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Abu Dhabi Art Announces 2014 Programme |
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Abu Dhabi Art, organised by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), returns with an interdisciplinary programme of art, talks and sensational experiences from November 5-8. The sixth edition welcomes artists, collectors, galleries, art professionals and visitors from around the world to participate in a programme that takes Abu Dhabi’s future cultural institutions as guiding principles to reflect on themes of time, space and history. “This year, the Abu Dhabi Art programme will celebrate the upcoming opening of Abu Dhabi museums and finds inspiration in the spirit of the future museums’ collections. It will consist of three main sectors: a daily public forum examining the importance of museums as sites of action and new experiences; a performing arts programme exploring concepts of universality and transversality and themes such as humankind’s complex relationship with nature and the passage of time, culture and ideas between one civilization and another; and a set of public art, design and architecture initiatives that connect with the wider city and communities of Abu Dhabi” says Rita Aoun-Abdo, Executive Director, Culture Sector, TCA Abu Dhabi TALKS Abu Dhabi Art features a daily public forum that aims to introduce audiences to the ever-expanding community of art-world figures who by their presence at Abu Dhabi Art, are working together to enhance the UAE art scene. This year the programme is inspired by the “life” of Modern Museums, including the future museums of Saadiyat Island, as spaces of education, performance and experience. PERFORMING ARTS Abu Dhabi Art presents live and interactive performances, including Hours and Colours, a programme that progress with the precision of a clock punctuated by performing art moments that stand out and mark the experience of every visitor with ever-changing interactive content. Hours of each day will be associated with a particular colour (blue, orange and violet) and its correlating symbols. At these times, visitors will gather for art performances with interrelated forms of content presented within a particular coloured ambiance. Like a clock, Hours and Colours marks moments in the days of Abu Dhabi Art bringing audiences incrementally closer to the universal cultural future of Abu Dhabi. Durub Al Tawaya is another performance programme that embarks on a journey expanding temporally from Abu Dhabi Art in November through 2015 and continues to explore the tawaya (spaces) of the city. This year’s edition is inspired by the philosophical themes and the dramatical structure of Hayy Bin Yaqzan, a 12th century novel written by the Andalusian scientist and philosopher Ibn Tufail. The novel explores the complexities of the relationship between humankind and nature and proposes an early theory on materialism and humans’ dependence on material goods that is a distraction from the truth. Durub Al Tawaya will focus on performing arts in collaboration with different artistic and cultural local and international organisations. BEYOND This year, Abu Dhabi Art engages with the city of Abu Dhabi through Beyond, a programme that has grown from presentations of large-scale sculpture at the fair, to presentations of public art in other locations on Saadiyat Island and throughout Abu Dhabi. A wider public will have a chance to experience and enjoy monumental works by Francois Morellet, Subodh Gupta, Mohammed Kazem, Shilpa Gupta, Sahand Hesamiyan and Ai Wei Wei, among others. Abu Dhabi Art also combines the living intangible heritage of the UAE with contemporary design, continuing to highlight the unique qualities of the UAE design aesthetic through programmes such as the Wings Project which provides emerging Emirati artists and designers an opportunity to reimagine the Abu Dhabi Art “wing” logo. In addition, the Abu Dhabi Art UAE Designer Programme, culminates this year with a presentation of innovative design product prototypes using elements of UAE craft by Fatima Al Zaabi, Noora Al Awar and Khuloud Sharafi of TINKAH. Abu Dhabi Art also looks back to one of the foundations of art, to architecture, which is a central focus in the development and vision of Abu Dhabi. This year, Abu Dhabi Art commissions Anarchitect, a progressive UAE-based architecture firm, to re-imagine the atrium of Manarat Al Saadiyat, conceiving a space for Artyfact, and the presentation of work by UAE designers. All of this and more will soon take centre stage at Manarat Al Saadiyat alongside a number of the world’s best modern and contemporary art and design galleries. For an updated gallery list and event programme details, please visit the website. |
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