Desert is often called as the core of the Arabic culture and the artists in the Abu Dhabi Festival came out to justify that. The artists with some majestic work drew some beautiful paintings to draw the attention of the people.
Three Emirati artists display their work commissioned by the Abu Dhabi Festival this weekend. Among them is a digital painting of an Emirati grandfather, printed on wood and free-standing, which is flanked by two paintings of young boys. Between the artworks is an empty frame filled with sand – the Emirati artist Fatma Lootah’s way of expressing the gulf between the youngest and oldest generations, and reminding us of the true wealth of her country – the desert.
Lootah, who lives in Italy but returns regularly to show her work and take part in other artistic enterprises, is one of three artists whose commissioned work will be launched at Emirates Palace as part of the Abu Dhabi Festival.
Her artwork, titled Perfume of the Earth, reminisces about the past, but also drives her message home to young people. Noor Al Suwaidi has two paintings from her newest series In Ode to the Bouquets. Although Al Suwaidi is often concerned with the figure, for this series she was inspired by an exhibition she saw at the Dallas Museum of Art on 19th-century floral still-life.
“I want to bring beauty into people’s lives. With everything happening politically right now, me choosing not to reflect on that as an Arab artist is a statement in itself. This is a celebration of life, beauty and culture. My message is to stop and smell the roses.”
The third artist, Sawsan Al Bahar, will present Wra’a il Zaman – Leaves of Time, a piece that was shortlisted for this year’s Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award. The installation is a depiction of the state of suspension in which Palestinian refugees live.
Inspired by old printed Arabic calendars, it consists of suspended, 3-D sculptural pieces carrying key dates since the Nakba or catastrophe of 1948. The work resembles sheets of paper blowing in the breeze and captures a frozen moment in time.
The artists call out the desert as the fundamental of their advances and progress. According to them the nature gave the society everything, and it is the duty of every citizen in the coming generation to know the value of the desert and the paintings reflect the same.
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