Alia Zaal Lootah presents the high honor to the UAE

An Emirati artist with the "Fares" medal: The path to globalization starts from here

Alia during her honor by Carvier Chanel.

Emirates today

Emirati artist, Alia Zaal Lootah, confirmed that receiving the Honorary Medal of Arts and Letters from the French government in the "Knight of Art" category represents a great achievement for her, and an incentive for her to continue her path in acquiring more knowledge and achieving more achievements, noting that she dedicates this honor. To the UAE, its leaders and government, which represents the first and most important supporter of it in its path.

She explained that the honor she received from the Ambassador of the French Republic to the country, Caravier Chanel, in Abu Dhabi, last week, means a lot to her, and that her relationship with French culture and France has been a strong relationship since she learned the language of that country, then studied fine arts and loved modern and contemporary art, which made her She joins the Pompidou Museum in France for a three-month training during the preparation of a master's thesis in art history and museology, specializing in collections management from the Sorbonne University in Abu Dhabi, then she is currently heading to study for a doctorate at the Sorbonne University in Paris.

Alia added in her interview with "Emirates Today": "For me, this honor represents a great achievement, and the culmination of continuous effort and diligence for years, and I am still working on obtaining a doctorate. From the beginning, I was keen not to waste time without learning, gaining more knowledge, and participating With international institutions, programs and exhibitions, the honor was a valuable gift I dedicate to the UAE, its leaders and government, which supported me in my studies through grants I obtained from specialized institutions, and provided the opportunity for training in distinguished cultural institutions in France.”

Outstanding Contributions

And the data given to her by the French Medal;

Alia Lootah, who works as the assistant curator for modern and contemporary art at the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, said that her passion for the arts and her mastery of the French language allowed her to communicate with many artists, historians, French institutions and with the French Embassy in Abu Dhabi, and to participate in many events and conferences as an artist, researcher and artistic curator. The first Emirati girl to join the Department of Trustees of the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum. She also prepared a study on the museum in 2009, and then participated in the preparations for the opening of the museum from 2013, most notably the Emirati-French cultural program that lasted for two years, and the supervision of the first exhibition of contemporary art. In the museum, it included four artists, two Emiratis and two residing in the Emirates, each of whom made a piece of art in cooperation with ancient French factories in different craft fields, namely textile, glass, ceramics and embroidery, where she worked on implementing the entire exhibition program as an artistic value at the beginning.

Alia continued: “My participation in the Emirati-French cultural program was included in the honorarium, along with all other participations and partnerships with the French side, which are still continuing academically through the preparation of a doctoral thesis at the Sorbonne Paris, and as an artist through my participation in an art program during which I implement artworks. It allows me to stay in the house of the famous French artist Claude Monnier.”

official support

The Emirati artist noted that the honor she received is a reflection of the great support the state gives to art and artists, and the position that the UAE has become a center of culture in the region.

She said: "We enjoy wide support in the Emirates, whether from our leaders who pay great attention to the arts, or from institutions, which represents a motive for us to make sure that we offer our best and reach the whole world, not through the production of distinguished projects and works of art, but also from By presenting studies and research to introduce Emirati art and the development of the artistic movement on the local and foreign arena.”

She stated that official support develops from year to year, and takes several paths, such as scholarships offered to local artists, and cultural programs that provide the Emirati artist with an opportunity to develop himself, his awareness and artistic expertise, and communicate with creators from around the world, and learn about multiple cultures and civilizations, which constitutes A strong infrastructure for the artistic movement in the Emirates, and thus opens the doors for it to reach the world. The path to globalization begins from within the local community, pointing out that the state’s direction to acquire artworks of Emirati creators and gift them to the state’s adult visitors is an important way to support the artistic movement and shed light on and introduce artists to them. Abroad.

always present

And about the Emirati artist and his presence on the scene;

Alia Lootah considered that it has existed since the late seventies and early eighties, as artists received scholarships to learn and specialize in the arts, such as the artist Hassan Sharif who studied in Britain, and Dr. Najat Makki who studied in Cairo, and many others, as these contributed to the formation of an artistic movement and founded The Fine Arts Society in Sharjah, and they enriched the work of the Cultural Complex in Abu Dhabi, and with the development of the state and its openness to the world, the art scene began to flourish more and attract foreign interest, so major exhibitions were opened in Dubai and throughout the Emirates, and the works of Emirati artists became present in the most important international auctions, and in 2009 The UAE's first participation in a major event was the Venice Biennale, and the Emirati participation is gaining more maturity year after year.

success biography

Alia Zaal Lootah, an Emirati artist from the Emirate of Dubai, received her BA from the College of Fine Arts and Design at the University of Sharjah, and her MA in Art History and Museology, with a specialization in collections management from the Sorbonne University in Abu Dhabi, and she is currently attending a doctorate at the Sorbonne University in Paris.

She taught as a visiting professor at the College of Fine Arts and Design at the University of Sharjah in the 2012-2013 academic year. She is currently the assistant curator of modern and contemporary art at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. She has participated in her artworks in a number of exhibitions that have been shown locally and internationally, and has also supervised the organization of international exhibitions.

"My honor is a reflection of the support given by the UAE to art and artists, and the position that the state has occupied as a center of culture in the region."

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