Inloco Gallery announces the opening of its new season under the theme “Lost Tradition” scrutinizing the role of traditions in the contemporary world. The featured artists reflect on the reevaluation of heritage, emphasizing its evolving significance and exploring the nostalgia for ways of life that fade with time. The season’s launch is marked by the unveiling of VERTICAL HORIZON / 361 DEGREES, a project that unfolds through 3 interconnected components: an art intervention, a live performance, and a solo exhibition by internationally renowned artist Karim Jabbari.
Project Structure and Timeline
January 5, 2025 – Art Intervention in Al Satwa
The project’s narrative commences with an art intervention in Dubai’s historic Al Satwa district, where contemporary Arab artists Khalil Abdulwahid and Karim Jabbari explore the delicate balance between tradition and modernity. Guided by a leading expert in Arabic and multilingual typography Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès, the artists engage in a dérive – an unplanned single-day urban exploration – to immerse in street life and local conversations, intentionally seeking out traces of lost ways of living, while documenting their practice. The intervention captures the neighborhood’s stories, textures, and fading memories, offering a poetic reflection on its transformation. The art intervention draws inspiration from a 2024 project Sikka by Emirati urbanist and scholar Dr. Khaled Alawadi, highlighting the cultural significance of traditional alleyways, as hubs of social interaction and community life.
January 29, 2025, 7:00 PM – Live Performance and Video Art Screening
The narrative deepens through a dynamic live performance combining light, calligraphy, video art, and music. Jabbari will create light calligraphy in real time, with his evolving artwork projected on a large screen. Simultaneously, Abdulwahid’s video art will showcase Al Satwa’s disappearing cultural fabric, blending documentary footage with artistic intervention. The performance will be accompanied by vocal and musical improvisation by Faisal Salah (FACESOUL), whose music will become a featured show theme.
January 29, 2025, 8:00 PM – Solo Exhibition by Karim Jabbari
Featuring works created during his residency in Dubai, the show reflects on the artist’s engagement with tradition, urban nostalgia, and the reinterpretation of cultural heritage. Collectors and friends of the gallery are invited to an exclusive preview event to explore Jabbari’s innovative approach to blending ancient calligraphic traditions with contemporary design.
