artBahrain.org

ABU DHABI. ON THE occasion of the Emirati-Swiss Friendship Forum, under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Khalifa al Nahyan, Advisor to the UAE President and H.E. Pascal Couchepin, Former Swiss President, in Lausanne on 22^nd and 23^rd June, the United Arab Emirates presented three cultural highlights, an art exhibition with four distinguished young Emirati artists, the photo exhibition about Late Sheikh Zayed in Switzerland, and the fashion show by Mona Al Mansouri.

Swiss Art Gate UAE had the pleasure to announce the organization of the art and culture events with Emirati artists in Lausanne, Switzerland. For its first time Swiss Art Gate UAE is organizing an Emirati rich cultural event abroad.

The art exhibition “Colors of the Emirates” is a selection of four young emerging artists from the United Arab Emirates, each represented with three artworks, supported by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development of the United Arab Emirates, and in co-operation with the Emirates Fine Arts Society. The exhibition “Colors of the Emirates” was inaugurated on 23 June, in the Hotel Beau Rivage, Lausanne, in the presence of the artists, Muna Abdulqader Al Ali and Nasir Nasrallah, and dignities from the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland. The following artists' works are now on show in Montreux until 10 July:

Dubai born artist Muna Abdulqader Al Ali’s work tackles some pertinent local issues such as urban development, consumerism and the changing ethnic fabric of UAE society. Her work is a complete translation of her emotions regarding matters that influence and drive her; enriching and indulging to all spectators. Most of Mona’s paintings are colorful impressions of still life. Other paintings have crowded impressions of colors and thoughts, creating Mona Abdulqader’s colorful, bright and lively style.

Nasir Nasrallah’s artwork is the experimentation with and the mixing of materials, be them physical materials or ideas and theorems. His paintings are the product of the components that an artist feels the need to use with the ideas he carries within that can be received by the open-minded viewer. Nasir Nasrallah says about his work of art:”I believe that my work is differentiated by the variety of the components I use, from consumer items, to buttons, paper, wood, and even small pieces of hardware. I can go as far as to say that, noticeably, my art pieces are exclusively a form of intellectual recycling of industrial, consumerist components into a work of art that uniquely stands out from the norm.”

Artist Khalid Al Banna works in collage using fabric. He attempts to employ local culture with all its significance and artistic heritage in a work of art, delivering certain concepts and ideas to the viewer that the materials used can be reshaped and reused within different contexts. “These works are also an attempt to discuss the issue of identity through the use of local fabrics as a symbol of the nation’s culture. Using this local fabric reinforces the traditional local culture with all the creative cultures and identities in the UAE society through an artistic medium. This reaffirms local culture as eternal regardless of the cultural influences present in society,” Khalid Al Banna said in an interview.

Dubai born Ahmed Sharif helds a Bachelor of Economics of The United Arab Emirates University. He is a member of the board at the Emirates Fine Arts Society. Sharif participated in many exhibitions and art festivals since 1993 in the Middle-East, in Europe and Australia. About his recent work he said:” The most noticeable points in my work are the white spaces, the simple formation and spontaneous designs, which represent my visual and intellectual store. Yet my works are pure reflection of my memory store.”