Passion for Art
March
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March2011
...where unseen masterpieces is just a click away!
artBahrain Online Gallery
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Antonia Carver
Photo by Richard Allenby Pratt
What makes Art Dubai different from Art Basel or the Armory Show?
It’s a very different kind of event: there’s perhaps no other fair quite as global as Art Dubai. In 2011, we have 81 galleries from 34 countries, showing around 500 artists. Not only that, but the visitors - and in 2010, they were over 18,000 - are made up of around 200 different nationalities. The projects programme is something very particular to Art Dubai: we commission artists to create new, interactive works that play with the format and fabric of the fair, while engaging audiences - for example through performative artists’ tours through the gallery halls - this year by Abhishek Hazra and Malak Helmy. This year, we’re aiming to develop the fair as a site of collaboration - hence, the Global Art Forum, the four-day discussion event that runs alongside the fair, is for the first time a collaboration between Art Dubai, the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, the Bahrain Ministry of Culture and Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage. Sheikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, Bahrain Ministry of Culture, will be leading a presentation at Art Dubai that gives an overview of Bahrain’s cultural plans.
Why do you think the interest in art and design has grown so greatly in the Gulf over the past decade?
Through the efforts of individuals, artists, patrons and galleries, working so hard to establish arts scenes that are indigenous to each place. It’s hard to generalize about the Gulf, but the fundamental change has been the internationalization and consolidation of these various scenes - even the birth of the idea of a single “Middle East art”. Dubai has emerged as the commercial hub, the meeting point, and home to many artists as well as the galleries, and the international gateway for the burgeoning Iranian art scene, and to some extent South Asia. In Bahrain, it seems that there are fantastic patrons, academics, galleries such as Albareh (who participate in Art Dubai) and arts spaces such as Al Riwaq, recognized as one of the key independent spaces in the region today, and who have been quietly transforming things in the Gulf for years before the international world took notice.
Does the root of this new interest lead back to one act or event?
Not one event but several - and a mix of commercial and non-commercial, which created something of a perfect storm. Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi remodelled the Sharjah Biennial in 2003 into an international event, and it’s now one of the most dynamic of biennials. Christie’s recognized the internationalization of the market and launched in Dubai in 2006. The first Art Dubai (then Gulf Art Fair) launched in 2007. Bahrain won the Golden Lion at the Venice Architecture Biennial in 2010. Doha is now firmly on the map as a place of great patronage, with world-class museums. But really all this was down to the dynamism and tenacity of a group of individuals who were determined to build something in the region, for the region. Nowadays, we are seeing an extraordinary level of international interest in the artists and galleries of the region, and the growth of a level of homegrown support for cultural projects that hasn’t been seen in hundreds of years in the Arab world.
What role has Art Dubai played in this renewal?
Art Dubai both reflects the dynamism in the region and is a catalyst in it. We’re about to go into the 5th edition of the fair: back in 2007, the leading gallery of the GCC, The Third Line, had very recently established its gallery in Al Quoz, the industrial district in Dubai, and was one of a handful of recognized galleries. Now there are over 40 galleries, and - despite the global economic crisis of the past two years - we’ve seen two phenomenal arts centres (The Pavilion and Traffic) open in recent months, and another two commercial galleries will open for Art Dubai (Lawrie Shabibi and Etemad). More importantly, we’ve seen an audience grow, organically, in the Gulf, particularly Dubai. There are exhibition openings, art clubs, talks and events happening all the time, and they are also so packed. People are thirsty to learn, debate and share ideas - and this points to the potential in the region.
How is the fair different this year?
We aim for Art Dubai to be a fair of discovery - for the huge number of international collectors, curators, artists, gallerists and museum groups that attend each year aiming to catch up on all that’s happening in the Middle East and South Asia, and also for those based in the region to engage with the most dynamic of international galleries. This year we’re delighted to be welcoming to the Middle East a set of very serious, curatorially-led galleries from Europe and America for the first time - these include Goodman Gallery (South Africa), Pilar Corrias (London), Marianne Boesky (New York), Rodeo (Istanbul), Johann Konig (Berlin), Balice Hertling (Paris), and many more.
The fair is, year on year, becoming recognized as a fair with a fantastic talks programme, and an innovative approach to commissioning artists’ projects - we’ve developed this further, along with curatorial partners such as Bidoun Projects and The Island, commissioning artists to make works that engage with the economy, format and fabric of the fair. These include performative tours of the fair, film and video projects, radio dispatches and installations that really draw in audiences and engage them in debate.
And this year sees the launch of Art Week, an umbrella initiative designed to showcase and highlight the festivals, fairs, exhibitions, and arts events - as well as the Sharjah Biennial -- going on in the UAE and Qatar during the week in March. The development of the arts scene in the Gulf over the past decade is one of the great organic success stories of the region, yet it’s rarely trumpeted.
And another initiative is the Forum Fellows, the six exceptional young curators, artists and arts administrators who we’ve invited to the fair from cities in Asia and the Middle East to experience all the talks, projects, everything going on, and to pool ideas for the future of the region. They were nominated by well-known curators in those cities and then selected by a committee. Over time, as we add six more practitioners each year, the alumni will form something of a think tank for the region.
What are some of the standout works that will be featured in the exhibitor’s booths?
A collaboration between Chatterjee and Lal and Chemould Prescott Road, two of the most renowned of Indian galleries, have a solo booth of works by Rashid Rana, who just had a hugely prestigious exhibition at the Musee Guimet, Paris. Shirana Shahbazi, the renowned Iranian artist based in Berlin, has a solo show with Italian gallery Cardi Black Box. Marianne Boesky is showing Yoshimoto Nara and beautiful sculptures by Diana Hadid. Salwa Zeidan from Abu Dhabi has new work by the UAE master Hassan Sharif. Goodman is presenting a booth together with Austrian master-gallery Krinzinger, and showing William Kentridge among other African and international artists. Rodeo from Istanbul and Balice Hertling from Paris are two of the hottest international galleries right now: both have planned phenomenal booths. There are too many to mention!
Although you’ll probably catch them all, which talks at the Global Art Forum do you definitely not want to miss?
I hope to catch them all. The Forum opens at Mathaf in Doha with a keynote speech by Chris Dercon, who a week after Art Dubai, starts as director of Tate Modern - this is a very timely speech on how audiences have changed in the art world - something the international arts community will be fascinated to hear. The Forum in Dubai includes sessions on how magazines brokered the relationship between fashion and art, and then a whole afternoon of short speeches on Friday March 18 from curators, critics and artists, on how the role of the artist has changed.
The Radio Project, with 60 five-minute audio works by artists working across the MENASA region, sounds fascinating. How did the idea originate and what does it add to the texture and reach of the fair?
I can’t wait for this project. The Studio Dispatches is an idea put together by London-based curators The Island, working with Art On Air. They asked some artists in the UK and elsewhere to record 5-minute dispatches from their studios. We came across the project and loved it, and together, came up with the idea of doing a version for artists from the Middle East and South Asia. We asked 60 artists thinking lots would say no, or forget, but they all agreed, and now we have this phenomenal bank of artists’ sound projects. These can vary from documentary-style recordings about what the artist is making, to the sounds that influence them, to the music they listen to while working. It provides an incredible background to the artists’ work and how artists work in general. We’ll have the recordings on ipod listening stations at the fair, and play them out on Dubai Eye 103.8, and Art On Air’s online station.
The Bidoun Library, which has been gathering a lot of international attention, is one of the features of the New Works program. What will be presented and how does the viewer interact with it?
The Bidoun Library is a collection of over 1000 books and artists’ books, collected by the Middle East arts organization Bidoun. At Art Dubai they’ll be creating a new section, titled The Natural Order, of books, magazines, pamphlets and other material on the Gulf from the 1950s onwards. It’ll be available for browsing, in the main foyer of the fair, and they are also doing talks on the selection, and on their work with this archive.
The concept of the DXB store also looks appealing. What is the DXB store and what will it be offering?
The DXB Store is a new project, launched at the fair this year. It’s a platform for UAE-based artists and designers. A not-for-profit venture, the space highlights the explosion of creativity in the UAE, and stocks limited edition works by artists and designer-makers for sale at Art Dubai - most are making new works for this occasion -- including newly commissioned objects (furniture, stationary, clothing, objects, art pieces) as well as existing ranges, most unavailable commercially. After the fair, we plan to continue the platform through a series of pop-up stores located at art galleries and arts institutions in the UAE. The store is co-designed by professors and students at the American University of Sharjah and features a recycled, highly contemporary architecture/design. The project includes around 15 well-known as well as upcoming designers and artists, and is the only existing programme of its kind in the Gulf. It’s our novel answer to the kind of very innovative museum and design shops that you can sometimes find elsewhere.
How will Art Dubai Live, an online platform for the fair, function and when will it go live?
It will go live right after the fair ends, or as it closes, and is a way of virtually exploring the fair, the galleries, and the works at the fair - for both those who attended, to do further research, and those that couldn’t make it, to learn more about the work. A series of films and videos across an exploratory platform, this is an exciting move for us - something we see as a support for the galleries and our partners. We don’t believe you can ever replace the experience of being in a room with art, but the internet can definitely help break down those boundaries of geography and time.
If you had to sum up the reasons why art lovers from Bahrain or any other part of the world should come to Art Dubai 2011, what would they be?
There is no other arts gathering like this in the GCC: it’s a platform for all, and for the first time, Bahrain is joining forces with us to promote everything going on in the Gulf to a regional and international audience. Not only will you see and experience a fantastic range of art, projects, talks and debate, but you’ll be a part of a growing community, and a point at which the arts scenes of the GCC and MENASA meet the world. This year marks the fifth Art Dubai and the tenth Sharjah Biennial - it’s a cultural spring to be celebrated.
Art Dubai takes place at the Madinat Arena, part of the beachside resort Madinat Jumeirah March 16-19. Global Art Forum_5 starts in Doha at the newly opened Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art on March 14 and moves to Dubai on March 16 and continues through March 18. The Sharjah Biennial, which we discuss in depth in our April issue, runs from March 16 to May 16, 2011.
Antonia Carver
Art Dubai:
60 Minutes with
Excitement is growing in the art world, and especially around the Gulf, for the fifth edition of Art Dubai, which this year coincides with the inspiring Global Art Forum and sensational Sharjah Biennial-making the fair, forum, biennial and related events irresistible for art lovers across the region and beyond. This year’s fair is more expansive than ever, with an amazing array of dynamic art to entice the eye and timely cultural discussions to engage the mind.
On the brink of the fair’s commencement, Art Bahrain contributing editor Paul Laster caught up with Art Dubai fair director Antonia Carver to talk about this year’s exhibitors, programmes, projects and innovations.
Bidoun Projects is the not-for-profit curatorial wing of Bidoun magazine, and is dedicated to supporting and commissioning contemporary artists from the Middle East and organising lectures, exhibitions and educational events in the UAE and the region.
The Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy is one of the UAE’s foremost philanthropic organizations. It offers financial and technical support to innovative projects in the areas of youth development, knowledge creation and society and culture throughout the UAE.
The Dubai Culture & Arts Authority is dedicated to strengthening the Emirate’s heritage, culture and the arts. Fostering global dialogue, facilitating robust platforms for cultural initiatives and nurturing talent, the Authority positions Dubai as vibrant global destination for culture and the arts.
The Island is a UK-based non-profit organisation which develops curatorial projects, including exhibitions, new commissions and radio programmes, in dialogue with international counterparts.
Based in London, the Delfina Foundation facilitates artistic exchange via an interrelated programme of artistic residencies and public platforms in the UK, the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. The “Delfina” brand has an unprecedented 20-year-old record in the international
arts world for nurturing and supporting the professional development of artists, curators and writers through innovative partnerships.
Established in January 2008 by Lateefa bint Maktoum, Tashkeel is an independent resource for artists and designers, and is committed to facilitating art and design practice, cross-cultural dialogue and creative exchange.
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations, working in over 100 countries worldwide to build engagement and trust for the UK through the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people.
ART DUBAI PROJECTS TO FEATURE NEW WORK BY MORE THAN 75 ARTISTS AND THE RETURN OF POPULAR PROGRAMMING INCLUDING ART PARK AND PERFORMATIVE ARTIST TOURS
2011 Edition Presented by Art Dubai in Collaboration with Bidoun Projects, The Island, the Delfina Foundation, Tashkeel and the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture)
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