‘Bactrian Princess Small Studies’
This five-panel mixed-media piece, which features photo collage, pencil, charcoal, and silver leaf, was created by a Saudi visual artist residing in Dubai for Tashkeel’s 12th annual “Made in Tashkeel” show, which runs through August 31.
A statue from Bactria in Central Asia, thought to be around 4,000 years old, is depicted in Moufti’s artwork. It is on loan from the Louvre in Paris and is a small figurine from the collection of the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
According to Moufti’s artist statement, “This series was inspired by a presentation from art historian Rose Balston concerning art in the UAE. “As I listened to her describe how and why the Louvre Abu Dhabi came to be, I saw that the French-Emirati partnership extended beyond simply the two countries in question; in fact, its claim to be a universal museum was supported.
‘Slam Dunk’
The self-taught Emirati artist’s distinctive cubist paintings depict different facets of Emirati culture, both indigenous and imported, and are frequently influenced by nostalgia for the 1980s. According to Tashkeel’s catalogue, this new piece is a part of a sports-focused series that “examines cultural influences from around the world that have been incorporated into Middle Eastern trends, habits, and style. Having grown up in the 1980s surrounded by popular culture (sports, anime series, fast food, etc.), Badr uses these influences to show how he sees them influencing modern-day Emirati society. Basketball has always had a big impact on Khaleeji culture, and “Slam Dunk” incorporates Emirati symbols into its sneakers, helmets, and jerseys.
Granada’
Hassan makes silkscreen and digital prints with “aesthetic, harmonic, and abstract shapes.” The gowns were “created with Islamic motifs, orientation and patterns in a composition that enables one to view the spirituality of Islamic art as an embodied cosmos of symbolic meaning,” according to the Palestinian artist and designer.
The gowns’ amorphous patterns were inspired by prayer carpets that Hassan had previously made. She explains in her statement that “the composition depicts spiritual life and communication without a physical space.”.
Hob’
Khamayseh, a talented practitioner of this highly prized art form, is the son of a well-known Palestinian calligrapher. He even “reinterpreted” the Naskh font to create his own eponymous font. “Hob,” a laser-cut piece of acrylic mirror created by Khamayseh, is “part of my daily Instagram project.” I made an effort to investigate the relationships between the meaning and the calligraphic style.
‘Palestinian Fragrance’
The two pieces were created by the Palestinian-Jordanian designer and were inspired by the poem “The Land of Sad Oranges” by Ghassan Kanafani and “the aroma of things that remind us of home: Hummus, maqelooba, kunafa, and oranges.” The work takes on a new meaning of reclamation and resistance, according to the show brochure.