PHOTO EXHIBITION AT THE PROJECT SPACE, NYU ABU DHABI (OCT 21 – NOV 5, 2018) Cinemas in the UAE by Ammar Al Attar

Ammar Al Atta, Kalba Station Cinema, 2014 / Courtesy of the artist and The NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery

In the early 1970s, newly-constructed standalone cinemas screened an eclectic array of films from Bangladesh, Egypt, Hollywood, India, Lebanon, Pakistan, and elsewhere, and served as places for communities to gather. As the UAE grew, these evolved into neighborhood cinemas offering increasingly community-centric programming for audiences which were often ignored by state-of-the-art mall multiplexes.

Seeking to provide a more comprehensive account of cinema culture in the UAE and Gulf, such as the weekly family ritual of attending the cinema, or posters used to promote films to diverse audiences, Al Attar’s work offers viewers a glimpse into the history of film culture and theatrical film exhibition. Featuring reworked images from movie posters, film prints, and shipping and box-office receipts for popular films from South Asia, the Middle East, and Hollywood, 'Cinemas in the UAE' conveys the richly intercultural movie-going traditions in the early years of the country. Al Attar also employs salvaged exhibitor paraphernalia, such as a slide projectors and glass slides used to announce audience etiquette or advertise local businesses.

Ammar Al Atta, Manama Ajman Cinema, 2014 / Courtesy of the artist and The NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery

Ammar Al Atta, UAQ Gharnata Cinema, 2014 / Courtesy of the artist and The NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery

Over the past three years, Al Attar has collected movie ephemera - ledgers that document formal and informal distribution of celluloid prints, flyers that were distributed by hand, and posters for films - that represent the material culture of cinema in the UAE. He pairs these salvaged materials with his original photographs of cinemas before and during their demolition. The absence of humans in his imagery has a haunting effect on the viewer, evoking a sense of the imminent extinction of a mode of life.

'Cinemas in the UAE' opens to the public on Sunday, October 21 with a reception in The Project Space from 6 -9 pm. The exhibition is part of the “Film and Visual Media in the Gulf” conference, convened by Alia Yunis and Dale Hudson, at the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute on October 28–30. In conjunction with the conference, an artist talk with Ammar Al Attar will take place in The Project Space on October 29 at 6 pm.

The Project Space is operated by the staff of the NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery and housed within the campus’ Arts Center. It is dedicated to NYU Abu Dhabi’s community projects such as the annual Capstone Festival, semester-end exhibitions of student works, and faculty-curated exhibitions, providing a platform for experimentation and exploration.

Ammar Al Atta, Eldorado Cinema in Abu Dhabi, 2014 / Courtesy of the artist and The NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery

Ammar Al Attar

Ammar Al Attar, born in 1981, is a self-taught photographer and mixed media artist. In his practice Al Attar seeks to document and translate, as well as methodically research and examine aspects of Emirati ritual, material culture, and geographic orientation that are increasingly illusive in this rapidly globalizing society. His work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions in the UAE and Gulf, has been recognized with an A.i.R residency and various prizes, and can be found in prestigious public and private collections throughout the Middle East. Ammar Al Attar lives and works in Ajman in the United Arab Emirates. He is represented by Cuadro Gallery in Dubai.