The exhibition “Between the Sky and the Earth: Contemporary Art from the UAE,” curated by Munira Al-Sayegh and organized by the Washington-based Middle East Institute in collaboration with the NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, is timed to coincide with the UAE’s 50th anniversary. According to the MEI, it “challenges common narratives about the Emirates through an intergenerational discourse exploring their social, cultural, and natural settings.” It features the work of 12 UAE-based artists. Lamya Gargash, an Emirati photographer, “records the overlooked corners in the public and private spheres of Emirati society.” This photograph is from her “Clubs” series. Gargash creates pieces that blend tension, nostalgia, and restlessness, taking visual cues from interior décor, theater, and museum exhibits, according to her representatives The Third Line.
Tarek Al-Ghoussein — ‘Island Making 2’
This image is part of Al-ongoing Ghoussein’s “Odysseus” series, which he began in 2015. Al-Ghoussein is a Kuwaiti artist of Palestinian descent. “One day, I came across an article stating that the Abu Dhabi Planning Council was in the process of naming the city’s 215 islands. To me, that was mind-blowing. Last year, he told Arab News about the series, “I had no clue Abu Dhabi has so many islands.” “That article piqued my interest and inspired me to go out and visit as many of (them) as possible in the spirit of discovery.” “Al-Ghoussein lingers on the traces of human existence, capturing photos of places and objects that will soon cease to exist,” according to the show catalog.
Mohammed Kazem — ‘Windows
Kazem is a key player in the UAE’s contemporary ‘Second Generation’ of artists. In his art, he has used a variety of mediums. He focuses on the fleeting, often mundane nature of daily life for many of the UAE’s residents in his recent “Windows” series, from which this painting is derived. The catalog states, “Invisible and intimate events in the landscape… are witnessed by shadowy, retreating figures, reduced to mere traces.
Augustine Paredes — ‘Am I Driving Safely?
According to the show catalog, the Dubai-based Filipino artist and photographer examines Abu Dhabi’s Mina Zayed port, “capturing the transient lives of the truckers who transport goods to and from the port to destinations across the Arab world, providing a snapshot of the human face of globalization.”