Contemporary works share Dubai's welcome to the world
11 artists present a visual tale at the Expo 2020 site
Munira al-Qadiri's "chimera" is a 4-meter-high sculpture in the form of the head of an oil rig.
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A special narrative visual tale presented by the "Expo 2020 Dubai" site through the artworks it presents, in which the works of major local and international contemporary artists are intertwined with the urban and engineering fabric of the site, and the "Expo" has commissioned international artists to present contemporary artworks in line with its vision of connecting minds. Creating the future, and in harmony with the ambitious plan on which the site was designed, which aims to welcome the world during its activities, making the site a future urban extension for the city of Dubai, after the international event closes its doors on March 31, 2022, and turns into an urban innovation system. District 2020, which will be a model for smart cities of the future.
The artistic coordinator, Tariq Aboul Fotouh, designed the artistic program, which includes contemporary artworks in public places by a group of artists, namely: Asmaa Belhamer, Oliver Allison, Hamra Abbas, Khalil Rabah, Sheikha Al Mazrou, Abdullah Al Saadi, Afra Al Dhaheri, Munira Al Qadiri, Nadia Al Kaabi Link, Hejio Yang, and Shunibari Winka.
In preparation for the launch of the upcoming international event, next October, the first work of the Kuwaiti artist, Munira Al-Qadiri, entitled “Camera” was revealed on site. The work is characterized by being a huge sculpture that reaches a height of four meters, and takes the form of an oil digger’s head, with a Changing and radiant colors, and this is what makes the work appear as if it is a spaceship, or a future object that descended from space to the site, and the Kuwaiti artist worked on many researches into the aesthetic features shared between petroleum and pearl, in terms of colors and material qualities, as well as the effect of these two elements in Social and economic life in the Arab Gulf region, in an attempt to present an artistic imagination of the future through its view of the past and the present.
"Scenery"
The curator of the artworks, Tariq Aboul Fotouh, told "Emirates Today" that the visual arts program is inspired by the book "Views", by the famous Arab mathematician, astronomer and physicist Ibn Al-Haytham, noting that it is known that Ibn Al-Haytham is the father of optics. , whose efforts had a decisive impact on scientific and artistic development, leading to photography and cinema, due to his theories and basic principles he developed in the field of optics, and his analysis of the concept of vision, consideration and visual perception.
He pointed out that he presented a unique perspective on seeing contemporary works of art, which requires a re-reading of the philosophical and theoretical aspects of the author of the "Book of Views", who says that the perception of the overall picture is formed in imagination, and that what is seen with the eye does not guarantee the credibility of the true form of things, which It is absolutely not complete without prior knowledge, memory and the ability to measure, which are all factors that help the person to form the image in the world of imagination, and he pointed out that returning to the ideas of Ibn Al-Haytham was enough to secure a unique context for seeing contemporary works of art, inspiring visitors and urging them to invest the power of imagination to engage And interaction, in order to discover ideas, visions and narratives and exchange them broadly.
Petroleum excavators
Aboul Fotouh believes that the work of the Kuwaiti artist, Munira Al-Qadiri, is inspired by this perspective, noting that she used to work a lot on oil rigs, which are characterized by their small size, and she reflected them in various projects, as she seeks to create a visual relationship between rigs and pearls, through which economic changes are presented. What happened after the discovery of oil in the Gulf cities, explaining that this is related to a personal issue with the artist, because her grandfather used to sing on pearl fishing vessels, and Abul-Fotouh confirmed that the media in Munira’s work consisted of aluminum, and the material was painted with special radiant colors that vary between the difference in light During the day and night, multiple colors have been detected during detection and installation.
View of the world
Regarding the diversity of artistic names and cultures, Aboul Fotouh pointed out that he makes the works reflect a scene that looks as if it is a miniature version of the world that we look at from Dubai, as the works constitute a view of the world through art from the “Expo 2020” site, and the artists were commissioned, and the works were executed after Their vision for the site, and the project has been greatly developed, during the past months, to reach the final form of the works.
Regarding art in public places and in Expo in particular, Abul Fotouh said: “The main thing in the artistic program is that it is in line with the vision of (Expo), and therefore this opens the horizon for creativity, especially since (Expo) will leave the legacy of an entire city, and will be part of the city, especially that 80% of the structure will be used in the neighborhood, including artworks.”
He considered that any work, of course, presents ideas and aesthetics, and therefore the street is no longer a neutral place, but is loaded with ideas and aesthetics, and this is in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai an open museum .
As for the conditions of business in public places, he pointed out that climatic factors and the high temperature in summer must be taken into account, and he refused to have businesses that contain engines so that the process of maintenance and cleaning would be easy, stressing that he focused on large sizes to be attractive and eye-catching.
• Aboul Fotouh: The works reflect a scene that seems to be a miniature version of the world that we view from Dubai.
book about art
The curator, Tariq Aboul Fotouh, confirmed that he is working on producing a book for the artworks that will be on the “Expo 2020” site, and the book will be available to people after the opening of the exhibition, so that the pictures of the works are complete, and it will also be available after the launch of the exhibition for a period of time that may reach It takes months, because it is considered a reflection of the works, and it also allows going deeper into the artworks to understand the artistic and visual depths in them.
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