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Imprints of shifting times
The mighty Jumairah Etihad Towers hotel, with its expensive marbles and chandeliers, with its luxurious carpets and generally the ultimate posh looks, seems like the most unlikely location for an art exhibition.
True enough, walking through endless corridors, up escalators and elevators, far from any cafes or other areas that usually attract the crowds, one cannot stop wondering why here? A big black and white poster in front of a meeting room hints the entry to the “Changing Landscapes” exhibition.
Once inside, though, a flood of natural light invades the meeting-room-cum-art gallery. Up here at the fourth floor, through the large windows, the views of cranes, scaffoldings and another opulent landmark — Emirates Palace — with a hint of the Arabian sea in the distance, make the perfect frame for a live changing landscape picture, fitting perfectly with the theme of the exhibition.
“The theme of the exhibition was inspired by the Etihad Towers, since we did the exhibition here,” said Tini Meyer, who is one of the curators, along with Aisha Al Riyami.
“So we asked the artists to do something that represent change.”
The change was interpreted in more than one meaning, from changes in the Emirati land and city scapes to changes in the societal behaviour, and even changes in the UAE art scene. There are 12 mostly Emirati artists participating, some unknown, some well established, and, like with any artistic crowd, the works are a mix bag, some really good, some pretty forgettable.
Standing out not just because of its size, is Shaikha Sheikha bint Mohammed bin Khalid Al Nahyan’s installation To Be Continued... . The set up reflects a typical living-room with armchairs, coffee table and a fire place, all in black. Above the fire place, a colourful painting of children with splashes of colours falling down from the canvas all the way onto the carpet. It is a pretty clever allegory on how children change a parent’s life, both emotionally (from gloomy black to happy colours) and physically (from a tidy room to a very messy one).
In Asma Khaled Belhamar’s artwork there is an inkling of a surrealist cynical sense of humour. Her “sculpture” of a woman’s high heel shoe carries the message: “You don’t know a woman until you walk a mile in her shoe”.
Should perfume be an art form? No, Samiha Othman Abdulqader’s artwork is not a perfume, but it does have an element of scent. And, given that arguably there is no such thing as olfactory art, her installation may be considered quite revolutionary. Childhood Memories is just three different bunches of dry leaves. As such, Samiha’s interpretation of “change” is purely organic, as she simply allowed these leaves to transform naturally from fresh green to dry. Each bundle has a different shape, different colour, from dark green to brown, and different smell. Simple, yet very clever.
Shaikh Suroor bin Mohammed Al Nahyan; Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research; and Shaikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan; at the opening of Changing Landscapes at Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi. — KT photos by Nezar Balout
The photography section of the exhibition is a disappointing one — and not because the pictures are bad, but they are all of the same subjects, employing the same photographic techniques, even though they are taken by different photographers. Curator Meyer explained that there were plenty more images to choose from, but she preferred a changeless collection of these similar images. The selected shots are either depiction of a seaside at dusk or a forest waterfall.
There is a pretty good story behind the reason why all four photographers have nearly identical pictures taken in the same location outside the UAE. Along with several more friends they all went to New Zeeland, in winter, specifically for photo shooting. Led by Abdulaziz Abdullah bin Ali, whose photos are also in the exhibition, the group spent one month in wilderness, in snow and subzero temperatures, camping out or living in a caravan.
The cold, desolate locations, coupled with the low, gloomy winter light give their photographs a lonely, dreary feel. There is Mohammed Al Jabri’s Tastes of Nature, a seascape that looks like a scene from a fantasy movie. Small waves over dark rocks barely raising through the moving waters is photographed — like all pictures exhibited here — at very long exposure, which creates an Impressionist painting effect. The waves look almost like vapours and the dark grey and blue hues give an out-of-this-world mood to the picture.
Movement of Stars, also Mohammed’s photograph, is the most intriguing in the exhibition. Another seascape, this is taken at twilight, at low tide, with big wet rocks in the dark sand leading the eye to the distant sea and the last hint of sunlight in the cloudy horizon, while up above the dark blue sky is dotted with what looks like falling stars. They are indeed stars — but not falling — an effect that is created through the same long exposure. It is a clean, simple, relaxing, beautiful picture.
The portraits of Tala Worrell are the most striking among the paintings in the exhibition, but it is the technique of Maitha Demithan that is most intriguing. She places every element of her painting, human body parts included, on a flatbed scanner and then she assembles all the digital scans into a composition and prints it all on large canvas. The two portraits presented here of children carry no trace of scanning. They both look like perfectly beautiful paintings.
More “classic” in style and technique is Suhail Jashanmal. His Liwa in the Liwa Desert is an endearing portrait of a dog in the Empty Quarters desert. The soft sunset light that brings out the red colour of the sand matches the colours of the alert dog. This is not just another man’s best friend portrait, it represents Suhail’s interest and efforts into environmental art. A couple of years ago he established Green Abu Dhabi, aiming to raise environmental issues through art.
“Changing Landscapes” will continue at Jumairah Etihad Towers until February 28. The artworks will be available for sale and a percentage of profits will be donated to Future Centre for Special Needs charity.
silvia@khaleejtimes.com
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