< Previous100 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture/Art Autumn 2020 “ I T ’ S L I K E A S L O W GR O W T H . J U S T A S A T R E E O R P L A N T DO E S N’ T S U D D E N L Y B L OO M , T H E B L OO M CO M E S S E E M I N GL Y S U D D E N” While nothing compares to visiting renowned Palestinian artist Samia Halaby’s enchanting studio in person, digital platforms have not only replaced in some ways, but also expanded and enhanced creative conversations across continents. Amidst the quarantine, Samia has harnessed her strength in technology (a self-taught programmer herself ) both in utilising social media and experimenting with her abstract artistic creations to bring the community to her studio through the web. Just as diffi cult this transition to the digital realm was for artists and art lovers alike, Samia has embraced this aspect, becoming instrumental in sharing her work through an intense digital programming schedule. Despite the quarantine circumstances, I caught Samia in her Tribeca studio just before I was returning to Dubai. Amidst the quiet and humid Manhattan day in the heat of quarantine, Samia’s studio was bursting and cascading with as much light from the widely-opened windows as her surrounding paintings. The bold geometric shapes within her effervescent artworks become themselves windows into another world of abstraction. Cur at ed b y Chris tie’ s. W o rds b y Suzy Sik orski Images c ourt es y of the artis t Clockwise, from right: An installation view of Samia’s studio; Samia sits in her studio; Samia Halaby. A Squirell Flying. 2020. 177x177cm. Courtesy of the artist HBA_040_98-101_Studio Visit_Samia Halaby_11386728.indd 10001/10/2020 06:00:31 PM101 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture/Art Autumn 2020 Studio VISIT preparing for a presentation. Her eyes glisten after sharing she just made one of her best paintings ten days ago, fi nding this as a manifestation of her recent painterly transition. “The change in my painting is not sudden,” she says. “It’s like a slow growth. Just as a tree or plant doesn’t suddenly bloom, the bloom comes seemingly sudden. But when you start to notice it in full detail, the feeling gestates, it becomes new ideas that emanated from a process of visual thought – materialised through little work on paper, an investigation, doodles, the things I see, or through the photographs I take.” What’s next? Rekindling with and upgrading her computer programming and performing. She was recently propelled to reinvestigate her electronic work from speaking at Emirati researcher Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi’s online majlis earlier this March. Beside her desk, Samia is dusting off an old Amiga computer she used in the ’80s and ’90s, as she prepares for a live performance later that week collaborating with music and image in her Kinetic Painting Group. Easily adapting to the latest technologies, she has been learning how to transfer material to her new computer. “I am trying to proceed with optimism while taking note of the growing aesthetic pleasure of returning to programming,” she shares. “The computer is just another tool that enhances my painting practice. It’s not so much different than brush and acrylic, but instead the same creative process.” A freshly brewed tea was waiting for me on the table, the perfect elixir to absorb the jubilant surroundings where colours, shading and shadows ricocheted across the room and manifested perfectly onto her paintings. The colourful spirals within her canvases danced their way into the fl oors, seeping onto the walls, kitchen cabinets, notebooks and computers – even on her handmade, patterned clothing. Contagious strokes in entropy were multiplying in gorgeous fashion, their numbers clearly not accustomed to the social distancing! Confi dent and always colourfully dressed with a self-made New Yorker originality, Samia has embraced her time during this quarantine and it seems just when I visited her studio in late August is when new elements within her painting practice were strongly brewing, catching her on an intense painting streak after a short hiatus in the early quarantine months. But just as isolation came and welcomed her, Samia wasn’t left alone. Instead her entry to the outside world transformed online. The artist interrupted her digital days with brief walks to the NYC pier, absorbing the quietness and stillness of the mornings, and capturing the sunrise and sunset’s colours refl ected onto the skyline and within the movement of people. Hardly able to keep a consistent routine with her demanding work schedule, Samia’s days in the studio have been so unpredictable but yet propelled by her love for painting that always occupies her mind – whether she’s busily working on her canvases, writing in the morning, sending out emails, or Below: Samia Halaby. Grey Scribble. 2019. 152x152cm. Courtesy of the artist HBA_040_98-101_Studio Visit_Samia Halaby_11386728.indd 10101/10/2020 06:01:03 PM102 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture/Art Autumn 2020 In the spirit of keeping #BLM and female empowerment alive, we outline some of the must-read monographs and critical texts for the art aficionado looking to introduce themselves to broader sociopolitical movements ART Ta lk ing ODYSSEY Jack Whitten is known for his refl ections on the civil rights movement in the 1960s, abstract experimentation and depictions of seminal Black fi gures such as James Baldwin and W. E. B. Du Bois, but the artist also developed a body of sculptural work throughout his career that traced African sculpture and questioned his relationship to it as an African American. Jack Whitten: Odyssey, Sculpture 1963–2017 features sculptures made by Whitten over the past 50 years, alongside the Black Monoliths series, archival photographs and the artist’s own refl ections on his sculptural practice. Katy Siegel, Kelly Baum, Jack Whitten, Richard Shiff, Kwame Anthony Appiah and Kellie Jones contribute to this monograph, detailing one of the most important artists of his generation, who is so very intertwined with contemporary Black history. Written by Katy Siegel, Kelly Baum, Jack Whitten, Richard Shiff, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Kellie Jones. Published by Gregory R. Miller & Co. grmandco.com W ORD S B Y IMAN V AKIL AND A YESHA SHEHMIR. IMA GES C OUR TES Y OF RESPECTIVE PUBLISHERS THE MOST POWERFUL WOMAN IN THE ROOM IS YOU Spanning 278 pages, inside this bright pink hardcover tome are expert insights on overcoming fears, excelling and taking control in life, whether it’s in the offi ce or in your personal life. The author, Lydia Fenet, shares insights into her world, taking the reader on a two-decade-long journey from her role as an intern to Global Managing Director of Strategic Partnerships and the lead Benefi t Auctioneer at Christie’s. “The most powerful woman in the room goes after whatever she wants to ensure she lives the life she wants to live,” she writes. “If you keep your eye on the prize and stay focused, you can achieve more than you ever dreamed was possible.” Having raised over half a billion dollars for global non-profi t organisations, the author reveals her secrets to success and empowerment including the innovative sales approach she has mastered over the years, which has tremendously shaped her aspirational mentality and career. Written by Lydia Fenet. Published by Gallery Books. simonandschusterpublishing.com HBA_040_102-103_Studio Visit_Talking Art_11386732.indd 10201/10/2020 06:01:51 PM103 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture/Art Autumn 2020 I CAN’T SEE YOU WITHOUT ME Focusing on the female artist’s models and muses, who were often herself, her late mother and other formidable women in her personal life, I Can’t See You Without Me is a touching monograph of Mickalene Thomas’ portraits and her deconstruction between sitter, artist and viewer. Outlining how her subjects would often take on the form of 19th century odalisques, Afro-adorned vixens of blaxploitation fi lms or a powerful maternal fi gure yearning for social mobility, the impressive essayists detail how these contradictions and kinships make the Black female body such fertile terrain for the artist’s ongoing investigations. Written by Sherri Geldin, Nicole R. Fleetwood, Michael Goodson, Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Antwaun Sargent. Published by Wexner Center for the Arts. wexarts.org KERRY JAMES MARSHALL: HISTORY OF PAINTING One of the most renowned living painters, African- American artist Kerry James Marshall’s exploration of Black subjectivity and his mural-like depictions of real and imagined events has long resisted and subverted White narratives of history. Published following Marshall’s pivotal exhibition at blue-chip gallery David Zwirner London in 2018, Kerry James Marshall: History of Painting not only presents a groundbreaking body of his work, but it also surveys the artist’s position in the larger history of painting, as well as critically examines how his work has been received in the art market. Two essays by curator Teju Cole and renowned psychoanalytic art historian Hal Foster coherently break down the artist’s deeply iconographic work. Written by Teju Cole, Hal Foster. Published by David Zwirner Books. davidzwirnerbooks.com The BOOKS FUTURE IMPERFECT Anthony Downey has long been exploring the political functions that lay behind regional forms of knowledge and image production and contemporary art practices, and is the author of several seminal critical texts. In Future Imperfect: Contemporary Art Practices and Cultural Institutions in the Middle East, a collection of essays examine the state of cultural institutions in an age of political upheaval, social unrest, exuberant cultural activity, ascendant neoliberal forms of privatisation, social activism and regional uncertainty. Key academics, critics, activists, fi lmmakers, artists and other independent cultural practitioners across the region weigh in. Edited by Anthony Downey. Written by Monira Al Qadiri, Hoor Al-Qasimi, Anahi Alviso-Marino, AMBS Architects, Stephanie Bailey, Eray Çayli, Rachel Dedman, Elizabeth Derderian, Anthony Downey, Karen Exell, Reema Salha Fadda, Wafa Gabsi, Hadia Gana, Adalet R. Garmiany, Baha Jubeh, Suhair Jubeh, Amal Khalaf, Kamel Lazaar, Jens Maier-Rothe, Guy Mannes-Abbott, Doreen Mende, Lea Morin, Jack Persekian,, Rijin Sahakian, Gregory Sholette, Tom Snow, Ania Szremski, Christine Tohme, Toleen Touq, Williams Wells, Ala Younis, Yasmine Zidane. Published by Sternberg Press. sternberg-press.com HBA_040_102-103_Studio Visit_Talking Art_11386732.indd 10301/10/2020 06:02:04 PM104 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture/Art Autumn 2020 Lebanon’s boutique hotel Arthaus Beirut has announced an exhibition called Beirut Year Zero, uniting artists in support of the Lebanese Red Cross, to help victims affected by the tragic Beirut blasts A Call FOR HOPE Words by REEFAYA NOORTAJ Images courtesy of ARTHAUS BEIRUT HBA_040_104-105_Escape_Hotel Indigo_11387299.indd 10401/10/2020 06:02:49 PM105 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture/Art Autumn 2020 On 4 August 2020, a catastrophic explosion shook the beautiful lively city of Beirut, Lebanon. The explosion took over 200 lives, left 6,500 injured, 300,000 homeless and more than $10 billion in property damage. Hours before the blast, boutique hotel Arthaus Beirut was set to open its doors on the exact day. An assemblage of guest houses, for founders Nabil and Zoe Debs, nomadic lifestyles inspired them to offer travellers a home away from home. Feeling deeply driven by the incident to help rebuild the city, Nabil and Zoe grouped over 54 artists for an exhibition entitled Beirut Year Zero, with over 80 artworks unveiled in the hotel on 2 October 2020. The exhibition has been curated by the owners of Arthaus, Marine Bougaran and Pascal Odille, and selected lots will be sold at the gallery, with the remaining shipped to London in a leading auction house. The title Beirut Year Zero has been inspired by Italian producer Roberto Rossellini’s 1948 fi lm, Germany Year Zero, a refl ection of a demolished Berlin conveyed through the eyes of the ‘real people’. The exhibition will showcase sculptures, painting, installations, photographs, engravings, illustrations, revolution street art, music, texts and poetry. The opening night will see a string quarter concert by Beirut Chant, followed by a recital by pianist Dr. Antonie Karam. In collaboration with Arthaus, Gouraud Street will present a street exhibition and street concerts by the colourful Gemmayze Stairs, with the intention of spreading hope across the neighbourhood. “This large exhibition is a cultural front and the Facing page: An interior view of Arthaus Beirut. Clockwise from top: Rania Mattar. Capture d’eecran. 2020; Elie Bekhazi. Pain curled up. 2020, Inkjet print on enhanced matte paper. 60x60cm, ed 1-7 + 2 AP, © Elie Bekhazi; An interior view of the hotel; Rania Mattar. Capture d’eecran. Courtesy of the artists and Arthaus Beirut response from the Beirut art scene as well as from our overseas friends and allies was overwhelming and heartwarming,” says Nabil. “It is inevitable that talents in large numbers will be migrating. Many artists and galleries are still shell-shocked and it will take years to mend their grief. One silver lining is that the Lebanese are attached to their identities and will inevitably come back to their roots, it is only a question of time, when those talents will get back here with fresh ideas and turn their grief into creativity.” The auction house for the charity will be announced soon. Fifty per cent of all the proceeds will be donated to the Lebanese Red Cross and the remaining 50 per cent will be given to the participating artists to uphold the creative community. Received donations will contribute to the direct fi nancial assistance to 10,000 most vulnerable families affected by the Beirut Port explosion, and to the national free ambulance and blood transfusion services. arthaus.international The ESCAPE HBA_040_104-105_Escape_Hotel Indigo_11387299.indd 10501/10/2020 06:02:59 PMTavares Strachan. We Are in This Together (Multi). 2019. Cobalt, super blue, sky blue, traffi c light green, green, clear gold neon, transformers. 40.6x185.4x0.8cm. Edition of 9 plus 2 artist’s proofs 106 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture/Art Autumn 2020 esterday I attended my fi rst performance since the fi rst warnings surfaced around COVID-19. However, this event was not held on one of my beloved theatre stages, which all remain shuttered, but rather it was held at Marian Goodman Gallery in London. I arrived palpably anxious. I could feel my throat ceasing up behind an N95 mask, my breath fogging up my glasses, making sight indiscernible. I stood in a line two metres apart from the person ahead of me before I was ushered into a show by Tavares Strachan (b. 1979 Nassau, Bahamas). Sanitiser with me, I started to massage my hands repeatedly with the disinfectant as if it was a moisturising balm that solves all the world’s problems. I dotted about the gallery rooms running away from the proximity of the eleven other people who had entered with me in a pre-booked time slot. Abruptly, a voice from a staircase began to invade my consciousness; fi rst with a whisper, slowly moving through octaves into a majestic crescendo. I was enraptured. Doors opened, rooms were revealed, three singers moved in and out of space revealing a story of ‘invisibility’, of an African-American explorer to the North Pole who had been marginalised from history, a tale all too familiar. The exhibit’s title, In Plain Sight, felt just as much a nod to the experience of lockdown, as to the artist’s underlying theme. A capella voices streamed in and out from black bodies; it left the audience mesmerised for forty minutes. All phones were required to be out of sight. I turned to look at the people around me, who respectfully kept their distance, wore their masks, all the while transfi xed by the meticulously choreographed scenography of Strachan and his performers’ storytelling. There is something to be taken from this experience that speaks to the resilience of the gallery context and the visual arts more broadly in the months since the overwhelming devastation wrought on by COVID-19. Art is suturing; its healing potential comes not from its role as a mass medium but Last LOOK Writer, curator and cultural historian Omar Kholeif discusses the future of art in the wake of the ongoing pandemic, the resilience of visual culture and our duty to continue supporting artists An installation view of Art in the Age of Anxiety. Image courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation ART IN THE TIME OF A VIRUS equally from the intimacy that gallery spaces can engender and enable, between artists and everyday people. There has been a heightened sense of fear that the world of visual culture will collapse in the wake of our current pandemic. Yet, it is my belief that of all the cultural forms, the visual arts are the most resilient. Art is scalable – the ambition of a work of art is not simply marked by its production budget but has as much to do with the time afforded to the artist to create and imagine the potential of her or his work. Art can be a socially distanced experience, which for many of us, is infi nitely more pleasurable than swarming around a painting amidst masses of people attempting to take photos of a painting, waving their phones in front of an artwork for the benefi t of social media. If I have learnt anything from this historical moment, it is that we must continue to support artists to envisage their full potential as practitioners, to enable them to dream of new scenarios and contexts that will help shift our imagination. Certainly, not everyone will be able to physically experience art as before, but this period has also proffered moments of refl ection as to how art can be experienced on both a distributed scale, as well as through the individual experience. At Sharjah Art Foundation, we have always anchored our work around artists and their ideas. This is what is most urgent now, to give voice to those fi gures who can help us change the way that we all see the world. Dr. Omar Kholeif, FRSA, a writer, curator and cultural historian, is Director of Collections and Senior Curator at Sharjah Art Foundation. His most recent curatorial endeavour, Art in the Age of Anxiety was held at Sharjah Art Foundation from 26 June – 26 September 2020. The accompanying publication will be published in Autumn 2020. It features more than a dozen newly-commissioned writings and artist projects. It is co-published with Mörel Books and distributed internationally by the MIT Press. HBA_040_106_Last look_11379034.indd 10601/10/2020 06:03:37 PM#STAYHOME #STAYSAFE @HARPERSBAZAARARABIA HBA_AD_newUpload.indd 25906/09/2020 01:19:29 PM HBA_AD_newUpload.indd 25906/09/2020 01:19:29 PMNext >