< Previous90 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture Winter 2020 Ancient Modern DN: You are an inspiring person for women, working in the arts in the UAE as Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development since October 2017. Can you share what some of your challenges were when you started in this position? NK: It is exactly three years since I was appointed as Minister of Culture. The main challenge was to run a Ministry which is integrally linked to the UAE’s identity in a way that does justice to both our past and present. The role has been a multilayered one. When you deal with the cultural scene, you are interacting with multiple aspects - the historical, the ancient, the modern. To digest that entire complexity was not easy in the beginning. I remember my fi rst meeting as Minister of Culture with HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum to discuss the plans for the fi rst hundred days. He was very specifi c that the Ministry should function as an enabler of the whole sector and not as a mere operator. That set the tone for what we did subsequently. The second aspect was to change the narrative about the cultural and creative industries. It is not new to the UAE, but quite fresh for the larger region. A new narrative not only in terms of the sector playing a strategic and knowledge-based role, but also an economic role. That is why we found it important to link the sector to the diversifi cation of the economy, to its contribution to the GDP and so on. The challenge here was one of language and idiom; to start using a language of measures and attainments. Another important aspect was to look at where we are internationally. For instance, how are we functioning as a country within UNESCO which we fi rst joined within four months of the establishment of the Union. The UAE’s appointment to the UNESCO’s Executive Board last year refl ected the wide acknowledgement of the country’s efforts in advancing initiatives in the fi elds of culture, science and education. Guest Editor Dyala Nusseibeh speaks to Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi on her role as Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, her thoughts on the youth of today, her work with UNESCO and the UAE Ministry’s growing art collection DN: What changes are you most happy about having achieved to date? NK: I think the most important change is in the language in which we speak about culture. We are now speaking about culture in a more futuristic idiom. We have begun looking at our culture in terms of its sustainability in the long-run. And that we are doing it while also bringing wider attention to the wellsprings of our legacy and heritage is remarkable. While being very much in awe of our heritage and keeping it as a part and parcel of our identity, we are also able to embrace change. We are also able to engage with other cultures and nationalities living with us in the UAE constructively. I would say that our culture is strong because it is mature and confi dent enough to interact with the numerous other cultures in our midst with respect and appreciation. DN: Speaking of your work with UNESCO, a key project for the UAE in recent years is the restoration of the Al Nouri Mosque and two churches in Mosul, Iraq. Can you tell us more about this? NK: The city of Mosul has for thousands of years been a commercial and cultural link between the North, South, East and West. One of the world’s most ancient cities, its origins date back to the seventh or sixth century BC. As such, the legacy of the city is primarily defi ned in terms of its centuries of pluralism and cultural coexistence. The Al Nouri Mosque has been a signifi cant landmark for the Old City of Mosul, and a symbol of its cultural identity, since the 12th century AD. So its importance has to be seen in terms of the city’s architectural and cultural history. Rebuilding it and restoring it to its original glory is an act of resistance. In CONVERSATION Culture & HBI_048_90-93_In conversation_Noura_11427312.indd 9029/11/2020 06:05:05 PM91 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture Winter 2020 91 HarpersBazaarArabib a.ca.ccom/om/om//CulCC ture Wini ter 2020 Pictured here: Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi HBI_048_90-93_In conversation_Noura_11427312.indd 9129/11/2020 06:05:19 PM92 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture Winter 2020 Pictured here: Al Nouri Mosque, Mosul, Iraq In CONVERSATION HBI_048_90-93_In conversation_Noura_11427312.indd 9230/11/2020 03:43:42 PM93 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture Winter 2020 DN: Why is investing in the creative ecosystem in the UAE important? NK: It is important for three reasons. First, the soft power that the country possesses is a unique aspect of the UAE’s identity. Second, the development of a good cultural milieu is crucial to taking forward our vision for a tolerant, moderate country and region. Third, the growth of cultural and creative industries also has great economic potential. The National Creative Relief Program that we recently launched aims to ensure the sustainability of creative and cultural industry. The program provides fi nancial support to creative individuals and companies disadvantaged by the economic impact of the pandemic. DN: We hear the Ministry has a wonderful collection of works by Abdul Qader Al Rais, Najat Makki and Abdulraheem Salim amongst others. Can you tell us more about how this collection started? How do you see the collection developing in future? NK: The collection has been growing over the years. I want to give the credit for this wonderful collection of art to my predecessor HE Abdul Rahman Al Owais. He had commissioned most of the works we have with us. The artists who contributed these works are our pioneers and we are immensely proud of them. This collection will develop further over time since it is an important part of our efforts at cultural work. It is going to develop through either commissions or acquisitions. DN: How will people learn more about the collection in future? NK: We will plan on showing the collection digitally so the wider public can enjoy the beauty of these great works. That will also help the people learn more about the great artists who made this collection possible. From left: Abdulraheem Salim. UAE National Day. 2008. Courtesy the artist and MCKD; Abdul Qader Al Rais. Untitled. 2003. Courtesy the artist and MCKD DN: Can you share your thoughts on how the UAE enables social cohesion at home? NK: The UAE was founded on strong values - tolerance, respect for other cultures and people, and peaceful coexistence. Look at the way multiple nationalities and cultures live together in this country in absolute peace. The UAE has embraced different cultures with open arms and allocated places of worship for various faiths. We believe we are living out the true principles of Islam through our embrace of different cultures, respect for all faiths and acceptance of difference. Professionals, businessmen, teachers and so on from across the globe are not only making their living, but also helping in the process of nation-building shoulder to shoulder with the Emiratis. That is what we all grew up seeing, and we knew that was the right thing to do. DN: You are also, as of July 2020, Minister of Culture and Youth. How would you most like to enable the young to contribute to the development of the UAE? NK: The youth are very much a part of the nation’s onward march to the future. Our national vision is very futuristic, and the role of the youth is integral to that vision. Their involvement in nation-building actually starts much before they graduate. Government policies and initiatives in this regard are framed in such a way that they feel a sense of participation very early on in their lives. Their views and ideas are also taken into consideration at all levels. They think differently, and more innovatively, particularly because of the way technology has equipped them to think in a certain fashion, which is different from the previous generation. HBI_048_90-93_In conversation_Noura_11427312.indd 9329/11/2020 06:06:43 PM94 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture Winter 2020 Maya El Khalil talks to Veronica Carpio about curating the Beyond: Emerging Artists section for this year’s Abu Dhabi Art fair and the infl uence of isolation on memory From 19 to 26 November 2020, Abu Dhabi Art embraced an interactive digital format, bringing together six leading guest curators and showcasing artworks online, each with a geographical focus. Curator Maya El Khalil worked with three rising female artists for the fair’s Beyond: Emerging Artists section, namely Hind Mezaina, Afra Al Dhaheri and Afra Al Suwaidi. “Hind Mezaina works with themes of collective memory, national identity and media representation,” explains Maya. “She primarily works with photography and archival material, having branched more recently into video work. For Afra Al Dhaheri, growing up in a country in perpetual change, notions of time and memory form an intrinsic part of her practice. She is a multimedia artist who uses the properties of material to convey these notions, such as the cooling of molten glass or the growth of strands of hair. Afra Al Suwaidi is a young artist exploring issues of violation and abuse which exist within the private and public framework of society.” Al Suwaidi’s practice is primarily rooted in sculpture, however for her participation in Beyond: Emerging Artists, she instead experimented with photography and collage work. Through their work, the three artists investigate experiences of remembrance. Hind’s point of departure is the discovery of a video shared on Twitter about the UAE’s participation in the 1980 World Disco Dancing Competition in London. This sparked many questions about embodied memory: What is held or enacted in the body? How OF TIME In CONVERSATION Right: Afra Al Suwaidi. Unsheltered. 2020. Mixed Media HBI_048_94-97_In conversation_Maya El Khalil_11448903.indd 9426/11/2020 07:15:41 PM95 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture Winter 2020 Curator Maya El Khalil. Image courtesy of Ashwin Gohil HBI_048_94-97_In conversation_Maya El Khalil_11448903.indd 9526/11/2020 07:15:51 PMIn CONVERSATION does the body act as the site of cultural contractions and identity formation? “Afra Al Dhaheri begins with embodied recollections, unreeling ideas of identity from the physical as caught in the tresses of hair - her own, as well as the archetypal and socially conditioned,” says Maya. “She pursues these recollections though formal investigations that tease out the complex associations of hair: it’s ability to be conditioned, to hold form, to accumulate memory and express perceptions of time. Afra Al Suwaidi processes fragmented memories hidden in society’s innermost structure. She uses collage techniques to compose social and domestic structures that expose unspoken violations. Dichotomies of inside and outside, hidden and revealed come into play as the juxtaposition of materials perform and order tense complexities of withholding and confronting.” Before moving to the UK, Maya lived 15 years in Jeddah, becoming quite familiar with the art scene in the Middle East region. “Cultural developments in the UAE have inspired the development of the contemporary art scene across the region,” she says. “The whole ecosystem around world-class museums, art centres, art foundations, creative districts, biennials, residencies and academic programmes has acted as a catalyst to a scene constantly reinventing itself. The opportunities available for artists to learn, experiment, create and improve their practice are unique in the region.” Maya has confronted the many challenges of curating, but the main one, working in the region, involves optimising reach once an exhibition is delivered. “Artists and curators work so hard envisioning and putting together an exhibition,” she expresses. “The real work starts once the exhibition is open: This is when programs should be in place to ensure the themes addressed by the artists are being explored in depth throughout the length of the exhibition. How can we attract larger crowds and improve the quality of engagement?” The work presented by the emerging artists this year was different to previous years as it was unfi nished work. There is a profound attempt at introspection, whether at the personal or society level. “This is a lengthy process,” Maya reveals. The artists revealed their work in progress at the opening of the fair on 19 November and continued to develop the works throughout the exhibition, sharing with the public their process of research, documentation and experimentation. “Two of the artists, Afrah Al Dhaheri and Hind Mezaina are working towards a solo exhibition following their participation in Beyond: Emerging Artists. This is a great opportunity for them to test and execute their ideas.” Maya explains why she handpicked the three artists: “Afra Al Dhaheri subconsciously infuses poetry and beauty at every step of her creative process, Hind Mezaina looks at her society with sharp sensitivity and a constructive critical mind, and Afra Al Suwaidi “U L T I M A T E L Y , I N A Y E A R O F F O R C E D H I A T U S , W H E R E E X P E R I E N C E S O F T I M E H A V E B E CO M E D I S T O R T E D , ISO L A T I O N IS P R O V I D I N G P R O D U C T I V E N E W S P A C E S TO CO N S I D E R T H E Q U A L I T I E S A N D P O S S IB IL I T IES O F ME M O R Y ” navigates courageously through society’s taboos with love and empathy. Ultimately, in a year of forced hiatus, where experiences of time have become distorted, isolation is providing productive new spaces to consider the qualities and possibilities of memory. I hope visitors will be inspired to follow the progress of each work and engage with the artists in discussing the themes explored.” abudhabiart.ae Clockwise from top: Artist Afra Al Dhaheri; Afra Al Suwaidi. Unsheltered. 2020. Mixed Media; Unsheltered 15. 2020. Mixed media. Courtesy of the artists and Abu Dhabi Art 96 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture Winter 2020 HBI_048_94-97_In conversation_Maya El Khalil_11448903.indd 9626/11/2020 07:15:59 PM97 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture Winter 2020 La PHOTOGRAPHIE Afra Al Dhaheri.Tasreeha. 2020. Cotton rope. 600x600. Installation view at Beyond: Emerging Artists. Courtesy of the artist and Abu Dhabi Art HBI_048_94-97_In conversation_Maya El Khalil_11448903.indd 9726/11/2020 07:16:12 PM98 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture Winter 2020 Contemporary artist Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar’s new paintings carry Ayesha S. Shehmir into a colourful universe fi lled with infi nite mystery, revealing the beauty hidden within the darkness Flow Within Above: Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar. A detail of Path to Life HBI_048_98-103_Conversation_Sassan_11445716.indd 9829/11/2020 06:29:58 PM99 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture Winter 2020 In CONVERSATION 99 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/Culture Winter 2020 HBI_048_98-103_Conversation_Sassan_11445716.indd 9929/11/2020 06:30:10 PMNext >