UAE ART HISTORY
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Digging into the 2017 archives of the first time I interviewed Ammar Al Attar, we trace the Emirati photographer’s evolution of his four-year-long archival Cinema in the UAE Project. How do we remember what’s lost and give importance to the unwanted and overlooked? Read on!
Mid East Art unveils never before seen footage and an interview text of the late Saleh Al Ustad, one of the pioneer fine art photographers of the UAE and Gulf region. This feature documents Saleh’s history from Missouri to Southern California in the early 1980s and the establishment of a fine art scene in the UAE.
This is a personal story of how some of the leading Emirati artists have worked to fashion a path through an often fast-moving and potentially bewildering landscape of change. Senses of identity and belonging, of heritage and inheritance, loom large under conditions of constant transformation. In a place that is as young as the UAE, artists find themselves grappling with the recent past as they look towards the future.
In one of the most groundbreaking international shows for an artist from the UAE, Abdulqader Al Rais achieved his first international retrospective at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris earlier this September, writes Suzy Sikorski
One of the early pioneer painters and sculptors of the UAE sits down with me to discuss his life and work. From his formative years in Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE, Abdul Raheem Salem recalls the beginnings of the first arts society in the UAE and some of the first exhibitions and important people that marked his career.
This week the Emirati arts community mourns the passing of Saleh Al Ustad, a beloved photographer and dear friend to many in the creative scene. Read a small post dedicated to my meetings with Saleh throughout the year. May You Rest in Peace our dear Saleh.
One of the first artists from the UAE, Abdul Qader recounts his early years in Kuwait and quest to capture his environment once returning to Dubai.
Mid East Art travels to Khorfakkan to visit Ibrahim's studio and witness the mountainous and beautiful environment that has inspired the artist throughout.
Amidst the dirt, unpaved paths and rusted buildings deep into the farmlands of Sharjah, I uncovered Emirati artist Khalid Al Banna’s oasis: a single room, glistening in color, with bookcases, sofas and objects arranged in careful precision.
Dr. Mohammed tells early stories of his arts practice and the challenges in opening the first art society in the UAE
Khalil reflects on his time as Hassan Sharif’s student and his perspective on the direction of the UAE art scene. He was part of a progressive and close-knit group that would incorporate Hassan’s practices within their own respective traditions. Image courtesy of Ammar Al Attar.
Extending her creativity to the Washington DC streets, artist Ebtisam Abdulaziz shares her newest projects at DC Arts Studio’s Spring Open group exhibition this April.
Jump into week 7 of the quarantine with Emirati artist Hassan Sharif in his early 1980s performances in Dubai and London! Finding a few parallels to our methodical and rather mundane day-to-days in self-isolation, we are reminded of Hassan’s carefully constructed activities rooted in Fluxus and British Constructivist thought. We sit down (virtually) with his nephew Mohamed Sharif to discuss the role of performance in his uncle’s practice and Mohamed’s archival work at the Artist’s Estate.