As the seasons change, art lovers prepare to embrace fresh ideas, welcome artists from around the world, and visit galleries to mingle with the art community. Sikka Art & Design Festival, World Art Dubai, and Art Dubai are three of the most well-known and anticipated art events that Dubai is known for hosting. While there is still time for these magnificent, larger-than-life events to happen, local galleries, boutique hotels, et al. are already buzzing with an exciting lineup of exhibitions.
A world of empathy
In the exhibition Oasis of the Soul: New Sincerity, organized by Masterpiece Fine Art, prominent worldwide artists’ paintings and photographs are displayed together. One of the curators of the show, international art manager and art historian Alexandra Timorina, described the artwork as “masterpieces that give rest to the sight, food for thought, and most significantly, open up the treasury of the artists’ thoughts.” The art movement known as “New Sincerity” rejects postmodern irony and cynicism in favor of sincerity as the driving force behind a revolt against the cynicism of the modern age. The exhibition includes works by Waleed Al Taleb, Joe Machine, Alena Vavilina, Andrey Voskanyan (Houdruk), Tatyana Faydysh, and Noj Barker.
More the merrier
The Foundry has announced the release of its new season, which begins this Monday. Photographers Stuart Lawson, Baber Afzal, Debjani Bhardwaj, and Studio Lenca are exhibiting their work, as is multidisciplinary artist Debjani Bhardwaj. The Lawson pictures, titled “Dancers Soul,” will transport visitors on a voyage of motion, beauty, and energy, giving them a glimpse into the dancers’ emotions. The renowned Burj Khalifa is beautifully captured in Afzal’s breath-taking photographs, which also show the building’s geographic significance. In her engaging “Dreams Within Dreams” show, Bhardwaj will display her visual narratives, which are told through a singular fusion of many art genres. Paintings by Lenca that examine the lived experience of displacement are featured in his experimental exhibition.
Challenges in a digital era
The first solo show of Navjot Altaf in the Arabian Peninsula, Pattern, which debuts at the Ishara Art Foundation on Wednesday, will include site-specific installations, sculptures, videos, drawings, and photo prints. The show highlights Navjot’s dedication to feminist, ecology, and climate change issues as well as the difficulties they face in the digital age.