Canadian artist Mathew Shane selected for residency programme at Maraya Art Centre

Art by Mathew Shane / Courtesy of Maraya Art Centre

The initiative is intended to enable the international artist –with the support of the Maraya Art Centre– to experience the culture and heritage of the Middle East during a three-month stay in Sharjah. Shane’s exhibition will open on the 7th May, 2013 at Cuadro Fine Art Gallery.

Speaking of the collaboration with Cuadro Fine Art Gallery, Maraya Art Centre Manager Giuseppe Moscatello said: “The residency programme is in line with Maraya Art Centre’s purpose of nurturing and promoting artists from the Arab region and abroad, and establishing a bridge between local and international artists, and to serve as a platform for international exchange and educational programmes. As such, we are proud to collaborate with Cuadro Fine Art Gallery in its efforts to bridge the cultural divide and provide global artists with a greater understanding of the Middle East.”

Shane, who obtained his BFA from the University of Victoria in 2004, was named National Winner of the Bank of Montreal’s 1st Art Competition and received an Emerging Artist Grant from the Imperial Tobacco Artistic Development Board to exhibit the first of many collaborative projects with artist Jim Holyoak. He is the first artist to join the residency programme in Sharjah.

Commenting on this opportunity Shane, who has already done artist residencies at Art Omi, the Banff Centre, the Vermont Studio Center, and KIAC in Dawson City, Yukon said: “The UAE inspires fear and fascination around the world for its ability to redefine our understanding of what is natural, and what is culturally possible. My own landscapes depict similarly sublime places where natural and built environments fuse and bleed together. I will take influence from the area's innovations in architecture and urban planning.”

Explaining how he plans to spend his time, he stated: “I will trek widely around Sharjah and Dubai, taking notes and photographing places of interest. Back in the studio, my impressions will be projected, embedded, reconfigured, layered over, and built up on the canvas. My work will reveal a physical and mental exploration of the area, and my own fleeting place within it.”

The residency programme will present Shane with a unique opportunity to live and work in the heart of the Middle East. Speaking of what he hopes to gain from the experience, Shane said: “What I would hope to gain from this residency is the beginning of a relationship with the MENA region. I will aim to integrate myself within the art scene, and to better understand the intricacies of life in the UAE. This residency will build on my current working methods, and will push my practice into an immersive new territory. I hope to share my interpretation of this exciting part of the world with all those around me.”

Canadian artist Mathew Shane working / Courtesy of Maraya Art Centre

Maraya Art Centre

A non-profit art space and cultural platform located in Al Qasba, Sharjah, the Maraya Art Centre is an initiative by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), with the purpose of promoting young artists from both the Arab region and the international art scene. Officially launched in March 2010, it is one of the UAE’s most spectacular venues for contemporary visual arts. A three-storey art centre, established over 1500 square meters located in the heart of UAE’s cultural capital, it includes the Maraya Art Gallery on the third floor, the Barjeel Art Foundation on the second floor, which features the private collection of Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, and Maraya Community, which offers a diverse range of programmes and educational activities, on the first floor.