ART EVENT Maraya Art Centre Participates in 6th Edition of Abu Dhabi Art Fair

Photo above: Maraya Art Centre Stand at Abu Dhabi Art / Courtesy of Maraya Art Centre

Located at Manarat Al Saadiyat on Saadiyat Island and organised by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), Abu Dhabi Art creates an inviting sensory experience by incorporating an unconventional public programme - comprising of art, talks, workshops and intriguing events - into an international art fair.

A highlight at the ADAF will be Maraya’s teaming up with the Animation Chamber to host an eccentric workshop titled ‘Exquisite Corpse Cut-Out Puppets’ on November 8 at the Abu Dhabi Art Community Workshops.

Maraya Art Centre Stand at Abu Dhabi Art / Courtesy of Maraya Art Centre

Celebrating the surrealist technique with the same name, ‘exquisite’ or ‘rotating corpse’ was first popularised during the height of surrealism in the 1920s. It paralleled - in the art world - an old parlour game called ‘Consequences’ in a divergent now known as ‘Picture Consequences’, and focused on the spirit of collaboration between artists. One artist would start a sketch or drawing on a folded sheet of paper, only to pass it on to another artist who would then continue the second portion of the drawing, and then pass it on to a final artist who would complete the artwork, with an often refreshing and surprising artistic outcome.

The upcoming ‘Exquisite Corpse Cut-Out Puppets’ workshop will apply a similar procedure in the making of cut-out puppets typically used for animation. Instructors will provide various prints of well-known images of full human figures, derived from famous paintings, sculptures and etchings, from which participants can select a number of images and proceed to segment them, as per live demonstration. The participants will then be able to assemble the pieces of the puppet using joints provided in class. Upon completion of one set of limbs or body part, the puppet will be passed on to the next participant, who can then add a next set of limbs or body parts from their own pile of assorted puppet segments. The puppet will pass all of ten times before being completed, and the resulting ‘exquisite corpse’ puppet can then be used by the participants to experiment with cut-out animation on a station set-up in the workshop.

Maraya Art Centre Stand at Abu Dhabi Art / Courtesy of Maraya Art Centre

When asked about their participation at the event, Giuseppe Moscatello, Maraya Art Manager replied: "We at Maraya Art Centre are thrilled to represent Sharjah’s flourishing art scene at the sixth edition of the Abu Dhabi Art Fair, especially as we are also launching the world tour of Islamopolitan at the exciting international Istanbul Design week over this time. It is a privilege to be situated within the Abu Dhabi Art Community alongside other world-class non-profit creative organisations from the UAE."

Places for the ‘Exquisite Corpse’ Workshop are limited and admission will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.