Azim Al Ghussein First Love 2012 Illustration
Shamsa Al Omaira Win-win 2012 Wood, acrylic, wallpaper
Sharmeen Syed Perhaps I Have Spoken of [it] Under Other Names 2012 Digital collage/assemblage
ART DUBAI PROJECTS:
MOBILE ART GALLERY INTERVIEW BY ZAINA SHREIDI
AMONG THE MANY EXCITING PROJECTS HAPPENING AT ART DUBAI IS MOBILE ART GALLERY (MAG), THE CREATION OF CURATORS ISABELLA HUGHES AND ANGELLE SIYANG-LE. WE CAUGHT UP WITH ISABELLA AND ANGELLE FOR SOME INSIGHT INTO MAG, THE ARTISTS TAKING PART, AND WHAT WE CAN EXPECT FROM THIS INTERACTIVE PROJECT INSPIRED BY THE CITY OF DUBAI.
We’re very excited to check out Mobile Art Gallery (MAG) at this year’s Art Dubai! Can you tell us a bit about how the project came out, and why you’ve decided to start this initiative in Dubai?
Rania Jishi, Karim Mortada, Sharmeen Syed, and Sara Al Haddad. We selected the artists based on our previous encounters of their works and certainly their talents.
MAG: It is a contemporary society that we are living in and ‘mobility’ is a societal phenomenon. It is not only an approach to reach a broader range of arts audience for us, but also, it is a lifestyle. We understand the importance of enabling mobility and accessibility in order to gather artists, curators, art-professionals and the general public together. Dubai is known to be the hub of such cultural gatherings globally, and especially in the region; as a result, we feel an urge to encourage the level of mobility for future cultural development and interconnectivity.
Where can we expect to see MAG throughout Art Week?
With the title “The Nonfictional Fantasy”, what can we expect from these artists taking part in MAG? MAG: The theme is very much inspired by and dedicated to Dubai, as one of MAG’s objectives is to bring out the soul of the city through the exhibited artworks. We believe that one of the most essential roles as curators is to motivate the locally based artists to inspire audiences through their innate artistic experiences and observations. Working in various mediums, thematically, the works presented explore the role of escapism, fantasy, and need for reexamination in our everyday lives. Even more specifically, the various mediums represent the tone of voices from the artists and for some of them, how they speak about their interaction with Dubai as a fantasy of reality. We noticed Azim Al Ghussein (a good friend and previous quint intern) is one of the contemporary artists taking part in MAG, and we’re very excited to see such a great up and coming local artist taking part in this project. Are the other artists also locally-based? How did you go about selecting which artists will take part? MAG: Yes, all the artists of MAG are locally based, emerging artists, besides Azim, we are also exhibiting work by: Shamsa Al Omaira, Rami Farook,
MAG: We will be popping around town for 10 days (March 14-23) in our mobile, micro gallery, supported by Aramex at: Al Fahidi (SIKKA Art Fair), Madinat Jumeirah (Art Dubai), American University of Dubai, Alserkal Avenue Arts District, and Safa Park (Gate 5) Will this project only take part during Art Week this year, or is this something that will pop up throughout the year? MAG: It is a project of mobility and surprise! However we would like to dedicate the debut to Art Dubai, they are such a fantastic cultural innovator of the region. We couldn’t be more thrilled to debut as an Art Dubai Project and working with their great team! How can artists find out more about MAG and get involved in future editions of MAG? MAG: Art lovers are welcome to contact the curators, Isabella Ellaheh Hughes (isabella.e.hughes@ gmail.com) and Angelle Siyang-Le (angelle@ angellesiyangle.com) for future involvements with MAG. For information please visit MAG blog at mobileartgallery.tumblr.com To find out more about MAG and curators Isabella and Angelle visit: mobileartgallery.tumblr.com facebook.com/mobileartgalleryindubai www.isabellahughes.com/ www.angellesiyangle.com