Breathing room for the spirit-Sotheby’s hosts ‘Three Generations’ Monday 22nd of july 2013, Sothebys Bond street

Certainly global trade, influence and collaboration might typify the past fifteen years in future history books. ‘Adapt or die’ is another adage of both contemporary business and the art world. Artists clearly understand how revisionisms, creating palimpsests, appropriation and representation are common threads within the human experience.

Disrupting narratives and deconstruction mean there are no limits regarding interpretation. This is evident in the new exhibition of art from the United Arab Emirates hosted at Sotheby’s London. Perhaps this may not fit basic assumptions of this seemingly traditional auction house but even here you will find difference in this exciting show.

Some may be unaware that Sotheby’s opened an Abu Dhabi office. Therefore it should come as no surprise their latest exhibition showcases 12 works by emerging artists from the UAE. 

Robin Woodhead, Executive Vice President & Chairman of Sotheby’s stated the UAE ‘has distinguished itself as a growing force on the international scene…with one of the most ambitious cultural programmes.’ 

It is obvious the Arab world is constantly developing and this is a pertinent time for the UK to experience that transition first hand.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said: ‘The visual arts has the power to transcend borders and boundaries. It ignites the imagination and encourages the pursuit of knowledge.’

Certainly, the artists participating in the ‘ThreeGenerations’ exhibition in Bond Street, reflect a spirit of innovation rooted in the desert landscapes of Al Dhafra [the Western Region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi]. Their creations are infused with the cultural heritage they have inherited. 

However, there is an urgency and revisionist aesthetic at work which brings excitement and a definite pushing of boundaries and expectation.

The Three Generations exhibition gives London the opportunity to see what is happening in the UAE and contemplate its past, present and future. What it does do is suggest the visual art sector is flourishing. Creative expression, drawing on tradition as well as breaking new ground thrives. These works are not an attempt at creating a narrative. What they do is showcase the extent of the creative expression evident in the UAE right now.

What is art?

Mohammed Al Astad Al Hammadi for example explores what traditional Emirati society is based upon then takes these core elements and transforms them. This is achieved by prompting both an emotion and the notion of collective cultural memory. He uses organic processes juxtaposed with notions of value and ownership. His work Midnight, demonstrates the impact of nature as iron is buried alongside a canvas. It is left for a couple of weeks. The natural oxidisation processes create abstraction and so each canvas is unique. It is an amalgam of artistic intention and natural process. It explores the notion: what is art? The work also asks what is its own aesthetic value?


Al Hammadi does this while also offering commentaries and juxtapositions. What is the dynamic between death and energy, difference and decay? It is also tangible proof, if you like, that rust never sleeps.Najat Makki on the other hand has used her travels to offer another perspective and illustrate the clash between traditional notions of gender and contemporary international feminist perspectives. ‘Untitled’ uses colour to intensify the metaphor of the female experience rooted in tradition, expectation, belief and culture. 

Although the UK may not have experienced the work of these artists they have an international reputation and represent an artistic aesthetic which began many years back. These artists are simply the next generation. This exhibition illustrates the tension between concealment and revelation, modernity and history, cutting edge and tradition which typifies this region of the world.

Sumayyah Al Suwaidi’s work for example challenges expectation by digitally transforming the mundane and infusing an image with an emotion. She has been exhibiting since 2003 and winner of L’OFFICIEL Arab Women Award 2010 for best new talent, Emirates Woman Achievers Award 2011 and Emirates Woman of the Year 2011.All twelve artists represent a new aesthetic. Traditions are filtered through the experience of these practitioners who explore the role of the imagination which challenges perception. As artists JalalLuqman says:

“I wanted to present an Arabised version, digitally repainted”

                              

A 1000 cocktail sticks you should see, before you die! : Lahd Gallery visits the Tara Donovan exhibition at Louisiana Gallery, Denmark.

Perhaps you may not associate Denmark with cutting edge contemporary art. Yet if anyone has read Patricia Shultz’s book, ‘1000 places to see before you die’ you will already know the LouisianaMuseum of Modern Art epitomises the Danish perspective on modern and contemporary art and is a must see in itself. In fact, as a location, the Louisiana is the 85th most visited gallery in the world and having now visited we can see why.


On the shore of the Øresund Sound in Humlebæk, 35 km (22 mi) north of Copenhagen, Denmark we pitched up, ostensibly to see the exhibition of renowned American artist, Tara Donovan . But the Louisiana itself is a pertinent juxtaposition of the colonial façade and a bright minimal space within. These clean lines actually do justice to an artist who likes to approach her work in terms of science and experiment.


Donovan is an experimental alchemist.


Donovan has been quoted as saying she is ‘an alchemist’ who strives to transcend materials. This is evident throughout this first European exhibition of her work spanning the years 2004-2012. We were so impressed by the clarity of her vision even though, ironically, she does her best to make her chosen materials almost disappear.


This is an exploitation of low profile materials.


What fascinates the viewer is the use, of what Donavan terms, ‘low profile materials’. She exploits the anonymity of easily accessible mass produced objects such as cocktail sticks or plastics and revels in the idea these chosen materials possess little identifying colour. Compare this to the vibrant use of coloured plastic by Tony Cragg in the 1980s or the early highly pigmented sculptures of Anish Kapoor , for example. It marks a definite aesthetic shift.


An architect, scientist and clinical aesthete.


Her work appears clinical but what gives these unassuming shapes their potent sense of drama are the translucent or light-reflective qualities which are activated by body movement as a viewer passes. The beauty of these sculptures is actually inherent in the magical transformation from unremarkable piece, into stunning form. Certainly Donavan is both architect and scientist and takes location as a malleable aspect of the whole sculptural experience.


Donovan’s work is not a polemic on the mass-produced, or even the environment.


No preparatory drawings are made. Donovan feels the sculptures are like drawings in themselves. She is adamant her practice does not mimic nature itself but the ways of nature. As a sculptor she is keen not to be pigeon-holed. Her work is not a polemic regarding the mass produced, or even its counterpart, the environment. The sculptures are very obviously about form but their minimalist structure, bland colours and lack of titles allow viewers to bring their own intentions and experiences with them. In this instance the beauty and intensity of the Louisiana country house, the water and the sculpture gardens inform these installations too. It was a heady combination.


From the microscopic to massive organic structures


Of particular fascination to us were ‘Mylar & hot glue’ a sculpture created by rolling up sheets of Mylar to form cones. These small units are then glued together to create more dramatic molecular structures. The second installation we found compelling was constructed with long cocktail sticks of some kind, which together look like iron filings or a mineral such as porcupine quartz or even ice crystals. Donovan focuses in on the microscopic as well as panning out with a director’s eye, to give us clinical yet organic sculptures, another oxymoron, that surprisingly emanates an intensity which defies attempts at anonymity.
A visit to both this exhibition and the Louisiana is a profound experience and is highly recommended by Lahd Gallery, London.

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The exhibition at Louisiana has been created in collaboration with the Arp Museum, Bahnhof Rolandseck. A catalogue is available in English and German with preface by Oliver Kornhoff, director of the Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck and Poul Erik Tøjner, Louisiana’s director. Also included is an interview with Tara Donovan by Jutta Mattern, curator at the Arp Museum, and Mette Marcus, curator at Louisiana, and an essay by Marietta Franke.


http://www.louisiana.dk/uk/Menu/Exhibitions

The exhibition is part of the exhibition series LOUISIANA CONTEMPORARY.

Shubbak- A window on contemporary Arab culture Monday 24 June 2013, Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington, London SW7 2RL

“Shubbak is a revelation of the solid bond between London and the Arab world”.

Lahd Gallery was delighted to contribute and celebrate the launch of Shubbak 2013, showcasing over 70 events in more than 30 venues throughout the city from the 4th – 24^th of July 2013.

The wide-ranging programmes offered by the Shubbak festival include the visual arts, film, music, theatre, dance, literature, architecture, lectures and dynamic talks. Unquestionably one of the most electrifying events this summer!

Shubbak features works by contemporary Arab artists, writers, filmmakers, musicians, choreographers and architects.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson and Omar Al Qattan, Shubbak Festival’s Chairman and organiser were among the main speakers of that startling opening evening.

The Mayor of London with an exceptional humour declared that he was ‘very proud to be hailed I think as the "Mayor of the eigth Emirate’ referring to London’s popularity at this time of year.

He also spoke frankly about being a ‘proud possessor of a Muslim Great Grandfather - who would frankly be astonished that his great grandson became the mayor of London’

The evening went on with a magical oriental atmosphere, delicious food, exotic drinks and guests from all over the world celebrating the weeks to come of Arabic festivities.

For more information on the next events visit http://shubbak.co.uk/