Emirati Expressions: Conventions of Arts

The fourth edition of Emirati Expressions: Conventions of Artsat Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi features works by 15 Emirati artists.

Curated by Maisa Al Qassimi (Programmes Manager, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority) and Reem Fadda (Associate Curator, Middle Eastern Art for the Abu Dhabi Project of the Solomon R. Guggenheim), the exhibition includes photography, paintings, installations and video.

The exhibition features the work of Emirati artists, whose projects oscillate naturally between design and fine art, combining languages of form and use to produce a communal art practice that is embedded in the social fabric of the United Arab Emirates.
Artworks will include wearable textiles, photography, furniture design, interactive installations, paintings, illustrations, large-scale sculptures, and a live studio where artists will be working throughout the exhibition.
The exhibition also includes specially commissioned artworks inspired by Abu Dhabi’s diverse and historic social clubs. These interactive spaces dedicated for community engagement are the nuclei to modern cultural institutions within the UAE.
The archives of these communal clubs will also be seen on display within the exhibition.

The artists featured in this exhibition are the following and below are photos I took of some of their work along with the wall text when I visited the exhibition.

• Ammar Al Attar
• Afra Al Dhaheri
• Zeinab Al Hashemi
• Farah Al Qasimi
• Salem Al Qassimi
• Maryam Al Suwaidi
• Sumayyah Al Suwaidi
• Hind Bin Demaithan
• Rami Farook
• Lamya Gargash
• Alia Lootah
• Ghaya Bin Mesmar
• Khalid Mezaina
• Nasir Nasrallah
• Khalid Shafar

If you're in the UAE, I urge you to visit this exhibition, it's on till 31st March 2016. It's well produced and quite engaging.

You can interact with most of the work, which makes it fun and accessible.

I was told there will be a catalogue that will be launched soon plus some talks. So watch this space.

Ammar Al Attar