The Abu Dhabi Art fair has announced the details of its "Beyond: Emerging Artists" program, which commissions new works each year from emerging artists based in the United Arab Emirates. This year, the exhibition will be curated by Lorenzo Fiaschi, co-founder of Galleria Continua, who has selected artists Fatma Al Ali, Dina Nazmi Khorchid, and Simrin Mehra Agarwal to create works that will be showcased at Manarat Al Saadiyat (Abu Dhabi) from November 20 to 24, 2024, before touring internationally.
"We are thrilled to contribute to the region's dynamic contemporary art scene. Celebrating 18 years of collaboration with Abu Dhabi Art, Galleria Continua is eager to support the dynamic evolution of the art world. We are committed to embracing diversity, which enriches our collective artistic experience," said Lorenzo Fiaschi.
The three selected artists were chosen from over 100 candidates. Simrin Mehra Agarwal is among the fortunate finalists. "I am honored and thrilled to have been selected for Beyond Emerging Artists 2024. This platform will help me present ambitious projects on both a regional and international scale, creating a niche in the global contemporary art world," she said.
Agarwal is a multidisciplinary artist based in Abu Dhabi. Her work, titled Subterraneous, is the result of extensive research on war wrecks and artificial reefs in the United Arab Emirates, conducted during underwater diving sessions several meters below the surface.
Her monumental work, including a mural, sculpture, and video, opens new perspectives and dialogues that challenge our understanding of nature and its various stages of decline, within the context of war stories, neglect, and the challenges posed by climate change. The project aims to raise awareness and provoke reflection on the destruction of natural resources and cultural heritage.
Fatma Al Ali is a multidisciplinary artist who practices drawing, printmaking, video, and sculpture. Inspired by an inquisitive and academic archival approach, she delves into the fields of history, culture, and sociology to illuminate her work. Al Ali's art reflects her in-depth exploration of perception, materiality, memory, and societal constraints, while challenging conventional notions of artistic creation.
The work she will present at Abu Dhabi Art explores the historical dynamics of power that have shaped Gulf societies, particularly through the use of archival documents and oral histories. It focuses on revealing how certain traditions, practices, and knowledge have been altered over time, influencing our current understanding of the region.
Finally, Dina Nazmi Khorchid is an artist who primarily works with printed and woven textiles. Her work constructs narratives of places with lost bodies, through marking, photography, and material studies, which manifest as textiles and paper-based works. She explores themes of identity and geopolitics, mourning, land, and access to memory. Her work has been presented in the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Tunisia, and Lebanon.
Her work evokes personal and national narratives through metaphor, drawing on nature to explore the complexities of human emotions and politics. The large-scale textile installation created for Abu Dhabi Art resembles a curtain or barrier, representing a nonspecific landscape where inverted and abstract trees stand firmly in the ground, while escaping into the water, in an enchanting immersive atmosphere. The installation alludes to a search for belonging, a place of solitude, wandering, and emotional rest.
Through the "Beyond Emerging Artists" program, Abu Dhabi Art is committed to supporting emerging local artists in the development of their work.
Caroline Haïat
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