shines on unknown artwork
"Gulf Modernity"... an exhibition that explores the colors of pioneers in the Gulf region
"Our Green Land" by Nasser Al-Youssef.
From the source
The Art Gallery of New York University Abu Dhabi revealed the list of the main artists participating in the fall 2022 exhibition entitled “Gulf Modernity.. Pioneers and Art Collections in the Arabian Peninsula, 1941-2008” with an artistic evaluation by Dr. Aisha Stobe, who was appointed this year as the curator of the pavilion The first Omani at the Venice Biennale.
The exhibition is considered the first of its kind in the region, as it presents a historical review of the modern art movements during the last century in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The exhibition, which kicks off on the sixth of next September, is based on a doctoral thesis submitted by Dr. Stobe, and traces the period prior to the region's prosperity era in the early and mid-20th century until 2008, in addition to the development of visual art movements when oil discoveries began to change the features of the region.
It also charts the evolution of public and private spaces and their relationship to the national identity of the peoples of these countries, as they are expressed through artistic practices.
Maya Allison, Executive Director of NYUAD Art Gallery and Head of Curator at NYUAD, Maya Allison, said: “Gulf Modernity is one of the rare exhibitions, as it represents an invitation to the participation of different groups, and presents new perspectives on art history and artistic practices in the region.
It also embodies a journey to explore the technical aspects that have not been sufficiently studied so far, or are still unknown to some.”
Through the exhibition, Dr. Stobe traces the history of local art in the context of deep-rooted traditions, the ongoing process of modernization, and the development of national identities.
The exhibition emphasizes the importance of society and the first artistic institutions, and highlights Stobe's thesis, which centers on art pioneers and groups that spread in the 20th and 21st centuries, and her first exhibition was at the Mubarakiya School in Kuwait in 1941. The modern art community in Saudi Arabia was launched in 1938 by Muhammad Rassem ( 1911-1974) in Jeddah, and other artists such as Munira Moussalli, Safia Binzagr, Abdel Halim Razavi and Abdullah Al Sheikh.
The Saudi Arts House in the capital, Riyadh, served as a starting point for the works of the two artists, Muhammad Al-Salim and Abdul Rahman Al-Sulaiman.
The Manama Group was also founded in the fifties of the last century by the artists: Abdul Karim Al-Arayed, Nasser Al-Yousef and Ahmed Qasim Al-Sunni.
The sixties and seventies of the last century witnessed the emergence of the group of three friends, which included Youssef Ahmed, Hassan Al Mulla and Muhammad Ali Abdullah, coinciding with the emergence of the first pioneers of art in the Emirates, including Abdul Qadir Al Rayes and a group of artists who formed the group of five, namely: Hassan Sharif, Abdullah Al Saadi, Muhammad Kazem and Muhammad Ahmad Ibrahim and Ibtisam Abdulaziz and their artistic community.
The exhibition provides a platform to highlight the most prominent figures in the history of Omani art, such as Anwar Sonia, Rabha Mahmoud, and the Circle Group led by Hassan Mir.
Maya Allison:
“(Gulf Modernity) is one of the rare exhibitions, as it represents an invitation to the participation of different groups, and presents new horizons about the history of art and artistic practices in the region.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news