Disorientation II: The Rise and Fall of Arab Cities, 21 Nov 2009
DISORIENTATION II: THE RISE AND FALL OF ARAB CITIES
22 November 2009 – 20 February 2010Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island
ABU DHABI, UAE, 21 November, 2009 – Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) in collaboration with the Sharjah Art Foundation presents Disorientation II: The Rise and Fall of Arab Cities, the first exhibition to be staged on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island in the new exhibition space Manarat Al Saadiyat. Featuring work by some of the region’s most acclaimed artists, including Kader Attia, Mona Hatoum, Marwan Rechmaoui and Diana Al Hadid, this major exhibition explores the notion of unity and fragmentation in the Arab world. Curated by Jack Persekian, the Artistic Director of the Sharjah Biennial and Director of the Sharjah Art Foundation, Disorientation II will open to the public on 22 November 2009 during the first edition of Abu Dhabi Art, an innovative new platform for modern and contemporary art in Abu Dhabi featuring a boutique style art fair, curated exhibitions and a rich public programme.
“We are committed through our cultural programme to supporting the most vital and stimulating of today’s Arab artists, and are proud to present this important exhibition during Abu Dhabi Art, when artists, curators and collectors from the region and around the world will be here in Abu Dhabi,” stated His Excellency Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of TDIC and Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage. “Whether we are establishing Abu Dhabi Art, presenting path-breaking exhibitions at Manarat Al Saadiyat and Gallery One at Emirates Palace, or creating the Saadiyat Island Cultural District, we are always focused on making Abu Dhabi a true crossroads of global culture.”
Disorientation II follows a circular path tracing recent social and political history and exploring its manifestations in the art of the region. The starting point of the exhibition is the era of Egypt’s first President Gamal Abdel-Nasser, hailed as “leader of the Arabs” for his advancement of pan-Arab nationalism. Ali Jabri’s (1943-2002) sketchbooks, drawings and renderings from the early 1970s capture the moment when Egypt was at the forefront of the Arab world and the hope for the future that characterized this period. A nostalgia for these times is evident in the works of contemporary artists such as Hala Elkoussy’s “On red nails, palm trees and other icons” (2009), an intimate room interior with hundreds of images, portraits, newspaper clippings and video screens covering its walls.
The short-lived dream of pan-Arab unity came to an end as political factions and Arab nationalism grew until finally, marked by the assassination of Anwar Al Sadat, Egypt’s third President, in 1981, there began a period of political upheaval, war, bloodshed and displacement. The utopian vision of the 1960s and 70s which opens the exhibition is juxtaposed to the situation of loss and discord evident in the Arab world today, through the works of 16 contemporary artists from the region. While the artists work with a wide range of media, from photography and video to installation and performance art, they all share a common sense of disillusionment and frustration over the course of political events that affect their lives.
For his work Telematch Sadat (2007), which takes its name from the famous German television contest from the 70s, Wael Shawky asked a group of village children to reenact Anwar Al Sadat’s assassination. In A Monument for the Living (2001), Marwan Rechmaoui has constructed a large-scale replica of Burj Al Murr, a skyscraper at the edge of Beirut which, used by various militia factions during the civil war in Lebanon, now stands unused and dilapidated but too solid to destroy—a towering monument to the seemingly inescapable cycle of conflict. Meanwhile Monika Borgman revisits the infamous Sabra and Shatila massacre through the chilling confessions of six of the perpetrators. Hriar Sarkissian’s tranquil dawn photographs of empty squares in the Syrian cities of Aleppo, Latakia and Damascus where public executions take place are equally disturbing. Kader Attia’s photographic series Rochers Carrés of young Algerians casting their gazes over the rock boulders to the continent beyond are imbued with a fierce sense of longing for the better future they believe could be found on the other side of the insurmountable boundary of water.
“This flashback to the 1960s and 70s is juxtaposed to our present moment, as expressed through the drawings, collages, photographs, videos, sculptural installations, performances and films of 16 artists from throughout the region. The result is a vision of Arab cities as places where unity and division co-exist,” Jack Persekian stated. “This is not a simple survey of Middle Eastern art, but an exhibition that explores the historical context for issues pertinent to our society today—issues that young artists are grappling with and that resonate with audience throughout the Arab world.”
“The Sharjah Art Foundation is delighted to partner with Abu Dhabi in this important initiative to enrich the cultural landscape of the UAE,” stated Her Highness Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, President of the Sharjah Art Foundation and Director of the Sharjah Biennial. “We hope that this exhibition will be the first of many future collaborations that help foster understanding and support for the contemporary art of our region.”
Participating Artists
The participating artists in Disorientation II: The Rise and Fall of Arab Cities are Ali Jabri, Ayreen Anastas and René Gabri, Diana Al Hadid, Hala El Koussy, Hrair Sarkissian, Kader Attia, Marwan Rechmaoui, Mona Hatoum, Monika Borgmann, Samah Hijawi, Tarek Al-Ghoussein, Tarek Atoui, Wael Shawky, Wafa Hourani and Yto Barrada.
Disorientation II: The Rise and Fall of Arab Cities will be accompanied by a fully illustrated brochure.
About Abu Dhabi Art:
Abu Dhabi Art is a major new annual platform in modern and contemporary art, with an introduction to design, organised by Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) and the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) under the patronage of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. Conceived as a new, boutique-style art fair, it brings together an exclusive selection of leading art dealers and innovative new galleries from the four corners of the world and surrounds them with an exceptionally rich schedule of special exhibitions, public programmes and cultural events. As an integral part of the Emirate’s long-term agenda for transforming the capital, an ancient and modern crossroads of culture and trade, into a global city of the 21st century, Abu Dhabi Art will welcome collectors, artists, designers, art dealers, curators, critics and art lovers from around the world. Abu Dhabi Art will be presented for the first time from 19 to 22 November 2009, as institutions including the Zayed National Museum, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum and the Louvre Abu Dhabi rise on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island and build their world-class collections.
Abu Dhabi Art is honoured to have the enthusiastic support of HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd as Principal Sponsor. Organizers also thank Associate Sponsors Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) and Audi Middle East, Official Cargo Carrier Etihad Crystal Cargo, Host Sponsor Emirates Palace, and Official Provider Abu Dhabi National Hotels, Apple and Sunraysia Five Star. Media Partners include CNN International, Abu Dhabi Media Company (The National), Bidoun, Canvas, The Art Newspaper, ArtNexus, and TimeOut Abu Dhabi.
Information on Abu Dhabi Art is updated frequently, as the opening of the inaugural edition approaches. For full current details and the latest updates, please visit www.abudhabiartfair.ae.
Follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Abu_Dhabi_Art
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About Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC)
Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) is a master developer of key cultural, residential and tourism destinations in Abu Dhabi. The principal goal of its cultural programme, up to and including the creation of the Saadiyat Island Cultural District – the world’s largest single concentration of premier cultural institutions – is to establish an international platform in the UAE for arts and culture.
Unprecedented in scale and scope, the Saadiyat Island Cultural District will include museums such as the Zayed National Museum, the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum, all due for completion in 2012/2013. Education is essential to fulfilling TDIC’s mission, and this initiative provides opportunities for the local and regional community to participate in programming of the highest quality and to be engaged in the city’s urban, cultural and artistic development, while enabling Emiratis and UAE residents to develop professional skills and knowledge through a dialogue with representatives from the world’s leading cultural organizations.
Alongside the Cultural District project, TDIC presents a diversified programme of art exhibitions, events and talks aimed at all levels to further engage audiences in the arts.
For more information visit www.artsabudhabi.ae; www.tdic.ae
About Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH)
Established in 2005 as the cultural authority of the Government of Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) has far-sighted aspirations to harness the pride of the people of the UAE through the development of its cultural heritage and to be the leading cultural development organization in the region. ADACH is committing its resources to the preservation of heritage as well as to the development of Emirati, regional and international arts, music, literature, and cinema. This vision is open to everyone in the Middle East, the Arab world and beyond.
Through its major initiative entitled the “ADACH Platform for the Visual Arts,” the Authority will bring together important contributions from contemporary artists from the Gulf and from throughout the Arab world. It will also present a futuristic vision of Abu Dhabi as a place where living traditions and contemporary culture come together in a new dynamic space.
ADACH has already lined up a number of structures and initiatives to fulfill its strategic objectives in fields including green building design, museum development, excellence in curatorial and museum studies, cultural infrastructure development, film industry, translation and publishing, among others. Abu Dhabi Art, organised in partnership with TDIC, serves the objectives of this strategy.
For more information on ADACH, news and initiatives please visit www.adach.ae.
About the Sharjah Art Foundation
The Sharjah Art Foundation is a new initiative committed to supporting the development of a flourishing arts environment in the Gulf by nurturing artistic opportunities and actively pursuing both a regional and international programme of cultural exchange.
The Foundation builds on the pioneering role Sharjah has played in the artistic and cultural development of the UAE and the region. Recognizing the central and distinctive contribution that art makes to society, Sharjah Art Foundation focuses on the production and presentation of the contemporary visual arts.
At the core of the Foundation are the programmes developed over the past nine Biennials including the acclaimed artist production programme, residencies and the internationally attended March Meetings.
Cultivating the spirit of research, experimentation and the accumulation of knowledge and experience, Sharjah Art Foundation continues the Biennial’s role as artistic and cultural think-tank for the region. Inspired by the cross-fertilisation and rich cultural diversity of the Emirates, Sharjah
Art Foundation provides both national and international leadership in art production while acting as a catalyst for cultural exchange both within the region and beyond.
For further information on the Sharjah Art Foundation or the Sharjah Biennial, contact: +971 65685050 - or www.sharjahbiennial.org.
For media requests please contact:
International Media
Rachel Judlowe / Kate Lydecker
Ruder Finn Arts & Communications Counselors
+1 212 715 1572 / +1 212 715 1602
judlower@ruderfinn.com / lydeckerk@ruderfinn.com
UAE Media:
Mohamed Salhab
Hill & Knowlton
+971 50 554 8209
mohamed.salhab@hillandknowlton.com
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