remembering and forgetting. M: Yes! Because obviously I remember making these, but at the same time I don’t know how much I remember of the time that I have spent making them, you know?

ME: Talk to me about this immaculate mathematical precision in your work, this incredible order. Are you trying to instill some order within the complex world we live in or better yet, are you trying to give some order to your own life, to what you can personally control?M: Absolutely. Control is a massive thing. You have control of the pencil and you have control in how you make the work. It’s diffi cult to see beautiful things sometimes, especially when you’re in your own little world. Most artists live in their own little world that’s all fantastic, for whatever it’s worth…. There was a period when I had one of the big drawings in my bedroom. I’d wake up in the middle

of the night and I’d look at this huge black disk. And I would say, “That’s really good.” I love waking up and seeing this silhouette; it just sort of works because I don’t really like much stuff. I sort of like nothing, really. ME: What about the signifi cance of light in your work? Critics always talk about darkness when referring to your art. I’m interested in the light you incorporate.M: Oh, light’s beautiful, isn’t it? The more light the better because you just can’t have darkness without light. For example, if you went and walked from right to the left of the drawing, you see yourself in a completely different light. I think that’s really amazing. That activation. We’re sitting here, the work’s black, the wall’s white, the fl oor’s grey, there’s no color. But as soon as you shift, you see the outside refl ected in the drawing. There’s an amazing sense of being alive, experiencing something that’s not just fl at, or monochromatic and boring. Even in the studio, when I’m working on them, I’ve got a really powerful light bulb, and it refl ects everything around it. Blue skies are particularly amazing when they’re refl ected in the drawings.

ME: On a more philosophical level, are you seeking enlightenment or existential affi rmation?M: Probably affi rmation… maybe.

ME: Your work - it’s light, yet it’s very anchored, right?M: Yes, but even with the Falling Stars, I see them as sort of light frozen in time. I just see them as captured in that moment when they fell to earth. The drawings, I feel, are more solid and grounded whereas the sculptures are more escaping and of another world.

ME: When addressing the reciprocal tension between your drawings and your sculptures, I see a dialogue between the two.M: Absolutely. When I was just focusing on making 3D works, I felt there was something missing. Not that there was something missing in the work but something missing that would help complete it. I’m also a bit weird about using circles. You know how diffi cult it is to make a circle that’s perfect, let alone a straight line? It is completely mental.

ME: But are circles not eternal? Perhaps a return to the source?M: I’m going to have an anxiety attack talking and thinking about it…. a perfect circle, that’s pretty bad… I don’t know if I can deal with that.

ME: Then don’t. Think of a line. Think of projecting yourself into a linear horizon instead. M: I just thought, “What’s more perfect than a black hole?” …. “How can I describe something that resembles a sculpture, but with a pencil?” The only way I thought of bringing the two together is by creating some sort of geometry in opposing directions. Some works you can navigate through while having a great conversation with them. For example, when you see the interplay between light and dark. The drawings started off as ornamental, and then I realized that I needed to readjust the parameters. So as you said, talking about perfect circles, I wanted to get close to a point where the drawings were as near to being circular as possible, while also not being able to tell if they were either coming towards you or receding.

ME: So, moving away from this perfect circle, how has your background informed your work?M: I’m a human being and I make art, that’s easy. ■

“What’s more perfect than a black hole?”

MOHAMMED QASIM ASHFAQ

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M A Y A R A S A M NY A N D P R A B H AVA T H I M E P PA Y I L

It was in 2013, at Massimiliano Gioni’s Venice Biennial, that the Lebanese, It was in 2013, at Massimiliano Gioni’s Venice Biennial, that the Lebanese, London-based collectors London-based collectors Maya and Ramzy Rasamny came upon the work of came upon the work of

Prabhavathi Meppayil. The art historian Benjamin H.D. Buchloh had . The art historian Benjamin H.D. Buchloh had declared her work to be amongst the “real discoveries” of the Biennial that declared her work to be amongst the “real discoveries” of the Biennial that

year; her white panels induced an arresting sense of calm over the Arsenale.year; her white panels induced an arresting sense of calm over the Arsenale.

Maya Rasamny. Photography by Maryam Eisler.


Lebanese by birth, Maya grew up in London, which is very much a center for Contemporary art, and a city of international exchange. On the international council of the Tate and co-chair of their Middle East and North African Acquisition committee, Maya is also a supporter

of various art institutions in London and New York supporting many artists and projects. She sits on the board of patrons of Art Dubai and was previously a judge on the Abraaj Capital Art. Her relentless curiosity and quest for knowledge have made her journey in art a great and engaging adventure. Her collection is deeply personal, and Maya loves to engage with artists, curators and keeps a journal of great works that she sees. The Rasamny’s collection features many great works — amongst them are Gerhard Richter and Rudolf Stingel — offering extensive links across the collection.

Maya is also very much interested in looking through the perspective of women artists, and below tells Harper’s Bazaar Art about her particular engagement with Prabhavathi Meppayil, or as she is known to friends, ‘Prabha.’

I am Lebanese by birth and grew up in London, which along with New York and Paris is one of the most important cities in the art world. After the birth of my youngest child I decided to take a Modern and Contemporary art course at Christie’s Education in London. This course immensely widened my knowledge in art history. This year-long course was really the starting point of my collecting and philanthropic journey in art. It was also there that I began to be interested in Abstraction.

But like the city I live in, I am defi nitely not bound by a national identity. Today with our collection, I have no boundaries of geography. If the work fi ts into our story then it fi ts into our collection. I have become very involved and passionate about art and I strongly believe that we have a responsibility to not only enjoy the art but also to support artists, projects, exhibitions and not-for-profi t organizations.

When I started collecting it was too late for me to have bought the pioneering artists of minimalism, so I started looking at artists from my generation who have a similar language that resonates to the times we live in. I came across Prabha’s work through a friend of mine, Tamara Corm, at the 2013 Venice Biennial. It was an experience of total serenity in the midst of the chaos of the Arsenale in Massimilano’s Gioni’s great Biennale.

I asked Prabha why she became an artist, she replied, “Perhaps there is a certain freedom and a space in art where one can question, articulate and engage with life deeply. My work has evolved as a response to life around me, and also to certain conceptual concerns about art.”

When I saw Prabha’s paintings I felt that she put great emphasis on material. I love that she employs in her paintings instruments traditionally used by goldsmiths – a craft that has become her family’s long established business in Bangalore. Through her practice she revisits both Modernism and Minimalism via traditional artisanal practice and technique – something which I love! Her work looks monochromatic and yet there is so much

(Above) Prabhavathi Meppayil. One/fourteen. 2013.Copper wire embedded in gesso panel. 40.8 cm x 48.5 cm x 2 cm. Image courtesy the artist and Pace London. Photographer: Stephen White.

(Left) Prabhavathi Meppayil in her studio. Image courtesy of the artist and Pace London.

layering that goes into each and every painting that she produces. In order to create work that is so intricate, Prabha applies many layers of gesso, sometimes even up to 15 layers and after every layer she must to wait for the gesso to dry. She then incises lines with a needle and ruler before applying the copper or gold wire. Afterwards she covers the wire with further layers of gesso, followed by a process of sanding and polishing, to reveal the embedded lines of metal. It seems to be a very tedious process, like that of her family’s goldsmith’s craft, and yet the result is so serene. It strikes a conversation similar with those one would have with pioneering artists such as Agnes Martin, and those of Western Modernism of the fi fties and sixties. But what I found really appealing was that Prabha’s paintings change color over time. Her work eventually oxidizes, turning blue green and other shades which makes them ever changing. Filled with everlasting movement and color, her works are always beautiful for me to behold. ■

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A L I A A L - S E N U S S I A N D A B D U L L A H A L -T U R K I M E E T

T A R Y N S I M O NThis is the transcript of an international phone call with Taryn Simon calling from New York City, Abdullah Al-Turki from Dubai and Alia Al-Senussi from London. We talk about Taryn’s show An American

Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar / Contraband as well as share information on family, friends and how art can act like a cultural

ambassador.

Alia Al-Senussi and Abdullah Al-Turki. Photography by Yulia Tsezar.


Alia and Abdullah: Some of your works are very focused on the Middle East. For the work in American Index, how diffi cult was it to access Lebanese society – for example, the Druze sect?

Taryn: I was in Los Angeles and focusing on this piece on Lebanon about this idea of reincarnation, and how it is at the center of Druze belief. I was trying to create a piece that demonstrated this reincarnating pattern. It would comment on the continuation of life from the past to the present and into the future and all in one go. It was actually the most surreal piece in my photographic project A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters (2008-2011). At fi rst, I was looking for a Druze bloodline in which somebody was a reincarnated member of the bloodline. Oftentimes for the Druze in the settings I have been exposed to, there is often one who is the reincarnation of someone outside of their family, so it was quite complicated to fi nd somebody who was a reincarnated member of their actual bloodline, which I ended up constructing in the piece. And, several of the more serious Druze would not participate because there was an unwillingness to be photographed, which went against their belief in every way.

AA: Are you more aware of family relationships now that you are becoming a mother?

Taryn: No, just in relationship to language.

AA: What was your favorite city to show in?

Taryn: The most important show I’ve had to date was at the Neuenational Galerie in Berlin for A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters. It was in this beautiful Mies van der Rohe building in the center of Berlin. The way in which the work was installed – it was embedded in these stacks which were constructed to resemble these library stacks in the basement created by Mies, except that we built them on steroids. They were very austere. The reality is that the space is like a public glass box. You have to construct walls within it and make it your own. It’s an extreme challenge. It made me start thinking about my work in much more sculptural ways through the construction of those stacks which

defi nitely carries forward in how I conceive of presenting my work now — not always just images on the wall, but by considering the frame differently and the way they work within a space. The sad and beautiful reality of it all is that the stacks still exist but they remain in Berlin and will only ever be in Berlin. We tried to ship them to MOCA in Los Angeles for the exhibition but it was impossible. They are cost-prohibitive, fragile, and just can’t handle the travel. So it’s a work that I’ve done that is so important to me that it can’t be moved. They are in storage, in the collection of the Neuenational Galerie and will go on view in the new museum building.

AA: Given that your work travels, and its content is about disparate places, would you consider yourself to be a cultural ambassador?

Taryn: The interesting thing is what it enacts in each location, because everyone will be bringing to it their own judgments and interpretations as well as cultural implications. I am always intrigued by the response and questions my work elicits depending on the culture I am in. Something like what I showed in Dubai, American Index, which was created just after 11 September, when people were seeking secret sites outside of American borders, whether they were WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) or the understanding of other cultures. I wanted to look inside American borders during that time and see what was hidden, or outside of popular consciousness, and access what that looks like today versus what it looked like under the Bush administration. Or what it looks like in America versus what it looks like in Germany or Dubai or wherever it goes. It completely mutates. My medium core is photography, text and graphic design. Photography and text are certainly vulnerable and not stationary media. They are constantly in fl ux depending on who is looking at them and what they are bringing to it. It’s interesting to see how that work transforms cross-culturally and also through time, as the world transforms and events take place.

Taryn Simon’s Theories on Forgetting ran at Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills, California through 21 August. Gagosian.com

“Iam always intrigued by the response and questions my work elicits depending on the culture I

am in.” TARYN SIMON

Taryn Simon. © Taryn Simon. Courtesy of Gagosian Gallery.

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The internet age has dramatically evolved the way in which we view, appreciate and collect art. In our day-to-day lives we are surrounded by a constant stream of images, offering various new ways to interact with art. Iranian London-based collector Kamiar Maleki’s fi rst exhibition Hashtag Abstract not only comments on the transition taking place regarding the viewing and collecting of art, but also discusses how trends emerge organically. With a background that spans many years of experience within the Contemporary art world through his family’s collecting and patronage, this exhibition aims to bridge Maleki’s love of art with his desire to create and curate in today’s increasingly technologized world.

The theme of Hashtag Abstract is centred around how art collecting has changed during the digital revoltution. What prompted your usage of this theme? Thanks to Instagram, Facebook and social platforms, art has become much more accessible to view, research and purchase. You don’t necessarily have to visit a gallery or an auction room to buy art anymore. I recently bought my fi rst piece of art online; fi rst seeing it on Instagram, and then purchasing, without even seeing it in person. This experience was the inspiration for the show.

The show’s title Hashtag Abstract references the fast-moving phenomenon of the digital era and the impact of social media on art; how these new platforms have enabled mass viewing, sharing, commenting – and ultimately critiquing.

How did you select the artists? I believe these artists have great futures ahead of them. Three out of the four exhibited hadn’t had UK gallery shows before and I wanted to introduce them to a London-based, international audience.

Kasper Sonne was the fi rst artist I bought through Instagram and it was very important to me that he was involved. He uses industrial paint applied with a roller on the canvas to create a perfect surface. He then pours layers of chemicals over the canvas that cause the paint to react and the colors to change, creating a striking visual effect. By mixing in different chemicals and materials he uses a different way to bring abstraction to light. His new volcanic ash paintings are timeless.

Oliver Clegg is an artist whose work I have known for many years. He is at heart a fi gurative painter who works with different materials as a backdrop. For Hashtag Abstract, he created a new body of work and embraced the title of the show by taking fi gures as a starting point with abstraction arriving later on. His work is as pleasing to view in person as it is online. Clegg’s works are currently on show at the Venice Biennale.

Christopher Kuhn searches for a balance between the traditional gesture and geometric schools of Abstraction. For this show he believed the canvas would be viewed as a fl at screen TV or iPad – merging the traditional form of painting with the technology of the day.

Richard Hoglund’s work uses language and mark-making as a starting point, turning linear forms into melodic abstract compositions. Using materials such as shells he collected on the banks of the Mississippi, marble dust, pulverized bone, lead, tin, copper, silver and gold, he creates a sense of tone, timbre, time, mood, depth, color, prescience and history. Charles Saatchi bought two of his works from the show.

How do you think art should be explored during the Internet Age? Art should be explored in every age; its importance is based on how well it interprets the moment. In my opinion, the art world has been late to respond to the Internet. While there have been articles discussing ‘Post-Internet’ art, we are now seeing art and shows responding to or connecting to apps like Instagram. Social media, in particular Instagram, but also other platforms too – has solidifi ed the power of the image as a tool for engagement. The internet is thus beginning to infl uence and affect art. It would be futile to ignore this change.

This is the fi rst generation of artists who are considering the impact of social media on their practice. Do they wish to connect with their audience digitally? If so, how does their work translate online? The Internet Age has changed the way we view and consume artwork. As I mentioned, social media has allowed individuals to become critics – shifting the balance of power. No longer can the old guard dictate people’s appreciation. Galleries are developing apps to show prospective collectors work. Auction houses let you buy works live from your smartphone. Museums have become much more aware of the impact of their digital footprint. Overall, the art world is becoming more digitally enhanced. I would like to be clear on one important point: I do not think the digital sphere should or could replace the physical experience of seeing art in the fl esh or visiting a gallery. However, the digital space can create fantastic tools for engaging with an artwork, exhibitions, institutions, artists; it is an addition not a replacement. Relationships with people and galleries are priceless and this can only be achieved by visiting fairs, galleries, museums and biennales.

Does social media have an impact on your own personal collection, and what you decide to collect? Historically, I would spend weekends visiting studios and galleries, hunting for new artists and ideas. It is rewarding, but hard work. What has changed is that I can access large numbers of people remotely, and then decide having seen artist’s work where to visit in person. Meaning, I see more of what I like. Social media is a mechanism that helps me see the artists who I really want to see. But let’s not forget this journey started with galleries emailing jpegs of pictures this is just the next step.

You’re a collector recently turned art curator. What has spurred your interest in curating art exhibitions? I am fi rst and foremost a collector; curating is the result of this experience and ultimately the public version of a long held private passion. I am working with new artists showing works that are not mine; I am promoting them and not my own personal collection. When you buy for yourself you buy with instinct and I have enjoyed sharing my taste with a broader audience and the inevitable debate that comes with the territory.

Hashtag Abstract is my fi rst show I look forward to furthering the debate via #hashtagabstract #kamiarmaleki #ronchinigallery @kammaleki @ronchinigallery

What advice would you give anyone thinking about working as a curator? Give it a go! If you have a strong vision and a belief in the artists you’re working with then just try. Art is about taking risks and pushing boundaries. Some of my favorite art experiences have been small and non-commercial. We are often too quick to judge success simply by what sells.

Hashtag Abstract ran until 29 August at Ronchini Gallery, in Mayfair, London www.ronchinigallery

(Facing page) Kasper Sonne.

TXC113. 2015. Industrial paint and chemicals

on linen in aluminium

frame. 182.9 x 152.4 x

5 cm. Courtesy of the artist

and Ronchini Gallery.

KamiarMALEKI


HASHTAG ABSTRACT

From Collector to Curator, Kamiar Maleki explores the digital era and its power in changing the way we view and appreciate art through his fi rst curated exhibition, Hashtag Abstract. Felicity Stokes meets Maleki and discusses the

role that the internet now plays in visual art.

#


Dina Nasser-Khadivi in her family’s house in Jumeirah. Behind her is Lalla Essaydi’s 2012 Harem #34b. Below is a Slavs and Tatar’s 2013 Kitab Kebab work. Photography by Ausra Osipaviciute.



TRANSCENDING theGEOPOLITICAL

Art consultant for Christie’s, curator and art advisor Dina Nasser-Khadivi constantly moves between countries and roles. She speaks with Rebecca Anne Proctor about her

love of transcending national boundaries through art.


WomenART POWER


Dina Nasser-Khadivi in Dubai. Behind is an artwork by Finnish artist HC Berg from his 2007 Vortex series. Photography by Ausra Osipaviciute.

t’s May 2013 and the 55th edition of the Venice Biennale. I am at the Arsenale for the opening of Love Me, Love Me Not, an exhibition of Contemporary art from Azerbaijan and its neighboring countries, curated by Dina Nasser-Khadivi. Within the space are works by artists from Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Russia and Georgia. In an unprecedented group showing of artists from a region often overlooked in contemporary art history, Dina is energetically meeting guests while highlighting the wealth art constitutes both visually and intellectually through the exhibition of artists from different

countries. Each work, she underlines, will offer viewers a new perspective on the nations represented. A similar scene took place this past March 2015 in Baku for the opening of Shirin Neshat’s Home of My Eyes exhibition at Yarat Contemporary Art Centre — a show that Dina also curated. The exhibition saw the renowned Iranian artist create works that captured the faces of the Azerbaijani people. It was the fi rst time Neshat had shown in Baku and like

I Love Me, Love Me Not, it was something that hadn’t been done before.

Love me or love me not is the literal sense that the staging of such cultural innuendos usually brings to a new group of viewers. You either like it or you don’t. But the essence — what you learn — is ultimately the power of such displays. This bringing together of different cultures, nations and people through art has become a specialty of Dina’s and she seeks to incorporate it in everything that she does.

“I always had an interest in art history,” says Dina. “I switched from a business major to an Art History major and then interned at Christie’s during the summers that I was a student. I always wanted to work for the auction house.” After she graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, she began a summer internship at Christie’s Geneva and landed her fi rst job at the auction house with François Curiel. She then moved to London where she interned in the 19th and 20th century art department with Jussi Pylkkanen until she began a job in the department a year later in New York. “Everything from Modern, Impressionist and Orientalist art caught my eye,” she remembers. “Particularly the


Orientalist as I realized there was a growing interest from Middle Eastern clients. While that intrigued me at fi rst as it went against everything Edward Said stood for, I embraced the opportunity to develop it further with my colleagues given we had the chance to offer the most exquisite works by masters such as Jean-Leon Gerome, John Frederick Lewis and Gustav Bauernfeind, all of which were mostly museum quality pieces. It was also a way for me to work in the region that I was originally from. But it was additionally of interest to me given that it was different from the main stream art that everyone loved. Orientalist art allowed me to create a name in a niche market.” While working in New York on developing the sales dedicated to Orientalist Art with her colleagues, Dina began working in parallel with the team that launched the Christie’s Dubai offi ce that included Michael Jeha and Isabelle de la Bruyère. “And that is where I found my true love: Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern art, with a focus on Iranian works,” she says passionately. “This was a department that had never existed before.”

However, the auction world, as satisfying as it was, didn’t fulfi ll Dina’s larger goals. “After seven years in the auction world I wanted to do something that made a difference,” says Dina. “I wanted to create a social impact with what I did. I wanted to do something that could also make a difference — working with living artists who didn’t have a market and who were from the Middle East was a great start as I wanted to help change the perception that Middle Eastern artists had in the international art market.” We speak about Orientalist art, its beauty and also the big numbers that are involved in the sale of works from the genre. While it was certainly nurturing from a historical level — providing a historical basis for further study in the past and present — what it lacked was the dynamism that Dina craved. “As big as the numbers were in the Orientalist art category, I was dealing with deceased artists,” she says. “Once you study it, you know how it works. The contemporary market is a far more interesting market to work on. I was dealing with living artists and we were making a difference all around. I was also working with a wonderful team at Christie’s Dubai to build a market from scratch.” And built from scratch it was — the Contemporary Middle Eastern art market made auction history when it hosted its fi rst auction in Dubai in May 2006 — just barely 10 years ago. And since then we’ve not only witnessed a steady stream of sales, but the openings of galleries, art fairs, exhibitions, museums and much more establishing a region hitherto looked up largely as one stricken with war and economic and social inequality.

“I became independent in 2007 and stayed on with Christie’s as a consultant because I decided that I wanted to pursue independent projects,” she recalls. “The idea was that I would still work quite a bit with Christie’s. I help them mainly with strategy not just in the region but internationally. However, I also wanted to pursue non-commercial projects.” Dina goes on to say how she thought it was time to help artists build an institutional platform. Love Me, Love Me Not was a case in point. The exhibition was inspired by Azerbaijan and was done as a response to The Future of a Promise exhibition at the 2011 Venice Biennale. The latter was one of the fi rst Middle Eastern exhibitions that did not include Iranians given it was a Pan Arab grouping. “It was getting a bit old to always have

“Iam more and more interested in helping our artists leave a legacy.”

DINA NASSER-KHADIVI

WomenART POWER

the same regional groupings,” says Dina. “It was thus nice to try different combinations and that’s why Azerbaijan was a good venture for me as it was a great way to work with Iranian artists and try something different.” And so she did. The cultural links that were drawn from the artworks in these exhibitions offered new pathways for those interested in art from the Greater Middle East — for ultimately, the region is inextricably and intimately linked. It’s about uncovering what binds a people or peoples together. Art is a tool.

The exhibitions that Dina has staged also refl ect her strong beliefs in experience. “One of my life mottos in how I live and how I work is always to build upon your experience,” she says. “Add all of your experiences together to create a platform and keep building on that. Experience. Diversify. In other words, try different things. My core will stay the same but the way I do things may change and I believe one should constantly reinvent themselves. Any experience you get is valuable because it is an investment in yourself.” Her work with Moroccan artist Lalla Essaydi and Shirin Neshat refl ect such beliefs. Both are completely different artists. Essaydi’s odalisque-like women resonate with Dina’s Orientalist experience. “But her message is completely different to what the Orientalists depicted and she is not Iranian so I am expanding my experience in a new way,” she says. The same with Shirin — her placement within an Azeri context gave her a work a new dimension.

“Iranian art is my baby!” she exclaims. “Iran is a part of the Middle East but there is always a way to link it to other cultural combinations in the region.” Combinations, borders, nations or what have you, it is precisely the love of playing with different cultures through art that makes Dina’s work cutting edge. “I like to play with the geographical boundaries — I don’t like to limit myself to just one thing and I don’t like the artists I work with to be limited to just being branded as being Iranian artists,” she says. That goes the same with the various sectors that she now works in.

Dina is currently producing a book on Farhad Moshiri with A+B studio in London. The two-volume monograph will be published by Skira and will span 20 years of the renowned Iranian artist’s career. “It will look at his work with a critical eye — something that hasn’t really been done since his commercial success,” she says. “I’ve curated the content of the book as if it were an exhibition and commissioned some of the curators and writers I respect the most to write some essays such as Negar Azimi, Vassilis Oikonopoulos from the Tate, Maryam Ekhtiar from The Met and Aram Moshayedi from the Hammer Museum, to name a few.”

Dina speaks enthusiastically about the book. It’s clear she’s found a new passion. “I really enjoy the process of making books and I love the fact that they stay long after they are made, whereas exhibitions as much I still adore them, don’t stay,” she smiles. This desire to leave something behind goes hand-in-hand with the exhibitions she’s curated to-date, her work with artists and with Christie’s. “I am more and more interested in helping our artists leave a proper legacy,” says Dina. “I want to help the artists I work with create an archive and something for their future. The idea of preserving our legacy is very important to me. When I say “our” I mean the Middle East as a whole; it means constantly coming up with new ideas – helping artists from the region fi nd new places that they can work in.” We speak briefl y about taking some of the Middle Eastern artists she works with to India and of her recent trip to Marfa,Texas. Her passion is contagious. “The idea is constantly about exchange,” says Dina. “That’s how you move forward in life. You keep doing different combinations. It opens you up to novelties and that’s where things should go.” The horizon is endless.


WHERE FASHION AND ART COLLIDE

THE

WALL ARTShould artwork hang on the wall or the

body? Viktor & Rolf ponder this

question in their Haute Couture

collection for fall 2015. In the image

above the two designers are seen

hanging one of their creations on the

wall. Courtesy of Viktor & Rolf.


THE EXCHANGE

SUMMER 2015 | Harper’s BAZAAR ART | 75

Spray painted dress, No. 13, Spring/Summer 1999, Model - Shalom Harlow represented

by dna model management New York, Image copyright

Catwalking.


WEARABLE ARTA model dressed in one of

Viktor & Rolfe’s hinged art

framed dresses from the

duo’s Haute Couture

collection for fall 2015. The

dress proves that an artwork

can indeed be wearable.


n a sleekly polished casino celebrities gambled on cards and dice while models powerfully entered to intense subsonic music wearing Chanel’s latest couture collection. First Kristen Stewart emerged. She crossed the table and took a seat. She was then followed by a legion of Lagerfeld’s muses: Rita Ora, Lara Stone, Vanessa Paradis, Geraldine Chaplin, Stella Tennant, Rink Kikuchi, and fi nally, Julianne Moore. Each was dressed in an outfi t that Lagerfeld had personally designed for them. A dashing and most sophisticated scene it was and staged in a place refl ective of risk and desire — sentiments that emphasize Chanel’s haute couture collection this season.

While the event may just seem to be another one of Lagerfeld’s elaborately staged fashion shows — each one a highly choreographed performance that elevates the typical fashion catwalk to the status of an art genre in and of itself — this time, however, the designer did something different. He merged couture with technology and reinvented the iconic Chanel suit in 3D.

“The idea was to take the most iconic jacket from the 20th century and turn it into a 21st century version which was technically not possible at the time it was born,” said Lagerfeld. Constantly probing the limits of the avant-garde, it’s worthwhile to recall what a breakthrough the Chanel jacket was when Gabrielle Chanel introduced it during the 1950s. It was her answer to the style of the times, the invention of the suit and the desire for women to be able to move freely. Now 65 years later and during a time when technology seems to hold sway over much of our daily lives, Lagerfeld has further adapted the suit and made it relevant, just as Chanel did, to the times in which we live. “What keeps couture alive, is to move with the times,” said Lagerfeld in an interview with the AFP. “If it stays like sleeping beauty in the woods in an ivory tower, you can forget it.”

ITHE 3D SUIT

Haute technology serves haute couture in Chanel’s Autumn/Winter 2015 couture collection. Karl Lagerfeld has created a 3D printed suit and gambled at a decadent Chanel casino. Rebecca Anne Proctor reports on how the worlds of fashion, art and technology have collided.

(Facing page and right)

Chanel’s iconic suit in 3D.

Courtesy of Chanel.


(Above) A view of the Chanel casino at the Grand Palais in Paris.

(Left) Alice Dellal. Photography by Anita Leung

(Right) G-Dragon and Rita Ora. Photography by Anita Leung

(Left) Kristen Steward, Julianne Moore and Lara Stone. Photography by Olivier Saillant.(Right) Lily-Rose Depp. Photography by Anne Combaz.

ALL

IMA

GE

S C

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AN

EL.



Combining new technologies with the art of embroidery, the 3D suit is made without seams and with a supple texture. “The jacket is one single piece, there is no sewing, it’s been molded,” adds Lagerfeld.

In this way haute technology serves Haute Couture, a real laboratory of experimental techniques. But what is this “technique” that can serve so readily haute couture – risking to strip the genre of its revered craftsmanship à la main? Entitled SLS “Selective Laser Sintering” — the technique involves a very powerful laser to sinter the powdered materials by positioning the laser onto points defi ned by a 3D model. So instead of the usual fabric and stitches to sew the suit into place, it is molded. The result is a garment whereby one can see the appearance of openwork “cage” of padded quilting. This is then embellished with embroidery and braiding by the House of Lesage and then lined at the Chanel ateliers. “All the suits are embroidered,” says Lagerfeld. “Of course we use chiffon and satin but most of them are embroidered. There are dresses with their little pearls with over one million pearls on the dress. The craftsmanship and the embroidery is already different and you can also make a more graphic effect. In a way, it is more fantasy than ready-to-wear. But it’s a fantasy related to reality.” The conclusion is a marriage between traditional know-how of the art of embroidery and new technologies.

Lagerfeld’s new collaboration strives to strike a balance between tradition and the future. Ultimately, it reveals a new direction for Haute Couture — one where the genre’s artistry outshines its heritage. But the biggest question: is this haute couture? The answer needs more time to be reckoned with. Frankly speaking, the haute couture designation is protected by French law and attributed by the Ministry of Industry to 14 houses whose garments are entirely made by hand and tailored to the specifi c needs of each client. When posed the question about how such a technique is haute couture, Lagerfeld responded that he believes it “widens the genre” and will be used more in the future.

Not easy is this to do — this metamorphosis of tradition into the abyss of the future while still remembering the DNA of a brand. More importantly still, Lagerfeld seems to be making a statement about our world today. “Fashion has to follow everything that is going on in the world,” said Lagerfeld. “And I like the idea of the most iconic jacket of the 20th century redone in a technique that even was not possible to imagine that one day such a thing could exist.”

Technology constitutes an ever-present human need in our everyday lives. As we move speedily into the futuristic present, we must ask if one day soon the meticulously hand-made couture garments of the last centuwry will become an item of fashion’s past. Perhaps Lagerfeld has the answer of the moment: highly embroidered couture coupled with new technology in garment making. Perhaps the space age is near. Even so, the beauty is still there and so is the art form. Lagerfeld has done it once again.

“FASHION HAS TO FOLLOW EVERYTHING

THAT IS GOING ON IN THE WORLD.”

- KARL LAGERFELD

80 | Harper’s BAZAAR ART | SPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2015


nna May Wong, the misunderstood, American-born Chinese beauty who took early Hollywood by storm, raises a perfectly arched eyebrow beneath her trademark bangs and surveys the scene. Installation screens play her iconic fi lm clips on loop in the galleries of The Metropolitan Museum of Art where cases display sumptuous haute couture by Ralph Lauren, John Galliano for Dior and Yves Saint Laurent, mirroring the designs Ms. Wong wears in exotic publicity photographs. The polished black interior of the tunnel-like gallery has a dizzying effect; despite the glamorous fashion and dreamy sounds of Billie Holliday overhead, a historical heartache lies beneath the surface. May Wong, caught forever between the hurtful ‘Dragon Lady’ and ‘Butterfl y’ stereotypes of a racist industry, becomes a fi tting icon for the largest show the museum has ever undertaken. Spanning three fl oors in collaboration between the Costume Institute and The Department of Asian Art — the latter which is celebrating its centennial — China Through the Looking Glass is an ambitiously beautiful examination of cultural exchange and where the line between inspiration and appropriation becomes fashionably blurred.

With over 140 objects on display, from the aforementioned Western couture to Chinese costumes, porcelains, objets d’art and paintings, the show is a carefully curated series of conversations - selected rooms highlight certain aspects of material Chinese culture that have served western aesthetics, such as perfume, blue and white porcelain and export silk, as well as designers who have heeded the call of ‘The Orient’ predominantly in their work, such as Yves Saint Laurent and his 1977 Mongol-inspired runway show, the same year his infamous Opium fragrance was released. To brand this exhibition merely ambitious does not do it justice; China Through the Looking Glass is vibrant, impressive and more importantly, alive — primed to excite the most weary museum-goer. Selected fi lms edited by Wong Kar Wai, the celebrated Hong Kong-based director, provide even greater context for the objects on display; fi lm has served up fantastical and realistic views of China on a mass scale, from The Ziegfi eld Follies to Farewell My Concubine. Yet the question is silently asked with every antique vase and slinky dress displayed side by side: who can take from where and how much?

The museum states that “the China mirrored in these fashions in this exhibition is wrapped in invention and imagination. Stylistically, they belong to the practice of Orientalism.” Although this statement refers to the intellectual sparring over the West’s appropriation of Eastern cultures, in this exhibition Orientalism does become a fertile ground for creative interplay. It’s no secret that smoke-fi lled pagodas, rippling silk, snarling dragons and smiling Buddhas have enticed the hungry imaginations of Westerners for centuries, beginning with tales from the advent of modern commerce,

D OW N T H E R A B B I T H O L E

An historic look at the cultural exchange of China and the West

through fashion and art marvels Sarah Hassan as she

walks through the glossy displays of China Through the

Looking Glass.

(Facing page) “Quiproquo” cocktail dress, Christian Dior (French, 1905–1957) for House ofDior (French, founded 1947), 1951; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift ofMrs. Byron C. Foy, 1953 (C.I.53.40.38a-d)Photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photography © Platon


(Above) Gallery view of the Anna Wintour Costume Center, Imperial ChinaPhoto: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art

(Below) 19th-century rubbing from a 10th-century stele describing a sudden illness, a stomach ache. Rubel Collection C-74Photo: Courtesy of Special Collections, Fine Arts Library, Harvard University

(Right) A view of the Chinese Galleries, Gallery 208, Guo Pei Evening gown, Guo Pei (Chinese, born 1967), spring/summer 2007 haute couture;Courtesy of Guo Pei

Photo: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art


“What makes this show so

successful is the lack of pretension and

protest.”

(Above) Evening dress, Roberto Cavalli (Italian,

born 1940), autumn/winter 2005–6;

Courtesy of Roberto CavalliPhoto: Courtesy of The

Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photography © Platon

(Left) Jar with Dragon (Chinese), early 15th-

century; The Metropolitan Museum of

Art, Gift of Robert E. Tod, 1937 (37.191.1)

Photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of

Art, Photography © Platon

The Silk Road. The exhibition is housed partially in The Arts of Ancient China galleries, where intricately bold fashions by Valentino, McQueen, Versace, Lanvin and Chanel, along with staggering jewels from Cartier and Bulgari, stand encased with Chinese artifacts. Here the real versus the imagined allows history and fantasy to take hold. For example, the incredible gold ‘Lotus’ evening gown designed by Beijing-based couturier Guo Pei becomes the centerpiece in a hushed, spot-lit gallery fl anked by stone Buddhas allowing for heightened drama. The dress and its craftsmanship appear almost worthy of worship itself — a placement that that confl icted some reviewers. The Astor Court, built by traditional craftsman with its pagodas and carved doorways, showcases 20th century court robes and Galliano’s confectionery gowns for Dior of taffeta, silk, organza and tulle like so many ladies in waiting beneath a projection of a blood red moon refl ected below. It is a garden of earthly delights, one of many that turned the exhibition into a continued exercise of surprise and awe, such as the Costume Institute gallery of explosive and erotic fashion across a wall of screens playing a montage from The Last Emperor, to the hall of gowns inspired by blue and white porcelain-like the encased Chinese, Delft and British wares.

The image of the “moon in the water,” when read in Chinese poetry, serves as a metaphor for beauty refl ected and out of reach, a symbol of something enticing yet untrustworthy. What makes this show so successful is the lack of pretension and protest. It does not claim to be a survey of authentic Chinese culture, nor does it shy away from how troubling and questionable certain interpretations of China by Western designers and artists have been — one has to look no farther than a 1950’s era dress by Dior printed with calligraphy that, when translated, tells of an upset stomach. It places the beautiful, the strange and the historical all side-by-side and allows the viewer to decide which fi nal products honor traditional tropes or misinterpret the sacred. Indeed, we travel down the proverbial rabbit hole and encounter a complex China mirrored against her complicated Western onlookers, a dual image barely grasped and forever elusive. China Through the Looking Glass runs until 7 September 2015 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.


An exhibition view of Louis Vuitton’s La Galerie in Asnières, Paris. © Grégoire Vieille

GALERIE

The opening of Louis Vuitton’s La Galerie this summer sees a space rife with history and beauty. Victoria Townsend explores the secrets and treasures that have shaped the Maison’s exceptional heritage.

La


SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2015 | Harper’s BAZAAR ART | 85SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2015 | Harper’s BAZAAR ART | 85


GARDEN PARTYCalled La Galerie, the

6,500-square-foot

exhibition space is

Louis Vuitton’s

second private

museum. It is located

on the historic Louis

Vuitton grounds in

the northern suburb

of Asnières-sur-Seine.

The site is the

location of the former

Vuitton family home

as well as the

workshops where the

Maison continues to

produce its exclusive

made-to-order items.

A view of the making of La Galerie.

Mannequins dressed in outfi ts from the Louis Vuitton Archives at La Galerie.

Louis Vuitton hosts its ‘Garden Party’ for the opening of La Galerie.

Chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton, Michael Burke,curatorJudith Clark and Peter Marino.


“THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE” observed philosopher of communication theory Marshall McLuhan in the 1960s. Demonstrating this principle down to the last poplar shelf is curator Judith Clark. She does so through her exhibition of Louis Vuitton history at the Maison’s newly opened La Galerie in Asnières, France.

It’s 5 July 2015. The setting is idyllic. A Louis Vuitton garden party greets me as I head to meet with Clark at the inauguration of La Galerie in Asnières. Situated just outside Paris, the venue is established on the site of the original workshop and family homestead settled by Louis Vuitton in 1859.

Professor of Fashion and Museology, Director of the Research Centre for Fashion Curation, Course Leader for Fashion Curation at the University of the Arts, London, lecturer, author and curator of over 40 dress and fashion exhibitions, Clark’s experience was vast even before her collaboration with Louis Vuitton. And yet, this time “something was different,” she confi des. “They [exhibitions] all require the translating of something that is a very personal preoccupation into the public sphere…but Vuitton is so very public.”

A review of archives containing 165,000 documents and 23,000 objects, followed by a visit to the Louis Vuitton Foundation – the ultra-modern art gallery designed by architect Frank Gehry that opened in Paris last October — convinced her that “Louis Vuitton have a very established commitment to the arts, to providing for the arts, to collecting the arts, to presenting their own image in so many different media, by association, by commission, by collaboration.” Seeing all this, she says, “freed” her, and led her to believe that “there was perhaps more room for the imagination as to the interpretation of this brand which is of course a very powerful one.” She decided to create what she calls a “living galerie, a galerie in movement.” And so be it, the Louis Vuitton Galerie was born.

A free-standing structure by Jorge Otero-Pailos entitled The Ethics of Dust, containing dust captured from the exterior walls, meets us at the entrance. But don’t be fooled, this exhibition is not about bronze sculptures, modern paintings, savant collages, or marble busts. What we see here takes us on an enchanting journey through time and space, from old trunks to catwalks, where La Galerie itself becomes a major artwork inspired by and constructed with the very essence of the company, designed to exhibit in the most artful way a selection from 160 years of Louis Vuitton creations, exposed as chefs d’oeuvre themselves.

Concretely, Clark has based her concept on the very elements that constitute the roots of the company established in 1854. Travel trunks, vanity cases, toiletry kits, and the poplar wood used to make their frames have all been interpreted to create a gallery that resembles an oversize travel trunk on wheels, with compartments and shelves made to expose and protect the treasures they hold.

Among the 400 objects retained for exhibition was the Pateki puzzle, a wooden puzzle made of six blocks invented by Louis’

grandson Gaston-Louis in the 1930s. The piece became the determining factor for the disposition of the exhibition that cross references different time periods and seemingly unrelated objects under themes that all fi t together like pieces of a puzzle to form a whole. One example is the Plexiglass Future Box designed by Artistic Director Nicolas Ghesquière. It is a futuristic version of the classic vanity case, directly inspired by the historic Rubanage motif, itself inspired by the motif made of pinned ribbon in the oldest trunks.

On the ground fl oor, trunks of all shapes and sizes, designed fi rst for horse and carriage then steamer transport, followed by rail, car, and airplane, take us on a journey of time through travel. Special orders include bed trunks, shower trunks, iPad trunks, a violin trunk…all displayed next to documents that allow visitors to know who designed and who owned the pieces.

One fl oor above, we are greeted by headless and styled mannequins wearing Louis Vuitton handbags and garments designed through artistic collaborations with Takashi Murakami, Cindy Sherman, Stephen Sprouse, Amanda Griffi ths, and even architect Frank Gehry with his Twisted Box. One mannequin even playfully holds a small-scale model of the Louis Vuitton Foundation.

These pieces juxtapose elements from the Vuitton family’s personal collection as varied as old perfume bottles, creations from past couturiers Jeanne Lanvin, Paul Poiret and Madeleine Vionnet, or a pair of “Kabab” shoes from the Ottoman Empire, made of wood, leather, mother-of-pearl inlay, and silver.

Back in the garden, observing the Eiffel-style atelier and Nancy School Art Nouveau family quarters that attest to the importance of beauty and art that have been at the center of Vuitton creativity since the brand’s inception, Clark remarks that “there is a lot of historical and positive tension on this site.” It was here that Louis’

son Georges created the famous Monogram design and Damier (chequerboard) pattern. While not inhabited by the family since 1964, the atelier is still a very active part of the company. It is here that the most exceptional trunks, leather goods collections and special orders continue to be made, under the direction of fi fth generation Patrick-Louis Vuitton. And one of these pieces, one day, is certain to fi nd a home one of the poplar shelves of the new Galerie.

The Galerie is open to the public from September 2015, with visits by appointment only.

Judith Clark puts together a display.


Lucy + Jorge Orta’s Fabulae Naturae

presentation at the Zegna headquarters in Milan, Italy.


FABULæNATURÆ

Coinciding with the launch of Expo Milano 2015 on 2 May, luxury fashion house Ermenegildo Zegna emphasized its commitment to both the arts and the environment with an arts event entitled Fabulae Naturae. Rebecca Anne Proctor reports on the power of art, fashion and food to create change.

he gentle beasts appeared as if in a dream. Dressed in dark brown fabric and wearing masks with antlers and horns refl ective of endangered wild animals, they marched in unison to music through Ermenegildo Zegna’s via Savona headquarters in Milan while a throng of hundreds of guests feasted on delicious risotto by Chef Davide Oldani. Entitled Symphony for Absent Wildlife and staged by artist duo Lucy + Jorge Orta, the performance was part of the event

Fabulae Naturae, curated by Maria Luisa Frisa and commissioned by ZegnaArt, a platform created by the Zegna Group to contribute to the development of contemporary visual arts through initiatives with artists, curators, schools and leading cultural institutions. Multisensory in experience, the project was unique in its ability to harmoniously bring together food, performance, and the visual arts around the theme of food as source of energy, life, taste and unity.

“Like Joseph Beuys, we support the idea that art can act as a catalyst for social change,” wrote Lucy + Jorge Orta in their book Fabulae Romanae, published on the occasion of the exhibition of the same name and promoted by ZegnaArt at the MAXXI in Rome in 2012. “Together, we believe that the creative potential of every individual no longer needs to be proven; rather it needs to be fully recognized and converted into initiatives that will engage a wider range of community members, whether they are street sellers, passerby, scientists, museum curators or visitors,” said the artist duo. Fabulae Naturae is the next phase of Fabulae Romanae. Also curated by Maria Luisa Frisa, the latter revealed an exhibition of mixed-media installations featuring colorful parachutes, bundled sacks of used clothing and mannequins, dome dwellings and wearable sculptures who interact with each viewer. Referred to as “Spirits” by the artist, they didn’t represent precise people, but rather served as a mirror onto society. Like Fabulae Naturae, the exhibition as interdisciplinary in nature — it brought together fashion, design, architecture and poetry in the same place in order to refl ect upon the complexities of our times.

Fabulae Naturae also has a social dimension. The Spirits that in Rome passed through the MAXXI Museum as symbolic characters have now become mythological creatures in Milan moving to their own tale and message. They act with their presence and their chant like the choruses in Greek tragedy. “Through ZegnArt we create an occasion for artists like Lucy + Jorge Orta, who have devoted their work to sensitize the public towards social and environmental issues, to use the resources of a company like Zegna to communicate with a bigger and global audience,” said Anna Zegna, the President of Fondazione Zegna. In line with guiding theme of the Milan Expo 2015 Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life, the event underlined how beauty, and therefore art, could be used to relay a message for the common good. As Anna states, the environment has always been dear to the Fondazione Zegna. “It was my grandfather who taught us the importance of respecting the environment,” she says. “For instance, in the 1920s, he carried out a reforestation project of the mountains surrounding Trivero, the little

town in the Biella Alps where he founded the Wool Mill. This project was inspired by his pioneer spirit and it was conceived for the sake of the local community. Nowadays the area, known as Oasi Zegna, is a natural park that spans for almost 100 square kilometers.” The performance at Zegna’s headquarters on Via Savona refl ects the magic and natural beauty of Oasi Zegna where the event continues with the exhibition Flowers Landscapes. Fabrics. Flowers. Recipes at the Casa Zegna in Triverio. Also curated by Maria Luisa Frisa, the show is an intimate viewing of a selection of unpublished material from the Heberlein Fund textile samples — a collection of around 2,200 volumes kept in the Zegna Archives. Featured are fl oral decorations, with patterns inspired by

TAn exhibition view of artworks in Fabulae Naturae.


(Far Left) The preparation of Chef Davide Oldani’s risotto during the opening night. (Above) Installation views of the wall drawings for Fabulae Naturae.


the botanical world, magazine clippings, art objects as well as mouth-watering recipes that incorporate aromatic herbs, fl owers and fruits from Biella’s hills and mountains. “Flower Landscapes are the fl owers printed on the Heberlein fabrics: realistic, abstract, graphic, decorative,” explains Maria Luisa Frisa. “But they’re also real fl owers we can see in the landscape in Oasi Zegna. The ones that Ermenegildo Zegna planted along the Panoramica road in a project that shaped the landscape along the route and the ones that grow wild along the paths and mark the passing seasons for us. Flower Landscapes is a sort of playlist linked to the continuously playing tape of our contemporary visual culture.”

While at fi rst glance Flower Landscapes may seem unrelated to Fabulae Naturae, the exhibition is in direct dialogue with the artist duo’s inspiration for their work. It was also here in Triverio, amidst the Zegna Archives – Heberlein Fund, that Lucy + Jorge Orta conducted research for the creation of 500 limited-edition Royal Limoges porcelain plates. Evoking natural life, each plate is personalized with motifs from the Zegna Archives — Heberlein Fund further adding to the dialogue between Milan, Triverio, nature, art, performance and the heritage of Zegna. And that’s what has made these commissioned works and exhibitions by ZegnArt so powerful: their interconnectedness. While the exhibition most certainly refl ects the theme of the Expo 2015 as well as the central role that the environment plays at Zegna, its many parts staged in such a multidisciplinary and multisensorial way, reach out to a large number of people and this is exactly what Lucy + Jorge Orta want. Enacting their performances and artwork around the world, the artist duo hopes to change minds and garner increased awareness in environmental concerns. “Our works are focused on the community and connection,” said the artist duo. “We believe in the individual and the ability of society to rebuild itself. We see our work as a way to awaken consciences and as a call to action.”

It is the environment in its beauty and current weaknesses that have bound ZegnArt and Lucy + Jorge Orta together. “The central role the environment plays in our activities is not a marketing tool, but is part of our legacy,” says Anna. “Fabulae Naturae is the expression of how an artist looks at the Zegna world and depicts it. Lucy and Jorge Orta took inspiration from our DNA — the fabrics — and decided to pay tribute to the environment by enacting a performance reminiscent of Oasi Zegna.” It was a story that was told – a veritable “fabulae” from the Latin word for “tale.” And it was one that gave guests such an experience through vision, sound and performance that it will be hard to forget the mythical creatures, with their fantastical Carabus masks, who marched so subtly and yet with such a fervent message. fondazionezegna.org

“WE BELIEVE IN THE INDIVIDUAL

AND THE ABILITY OF SOCIETY TO

REBUILD ITSELF. WE SEE OUR

WORK AS A WAY TO AWAKEN

CONSCIENCES AND AS A CALL

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An exhibition of the limited-edition Limoges porcelain plates created by Lucy + Jorge Orta displayed at Fabulae Naturae.



t’s a July morning in Florence. The sun is rising over the Arno River and storekeepers are busy setting up their shops for another busy day of commerce with tourists and residents alike. A brisk walk over the Ponte delle Grazie reveals the historical charm that maintains the capital of Tuscany’s eternal appeal. Early sunlight casts shadows on the buildings while residents sip their cappuccinos at nearby bars. At the Salvatore Ferragamo headquarters on Piazza della Trinità the day is also beginning.

Step into a Ferragamo store anywhere in the world and you’ll quickly become enraptured with the garments, accessories and most importantly, the shoes that have won the hearts of women for

nearly 100 years. But here in Piazza della Trinità there is something else: the Palazzo Spini Feroni. Like a hidden muse in any great artist’s repertoire of inspirations, this building has been the source of great importance to the Ferragamo business and its resounding creativity. Perhaps an unlikely subject matter for such an exceptional Italian luxury brand, A Palace and the City at the Museo Ferragamo, also located in the Palazzo Spini Feroni, tracks the historical and contemporary contributions of the edifi ce to Salvatore Ferragamo and the city of Florence. Through prestigious works of art and documents from museums and private collections, the exhibition tells how the renowned shoemaker is inextricably

The PALACE&theCITY

When Salvatore Ferragamo arrived in Florence in 1927 he moved into the Palazzo Spini Feroni. Rebecca Anne Proctor visits Ferragamo’s palace in Florence as well as an exhibition that celebrates its connections with Florentine heritage and high society.

I connected to his beloved Florence and utterly so through the Palazzo Spini Feroni.

This year celebrates 150 years since Florence was named the capital of Italy. Given the Palazzo Spini Feroni’s signifi cance in the city’s history — it became the city hall in 1865 the same year Florence was designated the capital of the Kingdom of Italy (1865-1870) — Ferragamo felt it was the ideal time to commemorate the building’s achievements.

The exhibition itself is a journey back in time. Curated by Stefania Ricci and Ricardo Spinelli, the show begins its trajectory with a multitude of shoe prototypes – dainty and feminine creations in a variety of lavish materials and colors. There are also wooden shoe moldings with the designated names of fi lm stars such as Greta Garbo and Sophia Loren — all charming anecdotes from the shoemaker’s pivotal history. The fi rst room explains the relationship between Ferragamo and the Palazzo Spini Feroni. It was in 1927 that Salvatore Ferragamo left the US and arrived in Florence. During the fi rst few years of his return, he didn’t give much attention to local customers. However, after he went bankrupt in 1933 and in the wake of the 1929 crash, Ferragamo realized that he had neglected Florentine high society — an important client base. But he needed a place to receive these clients. Palazzo Spini Feroni was the answer. Ferragamo purchased it in 1938 and since that date the palazzo has been the center of the shoemaker’s communication. So much so that its emblem was used on Ferragamo letterhead, in

(Above) A view of the Palazzo Spini Feroni in Piazza della Trinità, Florence.

(Below) A prototype for Salvatore Ferragamo shoes.


the company’s advertisements and also featured on the fi rst Ferragamo silk scarf that was made in 1961 and based on a drawing by artist Alvaro Monnini, one of the founders of Geometric Abstraction. When Ferragamo died in 1960, the palazzo continued to serve as the company’s headquarters as well as one of its major symbols.

Subsequent rooms survey the palazzo’s history and signifi cance in Florentine history. It was built in 1289, after a fl ood had destroyed the homes of the powerful Spini family who were owners of one of Europe’s biggest banks. The family’s Ruggeri Spini, one of its most famous members, commissioned the building. Known as Geri, he was the banker of Pope Boniface VIII and an extremely wealthy man. Geri was also one of the most respected representatives of the Black Guelphs, who were responsible for the exile of Dante Alighieri, depicted in a 1860 painting by Domenico Petarlini displayed in the exhibition. Glazed Della Robbia terracotta portraits of Dante and Boccaccio, two of Italian literature’s greatest names, are displayed here highlighting the Florentine heritage of the period. Dante returns later in the exhibition in a room that recalls how the City of Florence organized its fi rst important event as capital of the Kingdom of Italy at the Palazzo Spini Feroni to commemorate the 600th anniversary of the birth of Dante Alighieri on 1865. Throughout the unifi cation of Italy, also known as the Risorgimento, the Italian poet had been hailed as the father of a united Italy. This is revisited in the exhibition in a room that celebrates Dante and his love for Beatrice through artworks including two marble sculptures of Dante and Beatrice by Giovanni Duprè and a painting of the lovers by Henry Holiday of the Pre-Raphaelite school.

Subsequent rooms tell of the palazzo’s renovations during the seventeenth century and also its importance as an artistic subject matter for artists since the fi fteenth century. Giuseppe Zocchi depicted it many times both on canvas and in his engravings. Other Italian painters as well as foreign painters, such as Thomas Thatch, also used the building as inspiration. There is also a room dedicated to Girolamo Segato, undoubtedly the Palazzo Spini Feroni’s most eclectic resident. The mapmaker, traveler and naturalist also had an interest in human bodies and how

to preserve them after death as part of his practice of “petrifi cation.”

The palazzo was also once one of the most exclusive hotels in Florence. From the turn of the eighteenth century to the beginning of the nineteenth century the palazzo was returned to the sole ownership of the Feroni family. They sold it in 1834 to Frenchwoman Fanny Hombert who turned into Hôtel d’Europe. Many famous people of the era stayed at the hotel including Chancellor von Metternich and the Hungarian composer and pianist Franz Liszt. This lavish interlude soon ended when the palace was sold to the City of Florence who used it for administrative offi ces. However, it was found to be too small to meet the city’s requirements and was sold to the Cassa di Risparmio bank. It was then used by some of Florence’s most important cultural institutions.

Walking through A Palace the City is a revisitation of modern Florentine history. We are even able to get a glimpse of the reality of the palazzo today through a 24-hour video installation by Art Media Studio Firenze. Created in 2015, the video tracks the inside and outside of the palazzo throughout the day revealing a side of it that visitors of the exhibition will never get to experience. We also learn

of the Gabinetto Vieusseux, located on the ground fl oor of the palazzo from 1873 to 1898, used for hosting Florentines and international intelligentsia that came to stay in the city. The Vieusseux rooms hosted Mark Twain, Henry James, John Singer Sargent and André Gide, among others. It also served as the location of three art galleries that put the palazzo at the center of Italian contemporary art at the beginning of the twentieth century. Major Italian modern artworks are shown together again in a room that recreates the activities of art galleries such as that belonging to Luigi Bellini.

Through an ambitious survey of decades of Florentine history, the visitor

has the sense that they’ve met a person. Here the Palazzo Spini Feroni becomes a major character in Florence’s past —

rightfully celebrated for its contributions to the city’s creative and intellectual life. And all of this is set forth through Salvatore Ferragamo himself — a fi gure we meet again at the end of the exhibition through numerous photographs of the artisan joyfully creating his shoes. While the exhibition offers a lot of information and images to digest and over so great a time span, what it highlights so thoughtfully is the interconnectedness of a creative individual with his surroundings over time.

A Palace and the City runs until 3 April 2016 at Palazzo Spini Feroni, on via Tornabuoni in Florence. www.ferragamo.com

Alvaro Monnini’s depiction of Palazzo Spini Feroni on a Ferragamo scarf

made in 1961.

“ L O N G B E F O R E I E V E R M O V E D I N T O T H E P A L A Z Z O S P I N I F E R O N I I T W A S O N E

O F T H E B U I L D I N G S O F F L O R E N C E T H A T I M O S T A D M I R E D A N D L O V E D . ”

- S a l v a t o r e F e r r a g a m o

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LE SCARPEPeruse 650 evening styles and 264

daytime styles, designed by Salvatore Ferragamo and his daughter Fiamma from the 1950s to the 1960s within a room reminiscent of the original one

where the shoes were kept as source of inspiration for new collections. Not to

miss are some of Ferragamo’s famous wedgies from the 1930s

and 1940s.

DUMMY SLUG

Ammar Al-Attar. Alia Al-Shamsi. 2014. Printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag fi ne art paper. 90 x70 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Maraya Art Centre.


REFLECTIONS, REACTIONS & RESPONSESPutting a critical eye on exhibitions around the world


Art is expected to do many things today. With the multitude of social and economic diffi culties that the face the world — its human rights abuses, income inequalities, environmental crises and wars — art is supposed to refl ect all of this, console and also provide something that is aesthetically uplifting. When faced with such uncertainties, it seems silly and trivial to think of the commodifi cation of a work of art. An artwork must now offer resolution and an explanation. And that’s a high moral price tag for it to be bear.

Turn your gaze to the Middle East and the fi rst six months of 2015. It’s been an exceptionally hard one for the region. The ray of hope that the Arab Spring provided in 2011 has since faded and in its place is the civil war in Syria, religious extremists and the increasing hysteria of the Islamic State. This political and social chaos has left its mark on the region not just through violence but through the destruction of a physical past — ancient artworks and monuments — a civilization’s very proof of existence. When we loose this — physical memories and identity markers of our past — what are we left with?

Now in its 56th edition, this year’s Venice Biennale fell under the curatorship of Okwui Enwezor. Entitled All the World’s Futures, his exhibition, as according to an early statement, was staged as a way to explore the ruptures and restlessness of our current time. Through performances, paintings, sculptures, videos, installations and other manifestations, the art in this year’s biennale strove to break free from confi nement just as we yearn to make sense of the agony around us. But the artworks displayed, particularly in the Central Pavilion, weren’t pretty. Thought provoking, unsettling and at times hard to grasp, the works on exhibit were in protest and not in celebration. Enwezor, a Nigerian curator, writer, educator and poet known for his modern and post-colonial studies, wanted us to see the urgent state of the world through art.

The exhibition was centered on Karl Marx’s Das Kapital and its critiques of the Industrial Revolution. Among the hundreds of artworks on show was a marathon live reading of all three volumes of his 1867 book in the arena designed by Ghanian/British architect David Adjaye at the Central Pavilion of the Giardini — the public art also home to the Biennale’s national pavilions. The theme of labor is a recurrent theme as is displacement and colonization.

Hundreds of knives protrude into the ground in formations that resemble a garden of spikey fl owers. On wall and revolving in circular neon are the words “Death Love Hate.” These are the fi rst works you see when you enter into the Arsenale: Adel Abdessemed’s knives, which are entitled Nympheas, and Brue Nauman’s 1983 Life, Death, Love, Hate, Pleasure, Pain neon light installation. Meanwhile, at the beginning of the Giardini is Fabio

Mauri’s four-meter wall of battered suitcases, entitled The Western Wall of the Wailing Wall, recalls trips one-way trips to Auschwitz as well as modern migrations with no return. The effect each one is at once foreboding and rebellious. What Enwezor, who is the Biennale’s fi rst African curator, called the “parliament of forms” — the works on show are exactly that. While they are derived from such different contexts and realities, they all protest in unison.

Middle Eastern names aplenty, Abdessemed’s is the fi rst you see. Amidst the multitude of African, Middle Eastern, Asian and post-colonial references, is a big banner by Gulf Labor, a human rights collective that protects migrant workers in the UAE. Whether an artwork or not, it is positioned with the rest determined to offer another side of reality. In another room are Ricard Brey’s thirteen glass vitrines with delicately placed objects in archival folders, including two photo albums and a loaf of bread. On the wall behind is Jumana Emil Abboud’s 2008 work Company — 41 drawings depicting a variety of scenes at times alarming and other times heartwarming. Both seem to refl ect the need to pack ones belongings and thus one’s memories and take them wherever they go. After moving through the unsettling works in the Arsenale, you’ll come across Kutlug Ataman’s 2014 The Portrait of Sakip Sabanci — a beautiful installation comprising 9216 LCD screens

VENICE, ITALY

AN UNEASY VISIONScattered around the lagoon, in the Arsenale and the Giardini, art from the Middle East could be found in many places at the 56th Venice Biennale. Rebecca Anne Proctor reports from Venice.

Sarkis. Respiro, a work for the Turkish Pavilion. 2015. Mixed media installation. Variable dimensions.


suspended over the exhibition room displaying the passport photographs of individuals that Sabanci had worked with throughout his life. The piece is stunning and offers resurrection from the dim lighting and packed exhibition halls — he’s included work in every conceivable medium and representative of around 140 artists from 53 countries — a true “parliament of forms.” Also of note, and which received a special mention from the jury of the Venice Biennale, were Algerian artist Massinissa Selmani’s series of drawings entitled A-t-on besoin des ombres pour se souvenir? (Does one need shadows to remember) — works made in 2013 to 2015 capturing the bleak reality of daily life in Algeria and the effects of the country’s agrarian socialist experiment undertaken by the government in 1973.

As you peruse the work at the National Pavilions, the mood is similar except for a few, such as Britain’s presentation of Sarah Lucas’ sculpted phalluses and torsos which seem incredibly self-centered compared to the ominous and deep works exhibited in Enwezor. Not a Middle Eastern pavilion, but defi nitely one that referenced the religious culture was Iceland’s presentation. It saw Christoph Büchel transform the church of Santa Maria della Misericordia into The Mosque. There’s never been a mosque in Venice. The installation took the form of a functioning mosque and


In the background: Bruce Nauman. Human nature / Life death / Knows Doesn’t Know. 1983. Neon installation; Foreground: Adel Abdessemed. Nympheas. 2015. Groupings of knives. Variable dimensions. Photography by Alessandra Chemollo. Courtesy of la Biennale di Venezia


was immediately welcomed by the city’s Muslim community — until it was shutdown by the police. The artwork encouraged the debate currently raging across Europe regarding Muslim worship as immigration from the Islamic world increases.

As for actual pavilions representative of the Middle East, Iraq, which was situated once again in the 16th century Ca’ Dandolo Palace, offered much to refl ect on regarding the country’s current situation. Whereas last year’s exhibition offered a bit of humor and also hope, this year the mood and the artworks were solemn. Even so, in a nation now plagued with Islamic State (IS) fi ghters and where contemporary art is the last thing on everyone’s minds, art continues to be made and it is an art that does not shy away from addressing the madness of the present confl ict. Organized by the Ruya Foundation for Contemporary Culture in Iraq and entitled Invisible Beauty, the exhibition was curated by Philippe Van Cauteren, Artistic Director of the Museum for Contemporary Art in Ghent. To select the fi ve artists in the show, Van Cauteren traveled across America, Belgium, Turkey, the UK and Iraq. The result included poignant works by young painter Haider Jabbar, who depicted decapitated heads, mostly blindfolded and impaled on stakes; photographs especially commissioned for the exhibition by Akam Shex Hadi; and striking images by Latif Al Ani, known as the father of Iraqi photography. No humor was found here, but the works did carry with them an eerie beauty that is hard to forget. They are visual reminders of the need to fi nd a resolution to crisis in Iraq and the power of art to transmit a message beyond national borders.

Staged in its now permanent home in the Sale d’Armi (Hall of Arms), the UAE Pavilion this year took a break from a dialogue with contemporary culture. A different scene was experienced from the previous edition where Mohammed Kazem’s breathtaking installation was shown. This time, the UAE looked back to its recent past and tradition. Curated by Hoor Al Qasimi and representing the works of 15 Emirati artists from 1980 to the present, the exhibition certainly confi rmed the presence of an UAE art history — one that until now was not greatly known to the international art community. Ambitious in scope and also in the quantity of artworks, 1980 – Today: Exhibitions in the United Arab

Emirates emphasized the importance of an UAE art history and an artistic dialogue that has for the last several decades been part of the Gulf. Now that this has been affi rmed, future artistic exhibitions in the Pavilion will surely be seen with much greater context.

Situated on the other side of town, far away from the Giardini, was The Great Game, the exhibition for Iran’s Pavilion. Walk down the winding Venetian calle of Cannaregio and you’ll fi nd an old empty Venetian building full of works by Contemporary Iranian masters. Another ambitious display and one that sought to mirror the political “game” played for supremacy in 20th century Asia, the works burst with clever Iranian fl air — mixing politics, contemporary society, Iranian heritage and artistic experimentation. Displayed were works such as Sadegh Tirafkhan’s 2000 digital photograph Iranian Man juxtaposed with Walid Siti’s refi ned sculpture of a fi ctional barbed wire, canvases by Mohammad Ehsai and fi lms of war by Reza Aramesh. Revealed here were well-known tales of political woe, new beginnings and the deconstruction and revisitation of Iranian cultural imagery — each trying to make sense of it all.

Representations of a softer Middle East were explored in In the Eye of the Thunderstorm: Effervescent Practices from the Arab World. Just as the eye of a storm is meant to be calm, the work in this collateral was turned down a notch from what one is most likely to consider art from the turbulent Middle East. Of note is Sadik Kwaish Alfraji 2015 fi lm installation Ali’s Boat — a poignant animation of a letter received by the artist’s nine-year-old-nephew in Iraq. Austere, sorrowful but with great beauty — the fi lm is at once meditative and refl ective on life, death and rebirth. And recollecting the richness of region’s past in Khaled Hafez’s fi lm Mirror Sonata for a Temple, bulls from Mesopotamian history and strong men parade with color amidst decorated architectural surroundings.

A real hit was Alserkal Avenue’s Safi na Radio Project. The Dubai art hub’s fi rst participation at the Venice Biennale, the itinerant recording studio in the form of a boat traversed the canals of Venice for three days during the opening of the Biennale and hosted a series of performances and conversations between artists and art world fi gures. On the particular ride I took, performance art was the subject du jour. At once playful and serious, the passengers,

(Left) An interior view of the UAE Pavilion. (Right) An installation view of Rashid Rana’s multimedia installation in My East is Your West.


which included the project’s curator Anabelle de Gersigny, a journalist from Art Forum and several other curators and performance artists, allowed for a breadth of conversation to fl ow between participants on the boat, the importance of the art forum and also how it is being presented in the Middle East.

But the two pavilions that reverberated the most beauty amidst the chaos that we attribute to the region were also those that were not so long ago at war with each other: Armenia and Turkey. Both representations witnessed the participation of the artist Sarkis Zabunyan, known simply as Sarkis, the Turkish-born, Paris-based Armenian artist well regarded for his conceptual practice and social critique. Entitled Respiro meaning “breath” in Italian, and situated in Turkey’s national pavilion at the Arsenale — Sale d’Armi, for this year’s Biennale, which also marks the 100th anniversary of the devastating Armenian genocide, Sarkis fi lls the space with breathtaking multimedia works. Two large-scale, site-specifi c neon rainbows fi ll the space and cause one to pause in refl ection. The solo exhibition also includes 36 illuminated stained glass windows depicting scenes of pain, war, and love, while a meditative soundscape by Jacopo Baboni-Schilingi fi lls the space. Spiritual in nature, Sarkis emphasized that he wanted to create something that went “beyond history.”

Take a boat ride to the island of Monastery and island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni and Sarkis’ work will be found again at the Republic of Armenia’s national pavilion. Entitled Armenity, on display throughout the island and in the monastery is a complex and irregular display by the country’s genocide survivors and ancestors. With much conceptual and installation artwork on display, at times it felt that the artworks were almost permanent objects of the site. Exemplary artworks included Nina Katchadourian’s 2005 Accent Elimination — a video that sees the artist investigate the psychology behind elective assimilation. She purchases the services of accent coaches and then trains her parents to speak English “naturally.” There’s also Aram Jibilian’s series of works from 2008-2015 probing the legacy of renowned Armenian painter Arshile Gorky, and the poignant photographs of Hrair Sarkissian. In darkened spaces hands appear under a spotlight in

mysterious and powerful portrayals. It’s as if these individuals were seeking light and it found them — but only momentarily — there is still a bit of hope left for a resolution. The pavilion won the Golden Lion this year for the best national pavilion.

And while not directly representative of the Middle East, of particular note was a collateral project entitled My East is Your West that united for the fi rst time in Venice the countries of India and Pakistan. While the dominant social rhetoric in both countries is one that tells of India versus Pakistan rather than India working together with Pakistan, the Delhi-based Gujral Foundation decided to re-position this viewing relationship through art. Staged at the Palazzo Benzon, Pakistani artist Rashid Rana exhibited works alongside the conceptual works of Indian Shilpa Gupta. A successful attempt in breaking down stereotypical portrayals of “the other” nation, artworks by both artists sought to move beyond the expected historicized narratives to open perceptions regarding issues of borders, migration, and identity. Staged in separate sections, while little connected the work by each artist — except for the said explored ideas of identity and migration, each offered a rich experience in perception. Rana’s larger video installations offered live feeds from Venice and Lahore, while Gupta’s work drew from the experience of visiting the borders of her country with those of Bangladesh and Kashmir, part of which is controlled by Pakistan and part by India.

While the works in this year’s Venice Biennale were largely uneasy in nature — discomfort, sadness, distaste and upset were the outcomes of much that was seen — what Enwezor put together offers much to refl ect upon in a world where even art struggles to make sense of so many broken realities. On a regional level, issues of identity and displacement still stand strong in art from the Middle East and its neighboring countries. It is hard to transcend these borders and ideologies just yet given the recent torments that have plagued the identities of the nations. It is by visualizing and intellectualizing these issues through art that a new step towards physical and spiritual reconciliation is taken. And we can all but hope that the discomfort and pain that is experienced as we look at much of this art will soon turn to illuminations.

(Left) Huma Bhabha. Untitled. 2014.Mixed media installation. 203.2 × 127 cm.

(Above) Visitors at the Arsenale during the opening of the 56th Venice Biennale.

IThis year’s Art Basel reported swift sales and an interest in more established names. Rebecca Anne Proctor reports on the fair’s 46th edition and the Middle Eastern art on show.

BASEL, SWITZERLAND

OH, BASEL

t’s the best supermarket in the art world. Art Basel is the biggest fair devoted to high-end Modern and Contemporary art and it isn’t for newcomers to the gallery scene — but rather for established collectors who know exactly what they want and have big pockets. The contemporary art market has been on fi re — especially since May’s blockbuster $2.3 billion series of auctions at Philips, Sotheby’s and Christie’s in New York that saw the sale of Picasso’s 1955 painting Les Femmes d’Alger (Version ‘O’) for $179.4 million. At this year’s fair there was much hope in the air that the momentum would continue.

As posh designer clad collectors and art advisors packed into the two-story Messe exhibition hall — which this year featured 284 galleries from 33 countries and territories — for the preview on 16 June, art dealers rolled up their sleeves and hoped to score. Scored quite a few did

early on, including an untitled 1984 work by Keith Haring from New York-based gallery Skarstedt Gallery depicting hundreds of bodies. It was one of the artist’s fi rst works on stretched canvas and was painted in Italy. It sold for approximately US$5.5 million to an American collector. “This year there was unparalleled energy on the fl oors during the fi rst few days, once again confi rming the dominance of the Art Basel fair,” said Per Skarstedt. “We were really pleased to have placed works into important collections in both Europe and the United States.”

At the booth of Paris and Salzburg dealer Thaddaeus Ropac a 1980 piece by Joseph Beuys made in the form of a blackboard with chalk writing sold to an undisclosed institution for around US$1million. Elsewhere, a piece by Joan Mitchell at Cheim & Read sold for US$6 million while Pace Gallery reportedly sold out its entire presentation of Robert Rauschenberg works from the 1980s and early 1990s. And New York and London dealership Helly Nahmad sold La Route du Pas-de-Calais, a 1963 painting of a man driving a car by Jean Dubuffet for around US$6million. Nahmad

also offered a smaller version of Picasso’s headline-grabbing Christie’s painting Les Femmes d’Alger (Version C) for US$16

million. The work was not bought after two full days of previews.

At Marianne Boesky the sentiments were the same. “We’ve had a great fair — as always Art Basel

delivers,” said Boesky. “We sold work by Frank Stella and three Pier Paolo Calzolari salt works to French, Italian and American collectors — all three were fi rst time buyers from our gallery. We also placed great works by Donald Moffett, Matthias Bitzer, Thiago Roca Pitta, Kon Trubkovich, Andisheh Avini and Diana Al-Hadid.”

Something had changed. Sales were swift and buyers were plenty but collectors didn’t seem to be going for fl ashy young artists with their high prices. They wanted something substantial and proven with time. Sales were thus in the form of substantial prices but for works by older and museum-validated artists.

But this isn’t to say that mid-career artists didn’t sell. A 1991 oil on canvas work by the

South African artist Marlene Dumas entitled Tired Woman sold for over US$1.1million at New

York gallery Dominique Lévy. Sales were indeed strong and for big prices, but the desire was to go with

artists that had already been tried and tested. New editions to this year’s fair came in the form of three

new galleries to the Galleries section. These included Rodeo from Istanbul/London, Tokyo-based Take Ninagawa and Vilma Gold from London. Exhibiting a range of work done in sculpture, paintings, drawings, installations, photographs, video, fi lm and digital artworks, the three newcomer galleries had already exhibited

Timo Nasseri. Kaon. 2015. wood, brass, rubber strap. 49 x 49 x 49 cm. Edition three of three. Courtesy of Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut/Hamburg.



within the sector, previously showing in the Feature and Statement sections. Highlighted at Rodeo was a presentation of three fi lms by Irish artist Duncan Campbell entitled It For Others, Bernadette, and Oh Joan, No. There were also works by Iman Issa and Shahryar Nashat.

As for Middle Eastern names at the fair, there were plenty. Dispersed between the Galleries, Feature, Statement, Unlimited and Film sections, it might be said that artists and galleries from the region had a more balanced representation than in previous years. Highlights from the broader Middle East included New York gallery Casey Kaplan’s presentation of work by Cyprian artist Haris Epaminonda and Galerie Nathalie Obadia’s display of works by Turkish artist Sarkis. At Lisson Gallery names such as Haroon Mirza, Shirazeh Houshiary, and Wael Shawky sold alongside works by John Latham, Lee Ufan, Anish Kapoor, Joyce Pensato and Wael Shawky for prices ranging from US$60,000 to US$950,000. Paris and New York-based Galerie Lelong also sold several small paintings by Lebanese artist Etel Adnan, while at David Zwirner Beirut-based collectors Tony and Elham Salamé purchased around a dozen works including those by Tauba Auerbach and John Armleder, as well as an Oehlen painting for US$431,000. These new works will join the couple’s collection of more than 2,000 contemporary artworks. Longtime Art Basel stalwart Hamburg and Beirut-based Sfeir-Semler Gallery exhibited its usual suspects of Middle Eastern art with sales going to Etel Adnan, Timo Nasseri and Wael Shawky. The gallery also stressed that there was great interest for works by Rabih Mroué.

Elsewhere, Goodman Gallery from South Africa showed Mounir Fatmi’s 2014 work Darkening Process. The piece examines American author John Howard Griffi n’s attempt to live as a

different person in his book Black Like Me whereby he disguised himself as a black person and traveled through Mississippi and Louisana. Fatmi examines how it is to inhabit a different world by changing his own skin and asks whether it is truly possible to shed one’s self and become someone else. The experience of “the other” was also felt in Nira Pereg’s 2014/2015 fi lm Ishamael. The three-channel video installation at Braverman Gallery documented a day in the life of a Muslim Muazzin at the Cave of the Patriarch in Hebron in the heart of the West Bank. Sacred for both Jews and Muslims, after the Goldstein Massacre in 1994 the cave was divided into two separate areas, with 80 percent serving as a mosque and 20 percent as a synagogue. Soldiers from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) control the doorway connecting the two areas. Highlighting the performative qualities of the Islamic call worship (adhan), which is recited by a Muezzin fi ve times a day, the fi lm renders the specifi cities between ritual, territory, time and place.

In Feature, the area of the fair dedicated to 30 curated projects, New York-based Alexander Gray Associates revealed a stunning booth of works by Iranian Siah Armajani. Featuring installation and mixed media works, the pieces on display highlighted the artist’s ongoing interest and study of bridges as a way to refl ect the cross-cultural spheres between his native Iran and his adopted American culture.

Waving the fl ag high for the Gulf region were two galleries in the Statements section: The Third Line and Grey Noise. Presented at the former was Abbas Akhavan’s fl oor-based Study for a Monument. The installation of bronze-cast plants is a continuation of recent works that archive and memorialize native and endemic fl ora in compromised ecologies. The piece builds upon previous research and is a new iteration of bronze cast reproductions of fl ora

The Third Line’s Sunny Rahbar presents Abbas Akhavan’s Study for a Monument. Courtesy of The Third Line, Dubai.


native to the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers — the area that is known as modern day Iraq. Akhavan’s startling piece charts the region’s damaged landscape due to political, social and ecological turmoil.

“This is our second time participating in Statements, and the platform has allowed us to highlight a seminal piece of Abbas Akhavan’s practice, sharing it with a much larger

audience than we would have been able to otherwise,” said Rahbar. “There has been a lot of interest from European and

American collectors and institutions, many of whom we have connected with for the fi rst time, including curators from MoMA, as well as institutions like Tate and Centre Pompidou.”

Nearby was Remote Local by Lebanese artist Caline Aoun at Dubai-based Grey Noise. Participating in Art Basel for the fi rst time, the minimalist installation consisted of large sheets that were actually made out of

the top layer of a road in Lebanon. For Aoun, the idea is that she is literally transporting her surroundings in Lebanon to a “remote” location such as Art Basel.

“Getting accepted to Art Basel for a gallery of our scale is a huge welcome from the global art market players,” said Umer Butt of Grey Noise. “We showed work by a Lebanese artist who bleaches away the loaded content of

the history of her country as well as refutes what the

“Getting accepted to Art Basel for a gallery our scale is a huge welcome from the

global art market players.”

1

2

3

4

5

1. Marwan. Untitled. 1967. Oil on canvas. 162x114 cm. Courtesy Sfeir-Semler Gallery.

2. Sarkis. Conversation entre

Joraï et mon Atelier. 2001-2002. Wood maquette, neons, plexiglas, transformer, ancient sculpture. 147x131x43cm. Courtesy of Galerie Nathalie Obadia.

3. Haris Epaminonda.Untitled#186. 2008-2009. Polaroid. 10.2 x 10.2 cm. Courtesy of Casey Kaplan.

4. Caline Aoun. Pine Needles.

(detail). 2015. Approximately 4000 copper casts of pine needles. Variable dimensions. Courtesy of Grey Noise.

5. Wael Shawky. Cabaret Crusades:

The Secrets of Karbala. 2014. Static Marionette, CCIII SM 276.Murano Glass, fabric. 53x17x13cm.Courtesy of the artist and Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut/ Hamburg.


European market expects them to refl ect in their practice. Both private and institutional interest was evident. We sold a major work to a museum in the US and also had continuous support from galleries which represent Minimalism in their program.”

The Middle East was also present in the Film, curated for the fi rst time by Cairo-based fi lm curator and lecturer Maxa Zoller. This year’s program included Takashi Murakami’s fi rst feature fi lm Jellyfi sh Eyes alongside Hassan Hajjaj’s new fi lm Karima: A Day in the Life of a Henna Girl as well as the long-awaited European premier of Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict. Also included was Lebanese artist Mounira Al Solh’s 2014 work Now Eat my Script.

The best is saved for last. This year’s Unlimited section took center stage through a program of 74 ambitious large-scale sculptures, paintings, installations, video projects and live performances. Curated for the four year by Gianni Jetzer, of note were Ai Weiwei’s 2012 work Stacked created out of 760 symbolic Forever Bicycles, the most widely used bicycles in China; OPAVIVRA!’s 2014 Formosa Decelerator, an interactive installation where visitors could rest in hammocks and also create their own tea blends; Shilpa Gupta’s 2012 Untitled (Rock) featuring a massive amorphous object made of 7742 microphones; and Hector Zamora’s installation of eight suspended parachutes — a work that challenged the limits of gravity while also commenting on political structures. From the Middle East, Saudi artist Maha Malluh’s 2014 Food for Thought ‘Almuallaqat’ displayed old aluminum pots from various fl ea markets around Saudi Arabia that were used throughout history both in Bedouin tents and more recently as cooking vessels. The title references the great Muallaqat, or “Hanging Odes” — the canonical Arabic poems that once hanged on the Ka’aba in Mecca that were written by pre-Islamic or jahili poets. Elsewhere, in DAYS, I See what I Saw and what I will See, a startling fi lm made in 2011 by artist Melik Ohanian reveals 11 days of footage of a Labor Camp in Sajaa, Sharjah, UAE. To make the fi lm, Ohanian built 100 meters of tracks to make traveling shots. Each day he installed the tracks and then fi lmed the 100 meters in

approximately four minutes. The following day, he dismantled the tracks, re-assembled them and moved them 100 meters ahead to shoot again. He shot both day and night at the camp offering a view into a world that is so near and yet so far away for those who reside in the Gulf.

Wael Shawky’s 2014 Cabaret Crusades: The Secrets of Karbala is seen in stark contrast to Ohanian’s realist portrayal of the Sharjah Labor Camp. Recounting the history of the Crusades from an Arab perspective, Shawky’s work incorporated historical marionettes from a Turinese collection and re-dressed alongside ceramic fi gures and also glass puppets blown in Murano. We become disoriented as we watch the continuous scene — unsure if these fi gures indeed reference history or perhaps emanate from a distant planet. And then there is the bashing, broken glass and chaos of Kader Attia’s installation Arab Spring. In 2011, during the series of anti-government protests, armed rebellions and uprisings known as the Arab Spring, there was hope for the region. Arab’s looked to end the repression and establish greater justice. With its glass scattered throughout the exhibition hall and broken showcases, what this work shows is the failure of the revolutions and the madness and anger that is the region is in today.

Each time Arab Spring is exhibited Attia re-enacts the revolts by physically destroying the showcases again and again. He throws stones at them and they break. What he underlines through this work is the process of revolt and repair and also how with every revolution injuries run deep.

While Attia’s work is undoubtedly one of the most dramatic works on display, it casts empathy on a region and a world in need of repair. With its strong sales and trust in established names, this year’s Art Basel did well to marry the past with the future. As in Attia’s work, the process of re-appropriation is ever present in art. But it is with time that the present becomes past and history validates.

WWW.ARTBASEL.COM

Kader Attia smashes up his 2014 Arab Spring installation. Courtesy of Art Basel.


rt fairs are complicated, beautiful beasts. Awash in glamor and high-brow sightings, they cater to commerce and ego, allowing attendees to serve as spectators-cum-detectives in

search of ‘the next big thing’ amidst blue chip stalwarts. Many of them can be exhausting in their exclusivity, acting as visual marathons between gallerists who

coolly eye the crowd for their next sell to the plethora of art on display that snakes around an armory,

warehouse, pop-up tent or exhibition hall until you are certain it can’t continue.

In recent years, there has been an added dose of fun to these exercises, with fairs not only concerned with the incredibly rich and incredibly connected, but rather bent on

creating an inviting atmosphere that can appeal to the most novice museum goer, curious family or group of art students. Take the 2015 installment of Frieze New York. The stateside sister of Britain’s prestigious fair, Frieze was housed in an impressive white tent spanning a quarter of a mile on Manhattan’s Randall’s Island Park — making the fair more of a destination than a traditional outing — and from the moment one stepped inside, it was clear this was a more cheerful kind of pandemonium. The fair saw around 40,000 visitors this year with sold out tickets through the weekend — it surely went beyond the typical wheeling and dealing.

Laid out on a map, the fair resembled the Thames River. Nestled in each booth was a staggering, generous array of international

galleries — over 198 from 33 different territories — dealers and publications set to playfully delight, awe and confound. The participatory nature was evident from the beginning. Several lucky attendees traipsed through the fair clad in colorful custom capes designed by Pia Camill in Wearing-watching for Projects (P2) that gave the crowd a demented superhero fl air. Those in need of a break could sit in one of Korakrit Arunanondchai’s paint-splattered denim massage chairs — hopefully averting their gaze from the insufferable Richard Prince Instagram blow-ups at Gagosian across the way — or for the adventurer in search of adrenaline, Galeria Jacqueline Martins had jumpsuits at the ready for fair goers to wear as part of a project by Matha Araujo before jumping onto a Velcro-covered ramp in hopes of ‘sticking’ around. Gavin Brown’s Enterprise took home the prize for the most stress-inducing group activity by ‘commissioning’ attendees to paint a 12-inch black circle on a white canvas as part of Jonathan Horowitz’s 700 Dots project, for a paycheck of $20. Opening night saw all but one of the project’s walls fi lled and rumors of celebrity interest circled to the delight of the new ‘art stars.’

But that isn’t to say the fair was all fun and games; eye catching installations from seasoned pros to those on the fringe could be seen at every twist and turn beyond the delectable snacking and fashionable people watching. Los Angeles-based gallery Overduin & Co. housed the bold geometric work of Math Bass that brought sign making and optical illusions to life; Andreas Angelidakis gave new meaning to Ottoman hospitality with his 19th-century Greek

A veritable feast of art on the Thames River had art lovers glowing with delight this past May. Sarah Hassan visits this year’s Frieze New York and peruses the Middle Eastern art on show.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

FRIEZE FEAST

A(Above) Canan

Sahin. The Night. 2014.

Work on paper. 18.5 x 29.13 cm. Courtesy of

Rampa Gallery, Istanbul.


to grow, as the Contemporary Middle Eastern art scene is fl ourishing, and there is increased dialogue based exchange taking place,” she said. “One would expect there to be an audience and market just for traditional artwork but there is actually a lot of international programming happening around performance art, sound, fi lm, and even experimental writing and lecture performances from the region.” The Third Line had healthy sales of Farmanfarmaian’s art, with a sculpture and a few works on paper going to private collections in the US and UAE.

Amidst the international hubbub, one stand out booth from the region was that of Istanbul-based Rampa Gallery showing new works by Turkish artist Canan, who’s small miniature-inspired paintings based on The Book of Lust were at once seductive and political. The artist paid particular attention to the aspects of female pleasure with the use of translated texts, her paintings both folkloric in their coloring and delicate in their traditional Islamic rendering. The effect is fresh, frank and exciting; everything one would hope to fi nd at a fair such as Frieze. FRIEZE NEW YORK RAN FROM MAY 14-17, 2015 WWW.FRIEZENEWYORK.COM

rug-covered platforms for The Breeder; Nick Cave’s colorful signature sound suits made from a plethora of objects, including children’s toys and recycled materials, attracted attention and praise at Jack Shainman; Gary Panter took to the black walls of Fredericks & Freiser with hundreds of chalk cartoon outlines and punch-drunk paintings; the late Giuseppe Penone’s homage to his own skin in the form of an enormous graphite work among carvings and a wall of dried bay leaves made Marian Goodman’s booth otherworldly, somber and symphonic.

Hidden gems from the Middle East and surrounding regions were a modest part of the fair, but nonetheless enticing. Sudanese artist Ibrahim El-Salahi encompassed the space at Vigo Gallery with his dizzying, delicate drawings and paintings resembling tribal masks, artifacts and faceless fi gures; Wael Shawky’s strange and dreamy puppets from his epic Cabaret Crusaders could be seen in more than one fair booth, like familiar strangers suspended from their display boxes; selected minimalist sculptures by Pakistani master Rasheed Araeen turned Aicon Gallery’s space into a colorful, geometric playground. “I believe this was the fi rst time Rasheed’s work has be showcased in a major New York fair,” Aicon’s Director Andrew Shea commented. “The response to the work was particularly encouraging at the institutional level, as more and more major museums have begun re-evaluating Modernism outside of its traditional, largely Western-focused, art historical perspective.”

Iraqi star Hayv Kahraman’s pseudo-Orientalist painting of her signature black haired, milk-skinned women held a prominent place on Jack Shainman’s walls; Dubai’s The Third Line dedicated their space to the iconic sketches and small mirrored sculptures of Monir Farmanfarmaian, who had a timely and celebrated retrospective on view at The Guggenheim during the fair. Sunny Rahbar, one of the gallery’s directors, credited the retrospective in peaking the audience’s interest in the artist and had a few insights into the Middle Eastern presence at large. “There are more international galleries showing Middle Eastern artists but not necessarily more galleries from the region in Frieze NY. I feel that this will continue

“There are more international galleries showing Middle Eastern art

but not necessarily more regional galleries at Frieze New York.”

SUNNY RAHBAR

(Above) Yto Barrada. Roxy Cinema Model. 2013. Wooden Paint. 72 x 66 x 37 cmCourtesy Sfeir-Semler Gallery

(Below) Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian. Untitled. 2012. Felt marker, color pencil and mirror on paper. 70x100 cm. Courtesy of the artist and The Third Line, Dubai.


any aspects of the bi-annual Shubbak festival refl ect an Arab sensibility. Its sheer variety and diversity; its nomadic and transient nature; focus on storytelling; obsession with social media and communicating electronically; community spirit; and intense, emotional and creative outbursts. Shubbak also celebrates a freedom of expression sadly lacking for many Arabs today, providing precious moments of refuge. Dubbed by Boris Johnson as the eighth Emirate, London is

perfectly situated as an alternative cultural hub for the Arab world – indeed it is a welcome change from the usual headlines about Khaleeji supercars or real estate interests. Shubbak, which means “window” in Arabic, is now in its third and most ambitious edition this summer. This time it delved deep into London’s urban fabric, reaching far beyond the traditionally ‘Arab’ west London venues and shedding light on hidden scenic corners and pockets of culture across the city.

Shubbak 2015’s ‘In-Situ’ programming invited artists to respond to different spaces, making viewers question where you go to see and be inspired by art. It created thought-provoking juxtapositions: an experimental turn-tabling set by Raed Yassin in historic, orientalist Leighton House; a John Locke quote by caligraffi ti maestro eL Seed on the Village Underground wall in Shoreditch. Younes Baba-Ali re-appropriated the Carroussa Sonore with a cart used by street merchants, turning it into a portable vehicle in order to present sound art projects.

Some artists and art professionals intentionally zoned in on the Edgware Road area. Turn the Cold Weather into Sun and Fun by Lantian Xie was a performance at Shishawi restaurant, while A Stage for any Revolution by Alia Farid was set in an open, modular stage taken over by multiple voices during a nine-day period. Both are young artists in London on residencies, cleverly opening up lines of enquiry and giving a voice to their generation.

Another Day Lost: 1,579 and counting… by Issam Kourbaj was

(Above) Mohammed Kazem. Photographs with a Flag. 1997. 12 C-Prints. Courtesy of the artist.

The bi-annual summer festival of Arab Art now in its third edition, Shubbak threw a real art party. Laura Egerton peruses the multitude of art from the Middle East stationed around London and finds a particular penchant for performance.

M an artwork in the form of fi ve separate installations scattered across London that loosely corresponded to Syrian refugee camps in neighbouring countries, representative of the types of places refugees fi nd sanctuary: a church garden, decommissioned café, and corner of a warehouse. Kourbaj has recreated the feel of the camps through thousands of handmade ‘tents’ from discarded book fragments and used medical boxes, placing them under tarpaulin. Each installation was encircled by a tally of matches which counted the days since the fi rst civil uprising. The created spaces, often intensely hot or windy, were instantly places to spend time in contemplation and which inspired dialogue with fellow observers.

Emirati designer Khalid Shafar’s The Nomad, a temporary structure based on traditional Gulf housing, the Arish, was installed in the Chelsea College of Art, offering Londoners the opportunity to discover a typically Arab social space. Close by, beside the river, was the new series Derivable Sculptures by Ziad Antar that will be on display until November — a perfect accompaniment to The Tate’s Barbara Hepworth blockbuster show. Ghostly and mysterious, the seven stone, cloth-like forms are reconstructions of how Antar experienced monumental sculptures in Jeddah by modernist masters such as Henry Moore and Joan Miró, given that during his visit to the Kingdom they were wrapped up. Labelled ‘Jeddah Open Air Museum’ and photographed by artist Ahmed Mater for a recent publication, these sculptures are a rare example of a public art project in the Gulf from the 1970s. That they are covered and impossible to see today is quite illuminating. Mater’s video project Leaves Fall in All Seasons takes cell phone footage by migrant labourers in Mecca, a commentary on the Gulf migrant workforce and its rapid rate of construction. It is on show as part of the Pump House Gallery’s What is Home? — a thought-provoking exhibition showcasing work by artists such as Hamra Abbas, Manal Al-Dowayan and Nadia Kaabi-Linke.

Shubbak pulled together coherent programing across key cultural organizations in the city such as the literature festival component at the British Library, performances at the Barbican,

LONDON, UK

@SHUBBAKFESTIVAL #EYESOPENED


South Bank Centre and even the Royal Opera House. It also brilliantly highlighted lesser known, smaller, often independent cultural venues. It is the directors of such organizations who form the active board of trustees and patrons — individuals such as Omar Qattan of the Mosaics Rooms and Aaron Cezar of the Delfi na Foundation. They work together with representatives from larger institutions such as Dr. Venetia Porter, Assistant Keeper of the Middle East Department at the British Museum, curating shows, moderating panels and tirelessly nurturing creative talent from the Arab world.

Performance was the glue that held Shubbak together this year. A buzzing Great Court at the British Museum on a Sunday morning became the stage for Radouan Mriziga and Nazir Tanbouli to perform pieces related to drawing and the body. Mriziga’s 55 saw the artist rolling methodically across the fl oor, with a piece of chalk and roll of sellotape in hand as he plotted out a space related to his Vitruvian man proportions. Tanbouli with a large stylus created three 12-meter long calligraphic works, the rhythm of his strokes mesmerized the audience.

The opening party of Shubbak was held at the Mosaic Rooms with the venue’s garden brought to life by a dance and musical performance choreographed by Joe Namy. An even stronger work by Namy, Space, Breath, Time was part of the excellent Echoes and Reverberations exhibition at the Hayward Gallery Project space — a show which revealed works of six artists who explore sound as a medium. Consisting of a deconstructed portable harmonium, every peg, screw and wire in Namy’s piece was beautifully laid out on a piece of red felt. The accompanying performance in the Queen Elizabeth Hall brought an assembly of harmonium players together, improvising around the artist’s text-based score.

Interestingly, the works in Echoes and Reverberations were not sound art pieces in the traditional sense. Instead, they raised questions about oral culture, storytelling, memory, noise and the experience of listening. Curated by Aaron Cezar and Cliff Lauson, the fi rst space was dominated by the audio of Magdi Mosafa’s Wisdom Tower, the all-consuming sound of the adhan familiar to anyone who has spent time in the Arab world. The work is visually arresting, too: the totem-like structure covered in rows of identical speakers and black and red wires spilling onto the fl oor recalled an explosive. It sat uncomfortably alongside Anas Al-Shaikh’s two-screen My Land, 2: the artists’ naked back view as he slaps his cheeks in rhythm to a traditional Bahrani pearl diving hymn, alongside, a blurred, unfurling red fl ag. Both do offer some comfort through suggestions of shared, repeated activity and community. The second space, separated by a curtain, was intentionally silent (accompanying sound components could be heard via headphones). It boasted a warm glow and calming aesthetic with colorful artworks. Jumana Emil Abboud’s A Happy Ending part II: Two Skins traces Palestinian folk and fairy tales through drawings and handcrafted objects, while Samah Hijawi’s Paradise Series creates collaged landscapes of an imagined utopia called Palestine with magazine cut outs and family photos. We Began by Measuring Distance produced for Sharjah Biennial 9 by Basma Alsharif (the fi rst artist I have seen who states their nationality as nomadic) is a quirky, surreal tale chronicling known and uncertain aspects of life through attempting to record measurements.

Cesar has also curated A Prologue to the Past and Present State of Things in the swish newly renovated Delfi na Foundation exhibition space. Calling it “a constellation of reference points across shared histories and contemporary global concerns” Cesar explains how the show intentionally features a more established array of international artists than Echoes and Reverberations, attempting to trace seminal moments in performance art related to the Arab region and “open up lines of enquiry for further research.”

It kicks off Delfi na’s new long-term platform for performance art that is entitled Staging Histories. Footage of Mona Hatoum’s experimental, live actions Variation on Discord and Divisions sits alongside photography reportage of one of Hassan Sharif’s mundane, gestural performance works, Hair and Milk Bottle. Both artworks dating from 1984, the two artists almost overlapped at Byam Shaw School of Art.

Performance as record of daily life is a common theme. It appears hauntingly in Emily Jacir’s Crossing Surda (a record of going to and from work) commenting on the diffi culties and possibilities of movement across borders. A key focus is understandably the body as it can serve as either a conduit for emotion or violence. Marwa Arsanios and Doa Aly show this through the medium of dance; Coco fFusco by portraying a study of prisoner of war resistance training. Mohammed Kazem and Lin Yilin present parallel projects where the artist’s body is shown within a rapidly changing urban landscape, in their native Dubai and Guangzhou. In Bent Jbeil, Egyptian artist Wael Shawky similarly inserts himself into an environment, in this case the war torn area of southern Lebanon. While walking through the ruins the artist recites verses from the Qur’an.

Omar Qattan summed up this year’s Shubbak when he told me “the Arab London that we aspire to is one that represents its very varied and interesting Arab diasporas and also offers a platform for artists from the region to showcase their work freely and without censorship — so that Londoners can get a chance to see and hear unfamiliar and exciting artists who they would otherwise not be able to discover.” This certainly rang true with I Spy With My Little Eye…A New Generation of Beirut Artists, the show at Qattan’s Mosaic Rooms during the festival curated by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath. Energy and excitement spilled from Tala Worrell’s canvases, one too restless to even be hung on a wall. Sharif Waked’s now twelve-year-old playful, iconic and shocking video Chic Point: Fashion for Israeli Checkpoints (on show at the Delfi na Foundation) showed how vital a role art and culture can have in drawing attention to the world’s troubled regions. Shubbak 2015 certainly made a noise. The proof was there: London and the Arab world can have a great time together.

SHUBBAK RAN FROM 11-26 JULY 2015. WWW.SHUBBAK.CO.UK

(Above) Coco Fusco. Operation Atropos. 2006. Video, 59 minutes.

Courtesy of the artist and Video Data Bank. (Right) Raed Yassin. In Baalbek

(from the Dancing, Smoking, Kissing series). 2013. Silk, thread, and embroidery

on embroidered silk cloth. 110 x 85 cm. Courtesy of the artist.

108 | Harper’s BAZAAR ART | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2015108 | Harper’s BAZAAR ART | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2015

“Every Iranian artist in one way or another is political.”

SHIRIN NESHAT


The images have become as iconic as any others found in Contemporary art; chador cloaked women, staring with kohl-rimmed eyes and brandishing guns are dizzyingly marked with calligraphic Farsi on their faces and hands. This poetry of politicized martyrdom, both inscribed and implied, has been the global calling card for Iranian artist, Shirin Neshat, now the subject of a retrospective in that most political of Western cities, Washington, D.C. Shirin Neshat: Facing History at The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, marks the end of an era in the 58 year-old artist’s career. Turning her attentions elsewhere in the Middle East, Neshat is now embarking on a new series of projects, most

recently in Egypt, where she is working on a fi lm about legendary singer Om Kolhtoum. It is an interesting navigation to consider; exile from her most-changed homeland has relentlessly inspired her body of work that spans photography, fi lm, and video installations. Yet who better to shift their gaze during an increasingly turbulent time in the Middle East — when the interpretations of artists are so valuable - than Neshat?

Leaving Iran for the US as a teenager in 1974 to study, Neshat missed the Islamic Revolution that would render her country unrecognizable when she fi nally returned almost twenty years later. Gone were the mini-skirts and music making. Neshat instead encountered fi gures who eventually inspired the photographic

series that would rocket her to international acclaim. Women of Allah, images populated by chilling yet beautiful women asserting their readiness to live and die by the sword — or in Neshat’s case, an automatic weapon — called feminism, religion and politics into question during the time of revolution. She tackled an Iranian woman’s ‘place’ with frankness and elegance, and even cast herself as an icon for resistance, joining the ranks of women she struggled to understand and in some ways, fi nd her own place beside.

Curated by Melissa Chiu, the museum’s new director, and Melissa Ho, Facing History opened at a time when Iran was back at the negotiating table with the West, in tandem with the museum’s own desire to become an international home for Contemporary art.

Indeed, there is no better artist than Neshat to carry this dual headline; for so long has she been an icon in exile, buffering heartache and confl ict as she reimagined the history of a country she could not return to nor could she ignore. The show is sparsely hung in some places, offering meditative moments with the images, weaving through multimedia, including historical Persian artifacts on loan to act as material ‘scaffolding.’ Her video installations are given grand and deserved treatment. They are mini movie theaters for an immersive and sometimes overwhelming audio experience. And the endnote is a projected Neshat on a balcony looking out towards a city she cannot reach — one of the many moments of visual poetry.

Neshat’s art has existed as ‘a place to build a fi ctional bridge’ in-between her country, herself and her imagination. Unable to be privy to the three events that rocked Iran and presented in the show in linear order — the 1953 CIA and British-backed coup that reinstated the Shah, The 1979 Revolution, and The Green Revolution of 2009. Neshat has had to curate her own understanding of this history with the use of historical texts and poetry as an artistic springboard. This is most recently seen in her moving and massive photo installations, The Book of Kings and Our House is On Fire, and most famously witnessed in her 2009 feature, Women Without Men. Women are constantly segregated from men in her work. The most visually arresting being her fi lms Rapture, Turbulent and Fervor. These represent resistance, intellectualism, sexual desire and loneliness. In her 2010 TED Talk, Neshat bluntly stated that “every Iranian artist in one way or another is political.” Yet recently, she has rejected the term outright, shaking off the labels that follow her; political, feminist, et al, to the confusion of her critics who denounce her for being stuck in her own mold and yet unable to own up to it. Yet when an artist is truly famous, does the work become less relevant and suspect? The answer in Neshat’s case is, yes.

Critics of the show have balked at some of her recent photographic work as mere ploys to cash in on the plight of others — particularly those who suffered during the recent Egyptian Revolution — using the ‘Neshat Brand.’ But is this argument entirely fair? Neshat is doing what she has done so well, for so many years: she documents a geographic human experience, real or imagined, for a larger audience to question in light of their own freedoms and beliefs. Like any artist, Neshat has stressed the desire for her work to be timeless, and now as she closes the chapter on a most fruitful artistic time, one cannot help but be sure of the timelessness of those women who fi ll the frames of her early work. Whether silent, shrouded, protesting or expressing their wordless pain to an empty hall, this is a history that we see tragically repeated in the present-day Middle East. Perhaps life will imitate art and embark on Neshat’s shifting tide towards something better, something greater for all. FACING HISTORY RUNS UNTIL 20 SEPTEMBER 2015

A trip to the Hirshhorn Museum reveals Shirin Neshat’s latest exhibition: Facing History. Sarah Hassan explores the artist’s iconic black-and-white photography, films and the deeper meaning that she always leaves behind.

WASHINGTON DC, USA

MY HEART GRIEVES FOR THE GARDEN

(Below) An installation view of Shirin Neshat: Facing History.

(Facing page) Speechless. 1996. Gelatin silver print and ink. 167.6 x 133.4 cm. Courtesy of Shirin Neshat and Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels.


Beirut-born, London and Berlin-based artist Mona Hatoum’s work has since the early 1980’s been concerned with the trappings of control; that proved a decisive infl uence upon her Palestinian upbringing. Leaving Lebanon for London in 1975 as a consequence of civil war, Hatoum’s work draws attention to the lives and landscapes of those permanently under siege and out of place. She is tormented as much by the delineated territorial maps of her homeland and its unsolved peace accords as she is the intrusion of external and internal forces upon her own body. And as a consequence the her current retrospective at the Centre Pompidou in Paris reads like a chilling curiosity shop of objects and installations that are as tender as they appear traumatic.

Originally adopting video and performance as a subversive device through which she would take centre stage, during the nineties Hatoum moved towards more problematic installations and sculptural works that gave scale to her edgy ideas. She profi ted as much from her preoccupation with prefabricated materials as she did with those made from a more personal touch. And at the Pompidou, Hatoum’s own hair, nail clippings and traces of urine, are the equal of neon lights, glass, wrought iron and metal.

With more than one hundred works thematically displayed, the Pompidou’s characteristic glass fronted facade provides an impressive, if not slightly incohesive open plan setting for the uneasy works of an artist who returns to the same symbols. And beyond the initial interference of Hatoum’s repetitive video work that hangs as an unsophisticated billboard, lies the visual strength of major works such as Present Tense (1996/2011); revealing a territorial map (unrealized and unregulated since the 1993 peace agreement) drawn onto an uneven bed of olive soap, that by implication suggests the effect of such politics upon the lives of the people. And as motifs, maps and the tools of domesticity — a theme which is central to the artist’s life and visual lexicography. Light Sentence (1992), is another seminal work for which Hatoum plays with a sliver of light likening it to the disagreeable condition of solitary confi nement. The work encompasses a thread of wire and a reticent light bulb that rises and falls from within a mesh cage while a shadow hangs over the piece like a potential menace.

Less machine sculpture and more infected cell, Socle du Monde (Base of the World) (1992–1993), pays homage to Italian sculptor Piero Manzoni, and appears as a purulent magnetic cube covered entirely by dark iron-fi lings. Upon closer inspection it resembles the intricate honeycomb patterns of a bees nest.

Four decades of work by Mona Hatoum are on display at the artist’s Centre Pompidou retrospective. Rajesh Punj gets closer look at her intimate and tense creations.

PARIS, FRANCE

A CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

(Above) Impenetrable. 2009. Barbed wire, fi shing wire. 300 x 300 x 300 cm. Exhibition copy © Courtesy of the artist© Photo Courtesy Mataf: Arab Museum of Modern ArtPhotography by Markus Elblaus.(Below) No Way III. 1996. Stainless steel. 11 x 25 x 29 cm. Artist’s proof 2/2.© Courtesy of the artist © Photo Courtesy White CubePhotography by Edward Woodman.

Mona Hatoum. © Mona Hatoum, 2013 ©Andri Pol 2013.


(Above, from left) Cellules [Cells]. 2012-2013. Mild steel and blown glass in eight parts. 170 cm x variable depth and width. © Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris © Photo Sébastien Normand; Cellules. 2012-2013. Mild steel and blown glass in 8 parts. 170 cm x variable depth and width. © Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris © Photography by Florian Kleinefenn; Grater Divide. 2002. Mild steel. 204 x 3.5 cm x variable width. Artist’s proof © Courtesy of the artist© Photo Courtesy of White Cube. Photography by Lain Dickens.

More delicate still are Hatoum’s sculptural works. They are manufactured like clinical objects that have distressingly had all of their comforting characteristics removed — as though humanity had lost its heart as a consequence of a history of violence. When interviewed by the Tate in 2011 Hatoum recalls how her more intimate works resonate a level of unrest. “Often the work is about confl ict or contradiction, and often that confl ict or contradiction can be found within the object”, Explaining how the work Untitled (wheelchair) (1998) is “on the one hand the person using the wheelchair would need someone to wheel them around, but the presence of the knives, makes you realize they resent that dependence. And as a consequence there is a whole internal confl ict happening with that piece.” Similarly for the work Incommunicado (1993), Hatoum has the bars at the base of the metal cot that are there for support removed entirely. And it is only when you venture closer that you realize the underlying metal frame has been replaced by these precarious wires. For which Hatoum suggests “your perception of the object changes. It is not anymore about protection, but it is more about a situation of abuse or danger.”

Nominated for the Turner Prize in 1995, Hatoum turned her attention from works addressing social and political unease, to the deceptive neutrality of domestic objects that are out of context and appear as these misshapen tools of torture. Quarters (1996) is a work made-up of a series of metal bunk beds that rise from fl oor to

ceiling as fi ve skeletal bed frames that for their industrial simplicity recall animal pens as much as they resemble the most basic space available for sleep. This is a work whose corrosive silence is punctured by the abrasive sounds that resonate from Hatoum’s 1999 installation Home in which a table of forensic styled kitchen utensils appear to have been wired up to a live electric current and lights. All of this generates a series of temporary aftershocks for an audience standing behind a wire fence, as though voyeurs to the electrocution of domestic and daily bliss, or of life itself. Home, like Light Sentence, has an underlying edge that conditions much of Hatoum’s work, with a contradictory juxtaposition of positive and negative infl uences.

Drawing on the gravity of her work, Hatoum pays attention to the endless possibilities of what is to come for her as a humanitarian and an artist. “I think the most exciting thing about being an artist is that I never know where the next exhibition is going to take me to in the world, and what you will end up making,” she says. “And I fi nd it very exciting — not knowing.” This she says, like the works on display, is the sensation of comprehending reality through the apparatus of art.

MONA HATOUM RUNS UNTIL 28 SEPTEMBER 2015 AT THE CENTRE POMPIDOU IN PARIS. WWW.CENTREPOMPIDOU.FR


‘DO YOU KNOW SISYPHUS?’ I’m fi ddling around with a fast-dwindling drink, surrounded by

Safavid-era miniatures, suspended Persian carpets, and sundry well-heeled dignitaries sweating through shimmering silk and broad-shouldered blazers. Suheyla Takesh, the curator of what has been lauded as a groundbreaking exhibition, is telling me excitedly, yet with her usual lethargic lucidity, about its premise. The way she’s asked me would make most responses on my part seem gauche, at the very least: Sisyphus? Yeah, he’s alright, the bloke. She continues after a brusque mm hmm and a sip of chardonnay: “the idea for the exhibition comes from the myth of Sisyphus.” Aha, I say with widened eyes, meeting the inquisitive gaze of someone beyond the sea of exquisite hairdos that I don’t particularly feel like speaking to just yet. “Like Sisyphus, the artists in the exhibition are in the process of striving for an ability to remain in place, for the rights to travel, to emigrate, to return, and to feel at home.” Home? I’ve long accepted the fate of a nomad, and given up any attempt to fi nd a home for myself — at least in the physical sense. I’m not alone in my sentiments, though; joining me on my tangent, Suheyla tells me of her mixed Palestinian and Crimean ancestry, and of her own feelings of displacement. There comes another of the tribe. “Nomad? Did I hear the word nomad!?” But, just as Tasleem Somji from the Museum begins to relate her tale, we’re rudely interrupted by ahems aplenty and popping noises crackling out of a speaker conveniently stationed right beside my ear. Ladies and gentlemen

On July 23, 2015, Toronto’s newly-established Aga Khan Museum witnessed the private opening of Home Ground, an exhibition of contemporary Arab art from Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi’s Barjeel Art Foundation. Curated by the Foundation’s Suheyla Takesh, Home Ground: Contemporary Art from the Barjeel Art Foundation presents 24 works by 12 leading Arab artists who explore themes of belonging, movement, and displacement, and the struggles associated with them, in a variety of mediums.

“Things happened quite fast between Sharjah and Toronto,” said Sultan hurriedly a few months back during Art Dubai; and, while things did indeed happen quickly (the Museum itself is only a mere 10 months old), this shouldn’t come as a surprise to those familiar with the Foundation’s vast art collection and the Speedy Gonzales approach of the Museum’s Director, Henry Kim. “When I fi rst saw the collection on display in Sharjah, I thought it was absolutely extraordinary,” said Kim, who also commented on the broader signifi cance of the exhibition. “Home Ground is powerful, not only for the differences it highlights, but also for the similarities it conveys about the human condition in the 21st century.” In an age where “immigration, shifting boundaries, and contested

identities are everyday realities for so very many of us” — according to Kim — such phenomena are perhaps even more poignantly felt and experienced by artists from the Middle East, a region that has seemingly perpetually witnessed mass waves of immigration and emigration, and shifting human landscapes.

Many in the Emirates expressed dismay upon hearing the news that the Aga Khan Museum would fi nd its home in Toronto rather in Dubai; however, the location for both the Museum as well as the exhibition could not, perhaps, have been more apropos. “Where else can you fi nd a city that has benefi tted so much from immigration [and] changing ethnic identities?” asked Kim, whose feelings were echoed by Sultan, in Toronto for the fi rst time. “We are heralding a new era in cultural relations between the UAE and Canada,” he said. “I wouldn’t have wanted any other city in North America to host the fi rst exhibition of the Barjeel Foundation.”

The exhibition is not — as many would understandably assume, given its importance and the size of the Museum — one of Olympian proportions (to make another Hellenic reference). In a rather modest section of the Museum’s second fl oor are on display 24 contemporary artworks by 12 artists of Arab descent, in a variety of mediums: painting, photography, video installation, and sculpture. While some artists have become household names among collectors and even those with scant knowledge of Arab art, others,

Toronto’s newly-opened Aga Khan Museum hosts the first exhibition of Sharjah’s Barjeel Art Foundation in North America. Through the Middle Eastern works on display Joobin Bekhrad explores the meaning of home.

TORONTO, CANADA

(Above, left) Khaled Jarrar.

Volleyball.2013.

Reconstituted concrete from apartheid wall

diameter 20 cm, weight

8 kgImage

Courtesy of Gallery One(Below) Dia Al-Azzawi.

Handala.2011. Bronze.

29 x 17 x 10 cm.

Courtesy of Niccolò Corradini, Capital D

Studio.

HOME, OR SOMETHING LIKE IT

Mona Hatoum. Infinity. 2009.

Bronze. 61 x 34.5 x 34.5 cm.Image Courtesy of Alexander

& Bonin Gallery


Nation Estate video, wherein the artist imagines the contested ‘Holy Land’ as a brutalist, Orwellian estate, and Raafat Ishak’s quaint Responses to an Immigration Request from One Hundred and Ninety Four Governments, featuring a number of framed country-specifi c panels and a list of — as might be surmised — humorous responses. Similar in subject matter to Nabil’s piece, yet dissimilar in medium and execution is Charbel Joseph H. Boutros’ From Water to Water, a photograph of a block of ice forged from the water of a lake to which the artist later returned it, used to bring attention to the struggle and pain endured in the cycle of movement, displacement, and returning.

Though the focus is on artists of Arab origin, the scope of the exhibition is certainly not limited to a particular region or people; and this, arguably, is what makes Home Ground so compelling and signifi cant, aside from its unveiling in Toronto, a city which has seldom given attention to the contemporary art of the Middle East. “[Home Ground] is one of those great examples,” said Kim, “of

how you can use a collection to truly bring out meaning that will change people’s perceptions about the world, both

past and present.”

HOME GROUND RUNS UNTIL 3 JANUARY 2016. WWW.AGAKHANMUSEUM.ORG

(Above) Rafaat Ishak. Responses to an Immigration Request from One Hundred and Ninety-Four Governments. 2006-2009. Oil and gesso on MDF. 194 panels: 30 x 21 cm each. Courtesy of the artist and Sutton Gallery, Melbourne and the Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah.

(Left) An installation view of Home Ground: Contemporary Art from the Barjeel Foundation.

though undoubtedly signifi cant, have enjoyed lesser fortunes abroad. Reputations, however, are besides the point here; what is important to discern in examining the works is the common thread uniting them: that is, the shared issues of identity, belonging, and displacement — and the Sisyphean struggles associated with them — they all highlight and explore.

Where the artworks are concerned, there is Mohamad-Said Baalbaki’s triptych of ‘heaps’ of suitcases, powerfully depicting the everydayness of upheaval during the Lebanese Civil War, and echoing Ayman Baalbaki’s Destination X installation (not on display). Elsewhere, Youssef Nabil’s You Never Left beautifully captures the emotions inherent in exile, and the plight of starting anew through the artist’s signature romanticism. Occupying a central place within the exhibition space is Dia al-Azzawi’s sculpture of Handala, Naji al-Ali’s popular Arabic caricature, who will supposedly turn around to reveal his face only after the end of the Israeli occupation. Also standing out among the works are Larissa Sansour’s

Manal Al-Dowayan. Suspended Together (Standing Dove, Eating Dove). 2012. Porcelain 20 x 10 x 23 cm each. Image by Niccolò Corradini, Capital D Studio


pon entering into the Maraya Art Center in Sharjah, I am taken aback by fl ashes of light. Did that just happen? And then — there it was again. The perfect meeting between process and result — a photo shoot was taking place in the entrance of the photography exhibition; and although this wasn’t the regular backdrop, it set the stage for the experience I was about to have.

As we walked through the exhibition, Al Attar told me how it was in 2013 that he fi nally started

the project he had been dreaming about for over a year. The artist traveled through the UAE on a quest

to document artists from the present day. Initially meeting his subjects through friends, Al Attar’s network quickly opened up to more and more people. Al Attar enjoyed meeting the individuals who make up the ever growing UAE art community. “I think artists should get together and visit each other’s studios in the UAE to share ideas and discuss different matters that [relate to] their work… sharing experiences is an important thing that I think should be done more between artists here,” he told me. He believes that artists could benefi t more from learning from each other, by collaborating, advising and critiquing one another — “we need this type of discussion,” says Al Attar.

Al Attar photographed his subjects in their favorite places, which included streets, offi ces, studios and even a nomad gallery (where Shamma Al Amri was photographed). “The most interesting part of this project was seeing the artists’ studios,” said Al Attar. He explained the importance of an art studio further to the curator of the exhibition, Alexandra Macgilp, stating that they are “places where you [can] gain more understanding about the work the artists make, from the things that are hanging in their studios such as artifacts, sketches, photographs, unfi nished paintings or works in progress.” Some of the spaces he photographed were luxurious, such as Sheikha Lateefa bint Maktoum’s studio, whereas others looked like workshops, like Abdullah Al Saadi’s space. Usually the studios were exactly what he expected, but not always. For instance, Dr. Najat Makki’s studio is small despite her canvases being so large. Al Attar found this especially inspirational as this “shows how artists work by passion [it doesn’t matter] how big their studios or workplaces are, with passion you can achieve miracles.”

But the most surprising workspaces were those of his friends; he often saw a side of them her never knew existed. For example, Hamdan Al-Shamsi creates nostalgic artworks laced with contemporary calligraphy, yet in his studio he has a brightly colored sofa with fl owers on it. According to Al Attar, many of the artists like to collect items as inspiration or for use at a later time. And these were the studios that Al Attar most enjoyed, the ones that offered a precious look into their artistic process.

Studios, as Al Attar so discovered, are the intimate spaces that

refl ect an artists’ work as well as their personal character. As the setting for creativity is so important, I asked Al Attar about his own space: if he had a photograph on one of the exhibition walls, where would it have been shot? He laughed and said “In a dark room. With a red light. Or on the streets of Satwa like Alia Al-Shamsi or an abandoned area with a lot of history like Jassim Al-Awadi. I would like to be photographed in these types of areas. And a dark room.” And his dream studio would have a collection of materials as well as space for all of his photography tools. When it comes to hoarding creative objects, Al Attar says that for him “collecting photographs is enough… the photo of the artist in their studio is the most collectable item for [him] since it’s like an archive, a moment in history [captured] for future generations.”

Several areas in the exhibition are purposed to give a behind-the-scenes look into the journey of this series, including a collection of tester Polaroid’s, group shots and pictures from behind the photo shoots. In an enclosed room within the gallery space is a black room with a series of images representing the different stages of fi lm development. Al Attar has a love affair with analog cameras and wanted to “show the difference between digital and fi lm.” Al Attar’s face lit up when he showed me a trendy but bulky retro camera from the 1950’s — a premier press camera by Crown Graphic that

USHARJAH, UAE

INDEXING UAE ARTThrough his lens Emirati photographer Ammar Al Attar documents the individuals who make up the UAE art scene. Jessica Milek meets Al Attar at the Maraya Art Centre in Sharjah, the site of his latest exhibition.


he used for many of his photo shoots. He laughed as he told that the fi rst 20 some odd times he used this camera the shots were all red, but with passion and dedication Al Attar learned how to use his nifty camera. Al Attar took an interest in photography at a young age and bought his fi rst camera (3.2 megapixels) with his fi rst salary. But after playing with a plastic fi lm camera, he was hooked on analog. Al Attar prefers shooting with analog because “it’s tangible and a slower process where you have to think before you capture,” it’s a process with more value and lots of choice as “all types of fi lm have a different character.” Art Index 1.0 has the potential to inspire growth within the UAE art community by creating a network between artists who previously didn’t know one another. Al Attar’s work also introduces the art community to the general public and will undoubtedly serve as an important historical archive one day. I got excited when I saw photographs of people I knew and enjoyed learning of individuals I had never met. “Some people who come here say that [the exhibition] is like a family photo album,” he said. But of course, the art scene is vastly growing in the UAE and as such, there are many more individuals to document. Art Index 1.0 could surely grow to include 2.0 and maybe even more. ART INDEX 1.0 RAN UNTIL 29 AUGUST AT MARAYA ART CENTRE. MARAYA.AE

(Left) An installation view of Ammar Al Attar’s black and white photographs.(Above) Cyril Zammit.(Below) Ebtisam Abdulaziz in her studio.(Lower right) Hamdan Al-Shamsi in his studio.



StudioVISIT

“I THINK THE ROLE OF AN ARTIST IS TO CREATE SOMETHING OF SERENITY AND BEAUTY THAT ADDS TO LIFE.”


StudioVISIT

The streets in Hamra are bustling with traffi c, street vendors, full cafés and restaurants. One can really feel Beirut in this area of the city – it’s alive and colorful, boasting a mish mash of cultures, classes, beautiful buildings and ones that are old and worn from years of war. Mona Saudi, an artist I have greatly come to admire since living in the Middle East, stands by the side of the road

beckoning the driver to come hither. Her tone is resolute and her manner determined — much like her sculpture. With an energy that so calmly seems to diffuse the aggressive and vibrant air around us, she guides me to her house. We walk down a little pathway until we reach a small garden. There, amidst trees, shrubs and fl owers are her stone creations. They are interspersed with the natural plants in a way that makes them seem to have been born from the same earth — akin to living creatures themselves and in a place so idyllic and far removed from the street scene I just witnessed. They are found in an array of curvaceous and abstract shapes — one so different from the next in color and form, but all exuding a peace that is so hard to fi nd elsewhere.

We go inside and sit down in a cozy area surrounded by her sculptures and not too far from the garden. She lights a cigarette and we speak. “Since I was a child I have always had this feeling that we belong to this earth and that everything is divine,” she tells me. “I feel that there is spirituality in this earth. Even as a child I would refer to this world as “Mother Earth” and this is why even the fi rst sculpture that I made in stone in 1965 was entitled Mother Earth. Until now, from time to time, I have made new sculptures and given them the same title: Mother Earth.” She points across the room as says, “In 1980, I did that one which is again called Mother Earth. So, I have many “Mother Earths”, but then I work in a material that comes from the earth. When you work in stone all of your life, and this stone comes from a beam in the warmth of the earth, you can feel the endless beauty and colors of this material. You feel it in colors and forms, in hardness and softness. This stone is my friend and it makes my belonging to this earth much deeper.”

I take a sip of my Turkish coffee and Mona tells me how she believes that life and the universe are in perpetual movement. “The universe is a mystery and it is a mystery that will go on forever,” she says. “And we are living in this mystery. I think this mystery of creation enters into art because there is always something mysterious when you behold an art piece. It is the mystery that makes good art. You can fi nd this in ancient Egyptian art, in the smile of the Mona Lisa and also, a bit in my art. This mystery makes art continually a part of the world. An artwork has its own inner life. When I am here I live between my sculptures and I don’t ever

get fed up of looking at them. They talk to me and I always fi nd that there is something mysterious in them.” There is indeed. It is as if her sculptures yearned to say something.

We take a pause and I can hear the honking of fast cars outside. The hot Beirut air makes everything a bit heavier — especially as there is limited air conditioning. It gives a drama and permanence to the surroundings. “This is a silly time we are living in,” she says. “All human beings belong to the earth. It is one earth and we are one people so I hate the idea of factions and frontiers in colors and religions. All of these frontiers are fake. The condition of life for a human being since several thousand years has not changed: we are born, we live, we die, we have pain, we love, we have children and they grow up. What has changed after all of these years is just something superfi cial.”

We hadn’t meant to talk about the wars that are plaguing the region, but it seems inevitable. “I think it’s so absurd!” she says. “And the greatest absurdity in it is that it goes through violence. And through this violence, innocent people, refugees and homes are destroyed. It’s easy to make destruction but diffi cult to build things up again. I lived through the Lebanese Civil War. You can’t compare it with the violence that is taking place today, but since that time I feel that war is like an epidemic. It started very small and it just goes all over. And now the epidemic that is going through our part of the world right now is horrible.”

Our talk turns to peace and art. “My art is always peaceful,” says Mona. “It brings people to a state of serenity. I never go to violence in my art. I think the role of the artist is to create something of serenity and beauty that adds to life. I think life is very valuable.”

Mona’s current project involves the creation of what will become her permanent museum. Located in Mishref, just south of Beirut on a hill, the two-story building looks out to the sea and is surrounded by lots of greenery. “It will be nice to fi nish this project this year,” she says with a smile. “This is my 50th year doing sculpture and I will be 70 in October. But until now, I have this feeling that I haven’t done anything yet. I think there a lot that I have to do and that I haven’t done yet. There is a lot that I would like to do in my sculpture. This is my inner feeling.”

It is time for me to leave. Mona takes me on a tour of her sculptures. The rooms of her house are fi lled with them. They resonate color, form, life and the beauty of Mother Earth. We walk back out into the garden. Her sculptures seem more familiar now — almost alive. It’s as if they, too, want to say goodbye.

(Facing page)Mona Saudi at work. Photography by Ghada El-Hajj.

(This page) Sunset in Pink. 2012. Amman limestone. 25 x 22.5 x 22.5 cm. Courtesy of Lawrie Shabibi and the artist.

Located in the heart of Hamra, Beirut, the studio of renowned sculptor Mona Saudi is an otherworldly space. Rebecca Anne Proctor pays a visit to the sculptress and speaks to her about the universal meaning behind her stone creations.

MONA SAUDI’S SCULPTURE GARDEN


LONDON BURNING: PORTRAITS FROM A CREATIVE CITYPublished and edited by Hossein Amirsadeghi Edited executively by Maryam Eisler. “I behold London; a Human awful wonder of God” – William Blake, quoted by Hossein Amirsadeghi.

The book celebrates London as a globally infl uential creative hub. Author Hossein Amirsadeghi describes the UK’s capital as the “handmaiden to the modern world,” a city that has “spearheaded great movements” throughout history. The city of London has infl uenced the globe for centuries – on everything from fi nance and politics to music and culture. And this book, according to Amirsadeghi “is an attempt to capture moments in the timelessness of history in a city steeped in tradition and culture.” In an effort to document the creative sparks of ingenuity which make London what it is, writer and fi lmmaker Amirsadeghi explores the various creative industries in the city, from media and

performance to architecture and cooking. Through these pages he reviews London’s artistic scene and captures the brilliant minds who keep the city’s creative wheels turning.

People who were interviewed include but are not limited to: Nicholas Serota, Director of Tate art museums and galleries; Alan Yentob, Creative Director of the BBC; director Guy Ritchie; Matthew Slotover, the founder of Frieze Art Fair; groundbreaking chefs Fergus Henderson and Ruthie Rogers; sculptor Antony Gormley; artists Gilbert & George; British Vogue Editor Alexandra Shulman; critic Jackie Wullschlager and conceptual guru Hans Ulrich Obrist.

Beautifully designed and featuring stunning photography by Robin Friend, Andrea Hamilton and Kate Martin, the publication tells the story of the UK’s capital, from its beginnings in creative leadership in the Victorian era to the present. Amirsadeghi believes that London Burning is an important documentation for today as well as tomorrow, as it holds in it the success of a London that may no-longer exist. He is convinced that “London is at the apogee of its cultural fi nancial, artistic and creative state unrivaled since the Edwardian period. What comes tomorrow no one knows, but what is certain is that the city will not be able to maintain this momentum, because in its very success lies the seeds of its own creative downfall.” For instance, London continues to economically succeed. However, this has led to a rise in the cost of living. If this continues it will create a roadblock for new creative talent to prosper.

The project that led to the publishing of London Burning was started three times before the fi nal book came together. The idea behind it was ambitious: how could one book sum up a city’s creative evolution as well as showcase its day-to-day artistic endeavors? This is what Hossein Amirsadeghi has done. Executive Editor Maryam Eisler further describes the venture of this book as being able “[to demonstrate] the continued fi re in the belly of the capital’s artistic ferment across generation and cultural divides, [it explores] the creative [psyches] of some of the principal players while highlighting the ever increasing fl uidity and movement from one creative practice to another.” London Burning is a dynamic archive that takes readers through the artistic landscape of London through historical references and modern interpretations. Co-published by Thames & Hudson and TransGlobe Publishing. Available after October 2015.

tgpublishingltd.com

ARTTALKING

If art could speak what would it say? Jessica Milek surveys the latest tomes

dedicated to Middle Eastern culture and art.

ART OF THE MIDDLE EAST: MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART OF THE ARAB WORLD AND IRANBy Saeb Eigner, foreword by Zaha Handid.

With more than 220 artists included, extended commentary on the artworks, and historical information on the evolution of art in the region, this book is the largest overview of art in the Middle East today. The author Saeb Eigner describes Art of the Middle East as “a tribute to the many artists of the region” which is so important because “it is the perseverance of these artists that has resulted in a greater understanding of the cultural achievements in the Contemporary Middle East and

Arab world.” Middle Eastern art has been said to be hitting a type of Renaissance, and this book that comprehensively

showcases that journey. This explicit guide of Modern and Contemporary art of the Middle East from 1945 to the present day has been revised and expanded for 2015. It now includes additional artists as well an exploration into the effects of the Arab Spring on Contemporary art. A real treasure, this book is a must for any library of Middle Eastern art. Published and available at Merrell Publishers.

Merrellpublishers.com

FICTIONVILLEBy Rokni Haerizadeh.

Known for reworking photographs into creepy and bewitching animations, Rokni Haerizadeh’s first

monograph Fictionville takes a look at four years of artwork that went into creation his series Fictionville.

Also included is commentary on his animation Reign of Winter (made on the occasion of the 2013 Carnegie

International). Fictionville depicts familiar images from the mundane to the violent, many of which are

reinterpreted media photographs. Rokni reworks these scenes by giving his figures anamorphic qualities, which

in turn changes and exemplifies the perceptions of his images. This book includes interviews and discussions

on Rokni’s creative mindset as well as his process. Also included is some of the original content that inspired

the Fictionville series.Published by Koenig Books, available at Isabelle van den

Eynde. Ivde.net Tel: +971 43235052

BookREVIEWS



MONIR SHAHROUDY FARMANFARMAIAN: WORKS ON PAPEREdited by Karen Marta. As a school girl Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian enjoyed sketching flowers and working from postcards, until she discovered the existence of Contemporary art. Farmanfarmaian eventually grew to fame with her Islamic pattern work — brought to life through her drawings and renowned mirror sculptures. Farmanfarmaian’s latest monograph Monir: Works on Paper is the friendly conversation between the art historian, critic and curator Hans Ulrich Obrist and the artist herself, with appearances from guest artists Etel Adnan and Frank Stella. This book creates a warm kinship between the audience and the artist as Monir Shahroudy opens up about her life, her processes and the meanings that are embedded in her artwork. Published by LUMA Foundation, Marta and Cosention, and Koenig Books. Koenigbooks.co.uk

THE KHALEEJI VOICE: ARTISANS OF THE ARABIAN STREET

Written by Quentin de Pimodan, photographed by Melchior de Tinguy. French Writer Quentin de Pimodan and photographer Melchior de Tinguy traveled through the Gulf for one year in a quest to understand the local urban art scenes. Quentin and Melchior spoke with some of the most influential GCC street artists, including: graffiti artists, break dancers, hip-hop artists, and rappers. This one-of-a-kind series covers the struggles, the inspirations and the processes of artists who live and breathe in the ever growing underground Gulf art scene. These books are a testament to the growing urban movement in the

GCC and gives detailed accounts of what it’s like to be a street artist in the region.Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Available at Comptoir 102 in Dubai.

THE SULTAN’S WORLD: THE OTTOMAN ORIENT IN RENAISSANCE ARTBy Robert Born, Michal Dziewulski and Guido Messling. The Ottoman Empire bordered Europe in Poland-Lithuania, Bohemia as well as Hungary. During the Renaissance there were prejudices and conflicts between Europe and the Turkish society of the time; but there was also a deep fascination with Western culture. The Sultan’s World: The Ottoman Orient in Renaissance Art captures 500 years of history, expressed

through artifacts and the artworks that were inspired by the influential relationships between the West and the Ottoman Empire. This educative text was published as an extension to The Sultan’s World exhibition that was held at the unofficial European Union capital at Bozar, Brussels’ Centre for Fine Arts. Deeply analyzing the interrelations of culture through historical and artistic

references, artifacts displayed at the exhibition included weapons, carpets and scientific instruments, as well as artworks by master painters like Giovanni, Bellini, Vittore Carpaccio, Abrecht Dürer, Memling, Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto. The exhibition was created as part of an ongoing project by the EU’s Ottomans & Europeans: Reflecting on Five Centuries of Cultural Relations program, and is now showing at The National Museum in Krakow Poland until 27 September.Published by Hatje Cantz. Hatjecantz.de

UNCOMMON GROUNDS: NEW MEDIA AND CRITICAL PRACTICES IN NORTH AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST

By Anthony Downey. This extensive book offers an academic analysis of the media and its effects on artistic endeavors in the Middle East and North Africa, including the effects of new media as a form of democratic communication and the trend of art being used as a tool for activism. Anthony Downey digs into subjects like: citizen journalism, stereotypes and conflicts in the Arab world, the acceleration of shared information, and much more. With evidence from a broad range of sources, Downey demonstrates that the media is a device which effects reality but does not truly reflect it. This ambitious anthology is an important investigation into a cultural phenomenon that is internationally relevant. Published by I.B Tauris in association with Ibraaz.

Ibtauris.com

EXHIBITI ONISM

Our selection of current and upcoming Middle Eastern art exhibitions worldwide.By Jessica Milek.

WHERE YOU CAN FEAST YOUR EYES THIS FALL.


1971JAMAL TAYARA-BAROUDY: GARDEN AFTERParadise: the ultimate place of serenity that is at once fruitful and bursting with positive energy. The Abrahamic faiths associate this concept with the Garden of Eden, a utopia which has been lost to the world but is prophesied to reappear in the ‘age to come.’ Garden After is Jamal Tayara-Baroudy’s reimagining of this utopia. Fashioned after the Quran’s description, Tayara-Baroudy takes elements from her childhood as well as from Islamic garden architecture and botany to create her personal heaven on earth. The multidisciplinary Lebanese artist creates an atmospheric experience by transforming the gallery space into a canvas. An isolated fountain ripples out waves of motifs across the floor which then expand towards the ceiling like vines climbing a wall. The printed designs are creatively made to look like one large repetitive pattern, but upon closer inspection, leaves can be seen emerging amidst different species of flowers. Colored with only striking black, pure white and vibrant turquoise blue, Tayara-Baroudy’s hallucinatory geometry inspires feelings of vitality and balance.1971, Sharjah UAE. Maraya.ae Tel: +971 65566555. Until 26 September.

(This page) An

installation view of Garden

After.

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Exhibitionism:GCC

AYYAM GALLERYMOHANNAD ORABI: FAMILY PORTRAITMohannad Orabi’s new body of works is a continuation of the artist’s interest in childhood experiences and memories. Family Portrait is a series of mixed-media family images that reflect a time that has now passed. The subjects of his paintings alternate between families and single portraits. Orabi draws attention to his wide-eyed portraits by using a minimally colored background and wide stark brush strokes to emphasize the figures’ features. These images are haunting and intimate, reflective of memories and the importance of the family unit; as the saying goes: ‘blood is thicker than water.’ There is a strong bond between families, and these bonds help shape who we are. This exhibition coincides with the launch of a new monograph on Mohannad Orabi which includes text by Maymanah Farhat, Danna Lorch and Marina Iordon.Ayyam Gallery, Dubai DIFC. Ayyamgallery.com +971 44392395. Until 30 October.

CARBON 12

JAMES CLAR: DOUBLE RAINBOW ALL THE WAYHas technology changed the way we think and perceive reality? Are the boundaries between the digital world and the physical one blurring? These are some of the questions James Clar asks while investigating the influence of technology on our shared consciousness. In 2010, a man known by his screen-name Yosemitebear62, recorded his reaction to a double rainbow during the early hours of the morning. This video quickly became viral for being hilarious and absurd. But to Clar, this situation reflected a society that is attached and endlessly connected to the inter-web, so much so that natural phenomena are apparently being perceived differently. Clar investigates our altered views as a result of the media. Double Rainbow All The Way is a collection of conceptually interesting installations that are created with technological inspirations and scientific means.Carbon 12, Dubai. Carbon12dubai.com Tel: +971 43406016. Until 7 November.

MEEM GALLERYJEFFAR KHALDI: UNINHIBITEDDoes the promise of power through wealth seduce people? Does the promise of sexual gratification in the afterlife motivate ISIS recruits? And does sexuality effect politics? The Palestinian Dubai-based artist Jeffar Khaldi explores the relationship between power and eroticism, and the effects it has on society in his latest exhibition, Uninhibited. Composed of a series of paintings that provokes audiences into contemplating their own views on the subject, by melding dreamy moments, pop culture symbolism and strong realities, Khaldi’s oil paintings are able to transcend through different layers of meaning. Meem Gallery, Dubai. Meemartgallery.com +971 43477883.

Until 17 October.


Exhibitionism:GCC

ATHR GALLERYMEMORY FOR FORGETFULNESSMemory for Forgetfulness is the first exhibition under the Arab Documentary Photography Program (ADPP). The ADPP program supports a select few up-and-coming photographers from the Middle East through financing them and providing extensive education through mentorship and workshops. Memory for Forgetfulness is the first ADPP show, and after a year of hard work, nine artists representing Middle Eastern countries will be showcasing their compelling documentary works. The photographers explore social issues that are relevant to the Arab world, subjects include: the displacement of Syrian refugees, laborer conditions, changing landscapes, hidden subcultures, and violence against women. What they offer are groundbreaking and unconventional perspectives on important subjects. Artists include Amira Al-Sharif (Yemen), Eman Bedir (Egypt), Faisal Al Fouzan (Kuwait), Hamada El Rasam (Egypt), Natalie Naccache (Lebanon), Omar Imam (Syria), Reem Falaknaz (UAE), Samar Hazboun (Palestine), and Zara Samiry (Morocco). The ADPP initiative was launched in 2014 and made possible with support from The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), the Prince Claus Fund (PCF), and Magnum Foundation (MF). Coinciding with the exhibition is the Documentary Photography Outreach program, led by photographer Shahidul Alem, and the director of festival of photography in Asia, Chobi Mela. This program will include a panel discussion, moderated by Oussama Rifahi, Executive Director of the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture.Athr Gallery, Jeddah. Athrart.com Tel: +966 122845009. Until 9 October.

EAST WING

THE OTHER ONE HUNDRED ENTREPENEURSWe have all seen the top 100 lists of the richest and most successful entrepreneurs, but what about the everyday entrepreneurs? The ones that make something out of nothing and keep economies turning. The Other One Hundred Entrepreneurs is a collection of photographs that document the lives of the hardworking people who deserve to be celebrated. The Other Hundred is a project conceived by Chandran Nair, the founder and CEO of the Global Institute for Tomorrow, a Hong Kong-based organization which provides inspirational executive education. The photographs have also been compiled in a book entitled The Other Hundred: Entrepreneurs that tells the stories of everyday people who have struggled and then prospered. The Other Hundred: Entrepreneurs book is available at East Wing.East Wing, Dubai. East-wing.com +97150 553 3879. Until

24 October.

AYYAM GALLERY

NOOR BAHJAT: YOUNG ARTIST IN RESIDENCY GRADUATION CEREMONYSyrian artist Noor Bahjat is Ayyam Gallery’s first graduate of the Young Artist in Residency program and this is her graduation exhibition. Bahjat paints seemingly transformative figures that come to life with wide brush strokes and a play of complimentary color and shadowing. Her figures are full of drama and seem to be expressing their immediate and deepest emotions on the surface of their bodies. While completing her residency at Ayyam Gallery, Bahjat was mentored by the established mixed media painters Tamman Azzam and Mohannad Orabi. During her residency, Bahjat’s expressionist canvases evolved to include collages and a starker contrast of styles — varying from the detailed to the abstract.Ayyam Gallery, Al Quoz. Ayyamgallery.com Tel: +971 43236242. Until 15 September.

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Exhibitionism:GCC

GREEN ART GALLERYELIAS ZAYAT: AFTER THE DULGE

Elias Zayat, known as one of the founders of Contemporary art in Syria, presents a new body of works that are a testament to his ancestors. After the Dulge is a continuation of Zayat’s investigations into the ancient city of Palmyra; also known as Tadmor ‘the town that resisted’ as it managed to thrive alongside the fierce Roman Empire. Zayat draws

from Christian, Byzantine, and Sufi iconography to express the catastrophe of collapsed cities and the peace that eventually proceeds. After the Dulge is a collection of mixed media paintings and works on paper that reference historic

legends, particularly the great flood of the ancients. This exhibition could be regarded as an interpretation of the ISIS-in-Palmyra crisis, or as a response to the civil war in Syria. After the Dulge is a metaphor for destruction and renewal of

civilizations throughout the ages. Green Art Gallery, Dubai. Gagallery.com Tel: +971 43469305. Until 4 November.

ISABELLE VAN DEN EYNDEHALEH REDJAIAN: IT MUST FEEL NICE TO LEAVE NO TRACEHaleh Redjaian redefines abstraction through her meditative grids and geometric patterns. Her detailed and often pastel colored work can be related to the balancing act of organization in life. Redjaian builds on lines and shapes in a way that may at first seem contradictory, by overlapping patterns, textures and angles. But these contrasting elements collectively coexist to create harmonious and illusive pieces. Redjaian uses a similar approach to create her famed textiles. Reflective of traditional Persian carpentry, she appropriates carpets made in Kerman, Iran and stitches striking patterns on top of them. In the It Must Feel Nice to Leave No Trace series, Redjaian further develops her entanglement with this traditional art by attaching thread to nails. Also included in the exhibition is a three-dimensional spatial work inspired by the architecture of the Azadi Tower in Tehran, which was created by stringing vivid red thread across the walls and floors. For Redjaian, geometry is the language of nature and her works reflect the organized chaos that makes up life.Gallery Isabelle van den Eydne, Dubai. IVDE.net Tel: +971 43235052. Until 5 November.

LA FONTAINE CONTEMPORARY ART CENTRESUERAYA SHAHEEN: ENCOUNTERS Born in Beirut, the Syrian-American photographer Sueraya Shaheen grew up in a family where she was often surrounded by muscians, artists and writers. Greatly fascinated by the art world and its creative personalities, Shaheen began her career by photographing American artists before she decided to explore her Middle Eastern roots. She then travelled through the Middle East for four years where she met with numerous artists from the region surveying their work through her photographic lens. Encounters, her current exhibition, is the result of these “encounters.” On display are intimate photographs that capture the personalities and practices of many inspirational artists living in the Middle East.La Fontaine Contemporary Art Centre, Manama, Bahrain.

Lafontaineartcentre.net +973 17230123 Until 30 September.

FIRE STATIONÖZGEÇMIS ÖZKAN ARI: ARTIST IN RESIDENCEAs part of an initiative designed by the Qatar Museums Authority, an old fire station building in Doha has been transformed into a center for artists. This building has assisted the city in dangerous situations and now serves the community by facilitating an artistic and cultural exchange between artists and intellectuals. The Fire Station’s initiative is to house up to 20 artists at a time for a period of up to nine months in an effort to support artists through

learning, collaborating, and creating their artwork. As part of the Qatar-Turkey year of culture, the award winning Turkish artist Özgeçmis Özkan Ari will be completing a month long residency at the Fire Station. Inspired by theology, history and pop culture, Özkan Ari creates fragmented figurative paintings and self-portraitures.Fire Station, Doha. Firestation.org.qa +974 44525555. Until 4 November.

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Exhibitionism:REGIONAL

GALERI ZILBERMANMINOR HEROISMSInspired by Islamic miniatures, this group exhibition draws from the dramatic and often heroic stories of Islamic myth and legend. From life in the Mughal court and the Ottoman Empire to Persian mythology, the stories of Islamic miniatures speak of epic battles, magical worlds, kingship, and the beauty of love. Minor Heroisms is the reimagining of these stories and the recreation of miniatures in a contemporary fashion. This series reinterprets the presentation of heroism, by expressing stories from today’s political events in conjunction with investigations into the historical art of miniatures. While contemplating the small acts, or minor acts of heroism that occur daily, the artists became inspired by a variety of subjects, including: the political events in Turkey, life as an Iraqi refugee, the tensions between good and evil, and the dream of romantic ventures. Artists include: Pakistani’s Imran Qureshi (Pakistan), Aisha Khalid (Pakistan), Femmy Otten (Netherlands), Burcak Bingol (Turkey), Extrastruggle (Turkey), Azade Koker (Turkey), Hafiz Efendi (Turkey) Hayv Kahraman (Iraqi-American). Minor Heroisms is accompanied by a catalogue with text by Hala Auji, Nat Muller and Hammed Nasar.Galeri Zilberman, Istanbul. Galerizilberman.com Tel: +90 2122511214. Until 24 October.

AL MASAR MOHAMMED OMAR KHALIL: THE NILE | A RIVER OF CONTINUES INSPIRATIONThe Nile runs through 11 different countries and is the world’s largest river. As a harbor of life, it has been the focus of mysticism and worship for thousands of years. Mohammed Omar Khalil became inspired by the historical importance of this natural feature, especially in regards to the northern sector of the river which crosses the desert of Sudan and Egypt. Throughout the ages, political borders have changed and social tribulations have occurred, but the Nile has continues to flow. From afar Khalil’s artworks look like elegant tapestries. But when viewed closer, symbolic fragments of multiple eras can be seen fused together. Khalil creates a warmly muted omnipresent atmosphere within his collages by mixing old photographs, modern art, splashes of pop culture and fine prints. The Nile| A River Of Continues Inspiration speaks of timelessness and history. It is reflective of the everlasting nature of the Nile in comparison to the multiple cultures that have lived around it.Al Masar, Egypt. Almasargallery.com Tel: +20 227368537. Until 17 September.

BEIRUT INTERNTIONAL EXHIBTION LEISURE CENTERBEIRUT ART FAIRThe only Middle Eastern art fair dedicated to the MENASA region is back for its 6th edition. This year the Beirut Art Fair will be hosting over 50 galleries and almost 200 artists. As part of Beirut Art Week the fair strives to bridge gaps between cultures and to promote contemporary art from Morocco to Indonesia. And with the establishment of two new museums in Beirut this year — Aishti Foundation and Sursock Museum, Beirut is, without question, succeeding and growing as a nurturing art hub. Events not to miss include the illusory art and science exhibition Virtual/Reality, the photography Byblos Bank Award, the young designers’ collection BLC Bank Design Platform, and the Round Tables discussions about the changing art market. Beirut Art Fair, Beirut International Exhibition Leisure Center. Beirut-art-fair.com. 17 – 20 September.

RAMPAHÜSEYIN BAHRI ALPTEKINHüseyin Bahri Alptekin is known as a renowned Contemporary and multi-talented artist who was among the first generation of Turkish artists who became internationally influential. This exhibition is the first posthumous gallery show of Alptekin’s work. Hüseyin Bahri Alptekin offers a retrospective look at the last 20 years of Alptekin’s artistic career. As Alptekin (1957-2007) once said, through his work he “investigates the beautiful and the vulgar and the relationship between them.” Much of his artwork explored the repercussions of a global market and the representations which conform to our desires and beliefs. As a traveler Alptekin often noticed the effects of capitalism across different geographies. He became intrigued with the differences between that which is spoken and that which is real; for instance: the promises that marketing and advertising speak about versus the reality that is delivered. Alptekin’s oeuvre includes photographs, sculptures, installations, videos and collages. Also on view are selections from Alptekin’s research, including notes and drawings.Rampa, Istanbul. Rampaistanbul.com Tel: +90 2123270800. Until 14 November.

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Exhibitionism:INTERNATIONAL

ALBRIGHT-KNOX GALLERYSCREEN PLAY: LIFE IN AN ANIMATED WORLDThe first exhibition of its kind to demonstrate the permeation of animation and its importance in the 21st century,

Screen Play: Life in an Animated World gives a behind-the-scenes look at the ever growing technology that allows animation to be possible, from stop motion and traditional sketches to virtual reality installations. It has been said that technology is a success when it becomes a part of our daily life, but when this happens it is often overlooked. Screen Play invites onlookers to view this golden Contemporary art form from a new perspective. This extensive exhibition boasts over 50 pieces

of artwork, from more than 30 artists, from almost 20 different nationalities. Keeping up with the times, the catalogue is downloadable as an app and includes clips of the artwork as well as information and technical know-how. The “Screen Play” app is available for free at the Apple App Store and through the Google Play Store. Albright-Knox Gallery, New York. Albrightknox.org Tel: +1716 8828700. Until 13 September.

CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF ARTSHE WHO TELLS A STORY: WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS FROM IRAN AND THE ARAB WORLDShe Who Tells a Story — which is expressed in Arabic as rawiya – speaks of female identity in the Middle East and is told through the eyes of 12 renowned

photographers. This exhibition challenges perspectives on tradition and communicates the effects of social and political upheaval in the Arab world on women. This touring exhibition has been to countless museums since it launched in 2013. When it first opened it was the first exhibition of its kind in the US, and it has been regarded with high acclaim ever since. She Who Tells a Story gives a voice to a minority that is often overlooked, and in doing so opens up a cultural dialogue between the West and the East, as well as within the Middle East. The works on display are expressive of a unique perspective;

told through the eyes of Arab women with distinctly unique styles. Artists include Lalla Essaydi, Jananne Al-Ani, Boushra Almutawakel, Gohar Dashti, Rana El Nemr, Tanya Habjouqa, Shadi Ghadirian, Rula Halawani, Nermine Hammam, Rania Matar, Shirin Neshat, and Newsha Tavakolian.Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh. Cmoa.org Tel: +1412 6223131. Until 28 September.

WHITECHAPEL GALLERYTHE BARJEEL COLLECTIONThis is one of the largest exhibitions of Middle Eastern art to ever be shown in the UK. It includes rarely viewed pieces that have never visited Britain. The Barjeel Collection — founded by Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi and based out of the UAE — boasts one of the largest single collections of Middle Eastern art. This exhibition invites a foreign audience to discover the history of Arab art from the 1900s to today. Split into four chronological categories, it begins by presenting the beginnings of modernism in the Middle East and ends with an exploration of Contemporary art in relation to geographic and cultural diversity. The Barjeel Collection includes some of the biggest names in the Arab art world. Participating artists include Ervand Demirdjian, Dia Azzawi, Kadhim Hayder, Hamed Ewais, Huguette Caland, Marwan Kassab Bachi, Kamal Boullata, Yto Barrada, Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige, Etel Adnan, Iman Issa, Jumana Manna, and Lawrence Abu Hamdan Whitechapel Gallery, London. Whitechapelgallery.org Tel:

+44 1207522 7888. Until 8 January.

THE DALLAS CONTEMPORARYNADIA KAABI-LINKE: WALK THE LINENadia Kaabi-Linke explores the fine lines between the past and the present, hypothesizing that the past is omnipresent. This exhibition encompasses six separate projects which explore the marks left by that which has already happened, like with Impunities — a series of glass scar impressions created by casting the bodies of domestic violence victims, and The Altarpiece, which takes a look at the strife of WWII in Germany and the imprints that have been left on the city. Kaabi-Linke sums up this body of work with her centerpiece Walk the Line, where a string the length of the Texas-Mexican border has been coiled around a spindle. The exhibition is curated by Justine Ludwig, the Director of Exhibitions and Senior Curator of Dallas Contemporary.The Dallas Contemporary, Texas. Dallascontemporary.

org Tel: +1214 8212522. Until 21 December.

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUMPATTERN, COLOR, LIGHT: ARCHITECTURAL ORNAMENT IN THE NEAR EAST (500-1000)Fragments of ornate architecture from the late antiquity and the early Islamic period have been unearthed from the Near East as a result of expeditions in Egypt, Iraq, Syria and Egypt. Several political changes occurred during

these five centuries, including the fall of the Sasanian Empire and the rise of Islam. Despite the sociopolitical changes, intricate patterns, semi-precious plaques and mosaics made from glass continued to be popular for hundreds of years. This exhibition gives us a glimpse into the complicated craftsmanship and the reigning artistry from that era, where pattern, color and light played an important role in architecture. Further research on the topic will be discussed and presented on 15 October in the Conversation with a Curator and Conservator program.The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Metmuseum.org +1 212 535 7710

WHITECHAPELA UTOPIAN STAGE: FESTIVAL OF ARTS SHIRAZ-PERSEPOLISDuring the summers of 1967 to 1977, Iran hosted an international arts and culture festival. Held beside the ancient Persepolis ruins, this festival was a testament to the era influenced by ‘peace and love’ in the Middle East. Alongside dance performances and productions, the festival also brought in musicians from around the world. Performances included traditional sounds from around the region, as well as avant-garde and popular music of the era. During the Iranian revolution the festival came to an end but evidence of its existence can still be found. A Utopian Stage: Festival of Arts Shiraz-Persepolis is the presentation of archives from multiple sources, which includes photographs and videos. Whitechapel Gallery, London. Whitechapelgallery.org Tel: +44 0207522 7888.

Until 4 October.

Experience the world of HARPER’S BAZAAR ARABIA come to life at Mall of the Emirates

SEPTEMBER 15-19

Fashi� & acce� ories

and a c� ecti� of sh� s

Beauty & wel ne�

Plus an exclusive exhibiti�

Harpersbazaararabia.com⁄houseofbazaar


INSTAGRAMArt

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Tag your art fi nds with #ARTMYCITY and follow us @HarpersBazaarArt

Use #HARPERSBAZAARARABIA and your Instagram picture might make it into next month’s edit

ART EATS

Enticing snaps of restaurants that fl aunt their style through art.

Left: @lacantinedubai Graffi ti art at La Cantine du Faubourg Dubai by French artist Kokian.

Below: @cars_me Artworks on display at Coya Dubai in collaboration with Artspace Dubai and Oceansole.

Above: @olivia.marial snaps a shot of bullet

artwork on the wall of Villa Clara Beirut.

Left: @savannahqart A work by Savannah Quercy hangs on the wall of La Serre Dubai.

Below: @sj.che Diners pose in front of eL Seed’s calligraffi ti mural at Omnia by Silvena in Downtown Dubai.

Above: @tala.alrashed admires the magnifi cent paper art installation by Elonah O’Neil Reid from Studio Meer in South Africa hanging from the cieling of Tashas at The Galleria.

Left: @ahmad_abi stands in front of Ruben Sanchez’s mural at Salero Tapas & Bodega at Kempinski Hotel in Mall of the Emirates.

Below: @editionhotels A multitude of artworks hang on the walls of Berners Tavern at the London Edition Hotel.


FLASH

Philippe Cope, Jessica Sbarsky and Development Director of Almacantar, Kathrin Hersel.

Guests pose at the party.

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The swimming pool at the Hotel

Americano’s rooftop bar.

Sean Zepps with actress Crosby Fitzgerald. A guest with Ray Smith.

Harper’s Bazaar Art Editor-in-Chief, Rebecca Anne Proctor.

A dancer poses at the event.

NEW YORK

CENTERPOINT LONDON

On 15 May, on the rooftop bar of the Hotel Americano in Chelsea, New York, Almacantar in

partnership with Harper’s Bazaar Art, hosted an event in celebration of Brooklyn-based artist Julian Rapp’s

collaboration with Centerpoint London, a reinvention of the iconic 1960’s pop art and modern architectural

building in London.

Artist Julian Rapp.

FLASH

ART INSTAGRAM


Oslo With its relaxed attitude, Scandinavian egalitarianism and its oil wealth, Norway’s art scene has all the ingredients to make it hopping. And with Emirates’ new direct fl ight to Oslo, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t check it out, too.

t’s August 2013 and performance artist Marina AbramoviĆ screams. She’s soon joined by a chorus of screams from a fl ash mob she brought together on a hill in Oslo’s Ekeberg Park. The performance, which was so loud the police were called, was a tribute to Edvard Munch’s The Scream, which was painted in that same spot.Norway has always been known for its artistic greats and AbramoviĆ certainly knew how to celebrate Munch in particular. But now, the country doesn’t need to just pay tribute to artists of the past but also those of the present. And there are many. A host of improvisational galleries, supportive non-profi t spaces, and glossy new museums are opening up for art lovers regionally and internationally. After years of just making due with the legacies of artists such as Munch and Ibsen, the country is very much undergoing a newfound cultural Renaissance. Here are our not-to-miss art picks in Oslo.I ...On Emirates. The airline

now offers daily fl ights to Oslo. Visit www.

emirates.com for more information.

FLY THERE

Astrup Fearnley MuseumDesigned by Renzo Piano, this contemporary art museum is the place to go for works by international art stars such as Jeff Koons, Matthew Barney and Damien Hirst. afmuseet.no

Grünerløkka When visiting Oslo, make sure to check out Grünerløkka. Having undergone gentrifi cation, Grünerløkka transformed from an industrial district to one of the trendiest and artistic locations in Oslo. The area is fi lled with a mixture of industrial buildings, fashionable boutiques and cafes, as well as contemporary art galleries. Out of the handful of galleries located there make sure not to miss TM51 and Kunstplass 5. TM51 was founded in 2011 with the vision of enhancing cultural life in Oslo. The artwork does not shy away from the unconventional and often represents controversial political viewpoints. Also established in 2011, Kunstplass 5, a non-profi t gallery features a range of mediums from paintings to video art, as well as organizes performance events and talks from artists.

Pink CubeThis cool space is located on the second fl oor of Grønland building and focuses on female artists. pinkcube.no

StandardOslo’s blue-chip art gallery, visit this sleek space to see big art with a big price

tag amidst a dapper crowd. standardoslo.no

The National GalleryHop over to the National Gallery, which has the largest public collection of artworks in Norway. Munch’s The Scream, and Manet’s Madonna are both housed there. The National Gallery focuses on Norwegian art from the romantic period to the 1900s, as well as the works of international painters and sculptors, such as the French impressionists.

Galleri KThis contemporary art gallery exhibits work by

international and Norwegian artists such as Kira Wagner and German photographer Thomas Struth,

among others. gallerik.com

ESCAPEArt


Last LOOK

I


MEDIA AND MICROPHONES

For artist Adel Abidin the media is “a composition that is both pretty and dangerous.” Jessica Milek speaks with Abidin about his painted microphones, manipulation and the

meaning of mediatized reality.

raqi Helsinki-based artist Abidin believes that by looking at the world through different angles, new levels of awareness and understanding can be achieved. “When you pay attention you always see something else… when you zoom in on an [object] you can see new relationships,” he tells me on the phone. “When you go deep, small concepts open up for you.” The artist’s latest thought-provoking series Immortals emphasizes exactly this and much more as he explained to me on the phone. According to Abidin, there is a process for artistic awareness and also for artistic manipulation.

Abidin is painting for the fi rst time in 13 years. Conditioned we are to expect installation and video work from artist, who has hitherto become known for his Conceptual oeuvre, in Immortals we’ll be introduced to another Abidin: Abidin the painter. Colorful and large-scale oil paintings, as well as a site-specifi c wall painting, will be displayed at Lawrie Shabibi turning the gallery space into a vibrant array of canvases layered in paint. In these works Abidin zooms in on the tools that the media uses for interviews and presents them in monumental sizes — with no fi gures in sight. He paints an array of microphones that are representative of Arab news stations that signify the media’s sway on the public. Microphones convey the messages that fl ood the media, “they are like lollipops – brightly colored and seductive,” he says.

When asked about reverting back to painting, Abidin tells me that his has enjoyed it. However, “it’s a slower process [and] there’s more thinking.” Abidin believes that “perceptions change over time [and] truth is based on many surfaces. Every step, you see it differently.” The layering of paint is like a metaphor for viewing a concept differently over time. Abidin didn’t want to “imitate reality” by using audio and visual means, rather, he wanted to put a different perspective on the way new mediums are used by going back to oil painting. Like his previous works, the works in Immortals incorporate opposing ideas as well as a different visual angle to better convey varying perspectives on a cultural and political issue.

Abidin explains that his latest body of works is an expression of the audio-visual rouse that takes place in media. The artist was in Oman, watching the news on the television when footage of a man speaking at a press conference came on screen. “Someone was saying a speech that was

[outrageous and] absurd,” he said. “[Also] there were so many microphones you couldn’t even see his face — it was all microphones! With that many microphones, how many channels were waiting to transfer this unsophisticated brainwashing?” The media is often used in the Arab world to propagate ideologies, like for instance, using the belief of immortality for critical sociopolitical gain. Abidin asked himself: “how is this manipulation happening?” His answer is microphones — [they] are the fi rst component of manipulation. It is where the message starts.”

Communication theory says that there is always a sender and a receiver, but the medium that shares the message can be expressive as well.

Moreover, Abidin sees the media as a “composition [that] is pretty and dangerous.” Many believe what they hear in the media because of the medium that the message is being delivered through. Abidin emphasizes this in his artwork. He believes that “the message is not the point. How it is delivered is.”

If we truly are a product of our surroundings, then the context in which we experience things needs to be perceived through the lens of our senses as well as our thoughts. Sometimes, if we don’t look closely enough, manipulation can happen. Abidin believes that “manipulation is the most dangerous tool”; this belief is also refl ected in the artist’s previous exhibitions Symphony and Three

Love Songs. Abidin zooms in on the relationships that he believes are creating dangerous effects on those who seem to only glance instead of look with a keen eye at what is going on around them.

We end our conversation on an inspirational note. “It is not technique that matters as much as how you argue the concept,” says Abidin. “Good art is when you are having fun and you are balanced. If you’re calculating like a machine the art will be bad. But if you are interested and laughing, [as well as having a good time when you’re make it] then the art will be good.” Although Abidin creates artwork that is meant to foster discussion, he doesn’t think about igniting debate when he creates; he rather immerses himself in the expression of his ideas. Art is a personal endeavor between the artist and their tools and according to Abidin, the more an artist is able to let go and feel, the better they will be able to express. And in so doing, he let’s his painted microphones speak.

IMMORTALS IS ON VIEW UNTIL 5 NOVEMBER AT LAWRIE SHABIBI, DUBAI. LAWRIESHABIBI.COM

Adel Abidin in front of his artwork. Left: Propos. 2015. Right: A Platform. 2015. Oil on

canvas. Both: 220 x 165 cm. Photography by Pekka Niittyvirta. Courtesy of Lawrie Shabibi.

İstiklal Cad. Mısır Apt. No:163, K.2 & 3, D.5 & 10, 34433 Beyoğlu–İstanbul, Turkey t: +90 212 251 1214 f: +90 212 251 4288 galerizilberman.com

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VIENNACONTEMPORARY24-27 September 2015

Booth: B05

ARTINTERNATIONAL4-6 September 2015

Booth: C14

MINOR HEROISMSCurator: NAT MULLER

02 SEPTEMBER–24 OCTOBER 2015

BURÇAK BİNGÖL

EXTRASTRUGGLE

HAYV KAHRAMAN

AISHA KHALID

AZADE KÖKER

FEMMY OTTEN

IMRAN QURESHI

Harpers Bazaar Art - November-December 2015

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