ART EVENT Abu Dhabi Art Announces 2014 Programme

"This year, the Abu Dhabi Art programme will celebrate the upcoming opening of Abu Dhabi museums and finds inspiration in the spirit of the future museums’ collections. It will consist of three main sectors: a daily public forum examining the importance of museums as sites of action and new experiences; a performing arts programme exploring concepts of universality and transversality and themes such as humankind’s complex relationship with nature and the passage of time, culture and ideas between one civilization and another; and a set of public art, design and architecture initiatives that connect with the wider city and communities of Abu Dhabi" says Rita Aoun-Abdo, Executive Director, Culture Sector, TCA Abu Dhabi.

François Morellet, Pier and Ocean, 2014. 38 blue argon neon tubes & wooden pier made by Tadashi Kawamata, Variable dimensions / Courtesy of the Artists and kamel mennour, Paris

TALKS

Abu Dhabi Art features a daily public forum that aims to introduce audiences to the ever-expanding community of art-world figures who by their presence at Abu Dhabi Art,are working together to enhance the UAE art scene. This year the programme is inspired by the 'life' of Modern Museums, including the future museums of Saadiyat Island, as spaces of education, performanceand experience.

Reflecting on these themes will be a Louvre Abu Dhabi: Talking Art Series panel featuring Jean Nouvel, Ernesto Neto and Vincent Pomarede titled 'Museums as Sites for New Experiences', and a playful lecture-performance by Martin Creed titled 'What is Art?' Artist and art work engagement with wider audiences is also explored in talks by world-renowned artists such as the legendary Richard Long, one of the founders of the 'land art' movement, as well as inspiring talks by Hassan Hajjaj and Job Smeets of the design collective Studio Job,whose works represent different perspectives on popular culture.

The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi collection will be discussed and part of it will be on display for audiences to experience in the exhibition Seeing Through Light: Selections from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Collection, which opens in parallel with Abu Dhabi Art. Featuring interactive and engaging artworks that use light as a medium and a muse, the exhibition is enhanced by a public panel that introduces audiences to three artists in the exhibition and collection: Angela Bulloch, Rachid Koraichi and Shirazeh Houshiary.

Nargess Hashemi / Carpet, 2014, Pen on graph paper, 100x70 cm, / Courtesy of the Artist and IVDE

PERFORMING ARTS

Abu Dhabi Art presents live and interactive performances, including 'Hours and Colours', a programme that progresses with the precision of a clock punctuated by performing art moments that stand out and mark the experience of every visitor with ever-changing interactive content.

Hours of each day will be associated with a particular colour (blue, orange and violet) and its correlating symbols. At these times, visitors will gather for art performances with interrelated forms of content presented within a particular coloured ambiance. Like a clock, 'Hours and Colours' marks moments in the days of Abu Dhabi Art bringing audiences incrementally closer to the universal cultural future of Abu Dhabi.

Inspired by the French Gothic manuscript Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (c.1410) (The very Rich Hours of the Duke of Berry), which references the techniques of illumination and calligraphy that are common points in both Islamic and Occidental Art, Hours and Colours will articulate these connections in a programme that includes: 'Blue, a true color in Art', a video screening with music by Nils Frahm, featuring works of art from Ancient Egypt to the modern day; 'Killer Road' by legendary artist and musician Patti Smith, a sound exploration and meditation on the idea of perpetual motion and the cycle of life and death; 'Nioun Rec' (Only us) by Amala Dianor, an improvised dialogue between music and dance; and 'RisingCarpet' an activated art-installation by Moussa Sarr.

Steven Naifeh Saida III Copper, 2013, Copper, Plated Steel, 365.76 x 762 cm / Courtesy of the Artist and Leila Heller Gallery

Durub Al Tawaya is another performance programme that embarks on a journey expanding temporally from Abu Dhabi Art in November through 2015 and continues to explore the tawaya (spaces) of the city. This year’s edition is inspired by the philosophical themes and the dramatical structure of Hayy Bin Yaqzan, a 12th century novel written by the Andalusian scientist and philosopher Ibn Tufail. The novel explores the complexities of the relationship between humankind and nature and proposes an early theory on materialism and humans’ dependence on material goods that is a distraction from the truth. Durub Al Tawaya will focus on performing arts in collaboration with different artistic and cultural local and international organisations, to present: 'Paper Music', a cine-concert with video animation by William Kentridge and live music composed by Philip Miller exploring the connection between sound and image; 'SSS Shore Scene Soundtrack' a performance by Cevdet Erek, about mimicking the sea and capturing the essence of its movement and sound; 'That Night Follows Day' by Tim Etchells and Forced Entertainment, performed by 16 young people from the city of Abu Dhabi exploring with clarity and humor the economics of parenting, education, discipline and care; and 'Automobile' by Joe Namy, a street performance exploring the sonic freedom that exists in the desert surrounding the city of Abu Dhabi.

Aghighi Bakshayeshi / Tawaf, 2014. Ink on canvas, 200x200 cm / Courtesy of the Artist and Kashya Hilderbrand Gallery

BEYOND

This year, Abu Dhabi Art engages with the city of Abu Dhabi through Beyond, a programme that has grown from presentations of large-scale sculpture at the fair, to presentations of public art in other locations on Saadiyat Island and throughout Abu Dhabi. A wider public will have a chance to experience and enjoy monumental works by Francois Morellet, Subodh Gupta, Mohammed Kazem, Shilpa Gupta, Sahand Hesamiyan and Ai Wei Wei, among others.

Abu Dhabi Art also combines the living intangible heritage of the UAE with contemporary design, continuing to highlight the unique qualities of the UAE design aesthetic through programmes such as the Wings Projectwhich provides emerging Emirati artists and designers an opportunity to reimagine the Abu Dhabi Art 'wing' logo. In addition, the Abu Dhabi Art UAE Designer Programme, culminates this year with a presentation of innovative design product prototypes using elements of UAE craft by Fatima Al Zaabi, Noora Al Awar and Khuloud Sharafi of TINKAH.

Fatema Al Mazrouie / Nostalgia series, 2014 / Courtesy of the artist and Salwa Zeidan Gallery

Abu Dhabi Art also looks back toone of the foundations of art, to architecture, which is a central focus in the development and vision of Abu Dhabi. This year, Abu Dhabi Art commissions an architect, a progressive UAE-based architecture firm, to re-imagine the atrium of Manarat Al Saadiyat, conceiving a space for Artyfact, and the presentation of work by UAE designers.

All of this and more will soon take centre stage at Manarat Al Saadiyat alongside a number of the world’s best modern and contemporary art and design galleries. For an updated gallery list and event programme details, please visit the website.