< Previous10 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture/Art Autumn 2020 NEWS The A TCHOTCHKE GALLERY With digital galleries taking centre stage this season, the new online space Tchotchke Gallery is now home to its inaugural exhibition called When Life Doesn’t Give You Lemons HBA_040_10-11_News_NYC digital gallery_11382480.indd 1001/10/2020 05:26:14 PM11 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture/Art Autumn 2020 Art NEWS TCHOTCHKE GALLERY IS A PROGRESSIVE DIGITAL ART GALLERY that came to fruition as the quarantine passion project of Marlee Katz and Danielle Dewar. Katz and Dewar have been friends and colleagues in the blue-chip gallery landscape for a while and had always entertained the idea of opening a gallery that spoke to an audience and global artist roster who didn’t take themselves too seriously. Tchotchke Gallery’s inaugural exhibition, entitled ‘When Life Doesn’t Give You Lemons’ launched online on 8 September and will run until 30 October 2020. “We found most of our artists through Instagram research, as well as looking at MFA programs,” explains Katz. “The theme for When Life Doesn’t Give You Lemons is essentially a question of what keeps you motivated during crazy times like these, when things get unpredictable.” The artist roster includes 20 dynamic artists from over six countries such as Lisa Armstrong Noble, Maddy Bohrer, Sydney Bowers, Daisy Dodd-Noble and Sevde Hallac. “In reimagining the meaning of the word tchotchke, we wanted to place less emphasis on the sentimental and therefore lack of fi nancial value that a tchotchke can have, and make it something people associate with real value,” says Dewar. “We want to come off warm and inviting – never intimidating. The logo is a Russian doll, which people immediately recognise as a tchotchke.” Katz and Dewar have used video conferencing tools to connect, curate and build relationships with the artists. They have conducted studio visits online and have developed an educational pillar to their gallery content, allowing visitors to virtually get to know each artist better through a series of questions. “Inclusivity is also very important to us; this moment in time allows for workshop visits with artists all around the world,” says Dewar. “If we weren’t all in lockdown, this wouldn’t be as normalised. A great example was Christian Perdix in Berlin, who took us around his space on Zoom.” Turkish artist Sevde Hallac comments on being able to participate in the gallery’s online exhibition, “COVID-19 has thoroughly integrated art into a virtual environment where worldwide borders have been removed and art is made more accessible internationally. We are experiencing this new order together in a changing world. With Covid, we witnessed the digitalisation of experiencing art and I think we will continue to move in this direction.” ■ View When Life Doesn’t Give You Lemons at tchotchkegallery.com until 30 October 2020 Facing page: Joani Tremblay. Hope in the Dark. 2020. Oil on linen. Above: John Madu. John in the bedroom in Arles. 2020. Acrylic paint and ink on canvas WORDS BY NOUR HASSAN IMAGES COUR TESY OF THE AR TISTS AND TCHOTCHKE GALLER Y HBA_040_10-11_News_NYC digital gallery_11382480.indd 1101/10/2020 05:26:20 PMArt XXXX 12 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture/Art Autumn 2020 WORDS BY KA TINKA HAUGNAESS IMAGES COUR TESY OF THE AR TIST ACCORDING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ISLAMIC Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, calligraphy is principally a means to transmit text, albeit in a decorative form. Present for more than 3,000 years, this gestural art form has gone through numerous periods and regions, resulting in its current varied design. Specifically, modern calligraphy is considered to be any form of calligraphy that doesn’t follow the traditional structural rules. Disrupting such NEW FORMS Planted within a multicultural dimension, Russian artist Pokras Lampas takes us into the world of his new invented art form Installation views of Pokras Lampas. Mayakovskiy Stair. 2020. Courtesy of the artist Installation views of Pokras Lampas. Mayakovskiy Stair. 2020. Courtesy of the artist HBA_040_12-13_News_Pokras_11382159.indd 1201/10/2020 05:26:48 PM13 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture/Art Autumn 2020 Art NEWS norms is Russian calligraphy artist, Pokras Lampas. Infl uenced by ancient, traditional, modern and innovative letterforms, Lampas has the goal of fusing alternative cultures, merged together by calligraphy art. His self- developed style is called ‘Calligrafuturism’, based on the artistic vision of multicultural calligraphy of the future and within modern Cyrillic and Latin calligraphy. Calligrafuturism’s main objective is to showcase the fusion of different cultures, merged together by this art form in balance and harmony. Invented by Lampas, the technique is classifi ed according to some common distinguishing features in his signifi cant artworks. In order to understand the basic rules of language, he deconstructs each word to the basic letters and letter shapes, then reconstructs this knowledge into a new letter shape from an alternative language. His final pieces often refer to themes of dreams in the context of human memory and experience. The artist’s latest project is located on the embankment in Samara city, named Mayakovskiy Stair (2020) at the riverfront of Volga River. The name has been inspired by famous Russian poet and futurism artist of the early 20th ce ntury, Vladimir Mayakovsky. Previously on this same location, Lampas used to write his work Installation views of Pokras Lampas. Mayakovskiy Stair. 2020. Courtesy of the artist ‘Order No.2 to the Army of Arts’. Creating 2,500 letters of his poetry, with each unique letterform referring to different traditional and modern calligraphy forms and styles, this piece represents his open library of Calligrafuturism knowledge and letterform research. Lampas’ work has re ce ntly been showcased in many cultural institutions including museums, galleries as well as art projects in Russia, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, South Korea, China, UK, USA and UAE. Dubai-based Opera Gallery has also presented several exhibitions by the artist, including ‘Calligrafuturism Vol.1’ and ‘Impossible Until It’s Done’. So, is this a new world of modern calligraphy and, as such, the calligraphy of the future? With calligraphy’s balance between mastery and philosophy, equal visual parts and meaning, it may come as no surprise that, as the artist says, “Traditional calligraphy was called the art of beautiful writing. By breaking the standards of beauty, we change the idea of what calligraphy is and what its function is.” From thin strokes on paper to the large letters on the city’s square, Calligrafuturism highlights global unity and the harmony of cultures, introducing a new way to e xperienc e modern calligr aph y. ■ operagallery.com/pokras-lampas HBA_040_12-13_News_Pokras_11382159.indd 1301/10/2020 05:26:57 PM14 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture/Art Autumn 2020 WORDS BY A THWIF A SALEEM Art NEWS REVIVING HISTORY Renowned art space Opera Gallery has just launched Modern Masters, a virtual exhibition celebrating the 20th century painters who shaped art as we know it today OPERA GALLERY HAS UTILISED ITS GLOBAL outreach to cultivate contemporary artists from around the world. The gallery’s latest online exhibition, Modern Masters, features a curated variation of 15 paintings and works on paper by late 20th century painters by the likes of Henri Matisse, Fernand Léger, Kees Van Dongen, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Joan Miró and Alberto Giacometti. The exhibition pays homage to the groundbreaking work produced by the artists, whose insight and vision led to signifi cant movements in modern art and culture, forming the earliest avant-garde of the 20th century. The Modern Masters show is a journey of enticing colour and form, groundbreaking whirls and bold leaps of the imagination for its audience, showcasing the merriment, utopianism and confi dence of artists as they liberated themselves from historical conventions. “Adapting to our new normal, Opera Gallery is now offering collectors the chance to discover some of the most important artists of the 20th century in a virtual manner,” says Opera Gallery’s Director, Sylvain P. Gaillard. “We are proud to introduce our very fi rst selection of modern masters in an online viewing room format.” ■ operagallery.com From left: Marc Chagall. Couple au double-profi l. 1980; Joan Miró. Femme, Oiseaux. 1977. Courtesy of Opera Gallery Fernand Léger. Étude pour les constructeurs. Circa 1951-52. Courtesy of Opera Gallery HBA_040_14_News_Opera gallery_11381397.indd 1401/10/2020 05:27:23 PMArt NEWS WORDS BY REEF AY A NOOR TA J 15 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture/Art Autumn 2020 FOR THIS YEAR’S ARTISTIC PERFORMANCES AT THE ARTS Center at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), Executive Artistic Director of The Arts Center, Bill Bragin, walks us through what the sixth season’s theme represents. The theme, A Bridge, is about linking curiosity with inspiration, connecting NYUAD with the capital, the UAE with international artists and audiences, as well as crossing local and international talent. “As a series of interconnected islands, the bridge is an especially important symbol to Abu Dhabi,” explains Bragin. “We wanted to build on last year’s theme, Connection and capture the role of The Arts Center as a link between so many different things: NYUAD and the larger UAE community, between the UAE and the rest of the world, between the heart and mind. We’re also at a transition point, leading us to new ways of thinking about the arts and culture, so we wanted to also capture the idea of being a bridge to the future.” The Arts Center will prepare for a physically-distanced environment while exhibiting the performances virtually to bring audiences, artists and art communities locally and globally closer together. Season six will also include Off The Stage, which is The Arts Center’s audience engagement platform, offering an array of interactive events delivered as part of each artist’s virtual residency. Events include a sequence of four monthly online dance classes with choreographer Aakash Odedra, creation workshops with Lebanese artist Tania El Khoury and 600 Highwaymen, career chats with DJ Kid Koala and post-performance Q&As. The Arts Center at NYUAD is launching its sixth season in full force virtually, creating an interactive experience to explore the impact of isolation on mental health FUTURISTIC CREATIVITY Each performance has a special theme, but some returning themes include the sense of creating connection and overcoming isolation, revelries of originality and heritage. For example, El Khoury and Basel Zaraa’s As Far As Isolation Goes uses strategies to create micro-theatre experiences for only one participant to explore how to overcome the feelings of isolation we are currently enduring. In contrast, Kid Koala’s Robot House Party and a concert by Ak Dan Gwang Chil (ADG7) give large audiences a chance to celebrate together, to share joy and elation. So what would audiences take away from this season’s theme? Bill Bragin concludes, “We want audiences to come with open minds and open hearts, and we hope they feel a sense that their world has been enriched in some way. And especially right now, when so many aspects of our world are unpredictable and require reinvention, we hope that people will be inspired to transcend the constraints and come up with new ways to connect. With the advantages of live streaming, we can now also let the rest of the world see the depth and richness of local artists.” ■ nyuad-artscenter.org Clockwise from top: Barzakh Festival, 2019; Executive Artistic director of NYUAD, Bill Bragin; artwork from As Far As Isolation Goes series by Tania El Khoury; world-renowned scratch DJ, Kid Koala. All courtesy of NYUAD HBA_040_15_News_NYUAD_11381897.indd 1501/10/2020 05:27:50 PMALONGSIDE CONTINUING TO HOST DIGITAL exhibitions on their website, Sharjah Museums Authority’s new digital programming will introduce additional activities for those who are continuing to stay at home. Workshops and talks will be hosted via Zoom and will include practitioners and speakers on calligraphy, stone art, printmaking, the natural world, as well as art history. In The Solar Oven, Tower Decorations and Colour Blending on Wood, participants will be encouraged to take inspiration from objects at Sharjah Museums to create unique artworks. The two-part exhibition, Aïda Muluneh’s Homebound: A Journey in Photography, curated by Salah M. Hassan and Addis FotoFest: Nine Years Survey, will still be accessible online until 31 October, alongside the child-friendly The Fairytales Come True: Worlds From the Imagination of Hans Christian Andersen. Her Excellency Manal Ataya, Director- General of Sharjah Museums Authority, noted that the move came in response to the growing demand of online events, stating, “As a result of Covid, one of the most pressing challenges has been fi nding ways to engage the public as we would on-site in the physical space. To address this, we have spearheaded live-streaming content including webinars and workshops which has proven to attract ‘visitors’ locally and around the world. This has proven to be an effective way to maintain your museum’s core mission for access and education.” Sharjah Museums Authority‘s digital initiatives kicked off on 6 July with the ‘Human and Mars’ lecture, which outlined scientists’ plans for and research in Mars, discussing the Hope Probe and the UAE’s astronomical ambitions. Similarly, the authority found positive feedback with more far-reaching topics with their ‘Social Customs and Traditions during Covid-19 Epidemic’, which tackled A series of new online events launched by Sharjah Museums Authority includes in-depth lectures and interactive workshops for families, people of determination and community members of all ages From top: 3D model of a Mosque; A view of The Sharjah Aquarium; Baking bread. All part of the monthly digital programmes. Courtesy of Sharjah Museums Authority W ORD S B Y IMAN V AKIL IMA GES C OUR TES Y OF SHARJ AH MUSEUMS A UTHORITY NEW DIGITAL PROGRAMMES Covid-19 enforced changes to customs and traditions in weddings and family gatherings. A list of all digital programmes can be found on Sharjah Museums Authority’s website and social media handles. sharjahmuseums.ae 16 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture/Art Autumn 2020 HBA_040_16_News_Sharjah museums_11382549.indd 1601/10/2020 05:28:26 PMCHICAGO-BASED FUTURE GALERIE, produced by creative production house CANVAS Chicago, has instigated a new online art auction driven by social justice, with the featured works donated by renowned contemporary artists. Adam Lucas, JC Rivera, Kate Lynn Lewis, Mauricio Ramirez, Lefty Out There, Langston Allston and Shaurya Kumar are among the fi rst wave of artists to donate their works, including BLM by Lefty Out There, DuSable (2020) by Marco Miller and a piece from Shaurya Kumar’s if in a sacred land a traveler series. Alaiia Gujral, Creative Director of CANVAS along with co-curators Lonnie Edwards and Dont Fret, upon the uprising of the anti-racism and Black Lives Matter protests following George Floyd’s case, were stimulated to conduct something to fi ght systemic racism. “As Creative Director of CANVAS, I’ve directed immersive events that push the boundaries of art exhibitions and through those collaborations, I’ve met amazing creators along the way and I’m excited to say that I’ve reached a point in my career where I have the opportunity to launch entrepreneurial projects,” says Gujral. “There are some great projects on the horizon that I’m looking forward to.” futuregalerie.com Auction platform Future Galerie has launched a programme of online art auctions to generate proceeds for social justice organisations working to end systemic racism IN PURSUIT OF SOCIAL JUSTICE W ORD S B Y A THWIF A S ALEEM Clockwise from top: Marco Miller. DuSable . 2020. Spray paint and oil acrylic; Revise CMW. Stay Playful. 2020. Acrylic, spray paint and resin; Lefty Out There. BLM; Shuayra Kumar. if in a sacred land a traveler . 2018. Gold leaf on paper. 40.6x50.8cm; Adam Lucas. Various city blocks #14. 2020. Courtesy of Future Galerie and the artists Art NEWS 17 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture/Art Autumn 2020 HBA_040_17_News_Future gallery_11382672.indd 1701/10/2020 05:28:51 PMW ORD S B Y C YNTHIA JREIGE, IMA GES C OUR TES Y OF T A SHKEEL provide support eventually gave life to the toolbox, a real mental health kit that, “Aims to help visual art and design practitioners establish a holistic self-care routine and suggest self-care tips that can apply to different areas of their lives; from the physical and emotional, to the intellectual, social, professional and fi nancial,” explains Ball-Lechgar. This very insightful toolbox goes even further by also providing, “A set of refl ective questions for journaling and creative expression, enabling practitioners to reassess their work routine, working environment and the changing relationships with all those they interact.” Self-care being at the heart of the toolbox project, it was important for Tashkeel that issues such as, “Creative block, self-doubt and anxiety as a result of changing circumstance and insecure income,” were addressed, as burnouts and work-related stress is a reality that artists too, can experience. While mental health happens to be a private matter to most, Tashkeel has not, “Actively reached out to formally assess the impact of the toolbox,” but that certainly doesn’t outshine its positive effects. Alongside the advice given by the kit, the online talks, discussion forums, information, lectures and courses that Tashkeel has been delivering online over the last fi ve months have signifi cantly helped many of their members, but more globally, art practitioners, to “Pursue lines of enquiry through their creativity, overcome blocks affecting their fl ow and resume the process of producing meaningful and relevant work,” says Ball-Lechgar. Supported by an online discussion between Reema Baniabbasi and Tashkeel member, artist and designer Faissal El-Malak when released, the toolbox and the COVID-19 Resources for Artists and Designers are two resources that are now available to download on Tashkeel’s website and they are regularly updated. As Ball- Lechgar rightfully told us, “Social distancing is one aspect that may well remain with us for a long time,” emphasising on the toolbox’s necessity to help art practitioners, “Work through maximising the benefi ts rather than focusing on the problems both for the short and long-term.” And If 2020 gave us nothing but the opportunity to reassess our priorities and reconsider the place mental health takes in our lives, then maybe, we didn’t have the worst year ever. tashkeel.org Dubai-based art organisation Tashkeel has just launched a range of mental health resources for artists and designers trying to navigate the uncertainty of the path ahead amid the COVID-19 pandemic Clockwise from top left: Concious Sketches by IMV Creative; Works by Azim Al Ghussein; A work by Chafa Ghaddar ADDRESSING A GLOBAL MELTDOWN A TOPIC THAT WAS FORTUNATELY SHED light on this year, mental health and its challenges are taking the front seat in 2020. As many of us are going through a zone of turbulence, whether at work or just generally speaking while trying to adapt to the ‘new normal’, initiatives are emerging to help us cope. The art world being no exception to this global meltdown, the emergency of addressing the issue came as an opportunity for Dubai-based art and design organisation Tashkeel, to create the Toolbox for Facing the Pandemic for artists and designers, in collaboration with psychologist Reema Baniabbasi. Mental health being crucial to maintain an artist’s creative fl ow, it was imperative for Lisa Ball-Lechgar, Tashkeel’s Deputy Director, to come up with a solution to counter negative thoughts and offer advice. This necessity to Art NEWS 18 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture/Art Autumn 2020 HBA_040_18_News_Tashkeel_11382703.indd 1801/10/2020 05:29:18 PMThis will be Ishara Art Foundation’s fourth exhibition dedicated to exploring ways in which art expands our sensitivities to witnessing and forming collective memories. Curated by Sabih Ahmed, the show is set to feature works by artists Anju Dodiya, Astha Butail, Neha Choksi, Praneet Soi, Sunil Padwal and Inder Salim, expanding the exhibition into a space of readings, recitals, inscriptions and annotations. Taking a silverpoint etching of an olive tree by artist Praneet Soi as a point of departure, the theme attempts to broaden the notion of bearing witness beyond the human, to the planetary dimensions of remembering. As Alserkal Avenue has opened its doors to art lovers and patrons once again, make sure you don’t miss out on this thought- provoking exhibition. ishara.org Every Soiled Page is on view until 19 December 2020 at Ishara Art Foundation. LOCATED IN ALSERKAL AVENUE, ISHARA Art Foundation is known as the fi rst permanent space dedicated to South Asian art in the Gulf region. The non-profi t organisation’s new exhibition, entitled Every Soiled Page, launched 19 September and will run until 19 December 2020. The featured artworks are curated from the Prabhakar collection, with the title inspired from a verse by the late poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz written in c. 1953, during his imprisonment in Montgomery Central Jail in Pakistan. Taking cue from the poem, the exhibition proposes art as a site for reverse archaeology where materials, voices, inscriptions and testimonies produce a fi eld of resonance for bearing witness and remembering as an act of resistance. The show features paintings, drawings, prints, installation work as well as a new commission of a performance installation. Dubai-based non-profit organisation Ishara Art Foundation has just launched an exhibition home to artworks curated from the Prabhakar collection, depicting our relationship with reading and remembering as collective acts of resistance ACTS OF RESISTANCE W ORD S B Y K A TINK A HA UGNAES S IMA GES C OUR TES Y OF ISHARA AR T F OUND A TION AND RESPECTIVE AR TIS T S Anju Dodiya. Fountain. 2014. Mixed media on printed paper. 37.4cmx27.3cm. Prabhakar Collection. Image courtesy of Anju Dodiya Inder Salim. Every Page Soiled. 2020. Performance installation, Prabhakar Collection. Photo by Harsh Kumar Neha Choksi. Touching Integrity (Larch) 8. 2016. Woodcut on Kozo paper, 228.6cmx127.3cm. Prabhakar Collection. Photo by Anil Rane Praneet Soi. Olive Tree IV. 2020. Silverpoint on linen. 80cmx80cm. Prabhakar Collection. Image courtesy of the artist and Experimenter Gallery Art NEWS 19 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture/Art Autumn 2020 HBA_040_19_News_Ishara Art_11382723.indd 1901/10/2020 05:29:51 PMNext >