ART FAIR (October 5-8, 2017) The Third Line at Frieze London

Abbas Akhavan’s new works on paper were created during his 2017 residency at Atelier Calder in Saché, France. Shown for the first time, the unique ink drawings imitate plants indigenous to the area, found in the atelier’s glasshouse. Crossing over from the interior space to the backyard, Abbas touches on the boundaries of the free and domesticated. The organic imprints resonate a realm familiar but unknown.

Abbas Akhavan, Untitled, 2017, Ink on Canson paper, Diptych: 50 x 65 cm each / Courtesy of The Third Line and the artist

Amir H. Fallah’s works present a critical observation of the construct of portraiture by dismissing the essential identifiers such as race, age or gender. Surrounding his subjects by an assortment of items - primarily personal belongings and memorabilia such pieces of clothing, jewellery and mementos – Amir invites the viewer to decipher the clues that reference that the subject’s roots and cultural heritage.

Amir H. Fallah, Invisible Boundary, 2017, Installation view / Courtesy of The Third Line and the artist

Hayv Kahraman examines the violence of sound and the sonic trauma connected to her past - and that of many others - an Iraqi immigrant. More than a host to her iconic female protagonists, Hayv's canvas becomes a means of interrogating the power of sound and its cascading associations: sharply cut grids of slits across the women's bodies materialize violence while the foam backing concealed by the perforations offers the comforting idea of a sonic shield.

The unique prints by Laleh Khorramian are void of any direct reference, revealing the beauty of their visual form. The artist’s series initially references specific narratives, realistic and mystical, though these scenarios are subverted and de-familiarized through technical interventions. By means of enlarging, erasing and re-drawing, Laleh uncovers a deeper level of meaning – exploring the bounds between the real and the ethereal.

Laleh Khorramian, Left: Landscape Scroll-4, 2016, Right: Landscape Scroll-5, 2016. Monotype and mixed media on polypropylene, 132 x 51 cm each / Courtesy of The Third Line and the artist

Reaction, a new series by Sara Naim, consists of organic forms made from sculpture-like photographs that magnify a small area of Polaroid film, where chemistry and light react to form microcosms of chemical reactions. In our current social environment dominated by the satisfaction of an instant shot, the enlargement poses the question of what creates an image. The works’ shapes move away from the standard photographic format and mimic the intentional but arbitrary form of chemical reactions.

Sara Naim, Reaction #3 #4 (diptych), 2016-2017, C-type digital print, Plexiglass and wood, 148 x 100 cm / Courtesy of The Third Line and the artist

The Third Line is a Dubai based art gallery that represents contemporary Middle Eastern artists locally, regionally and internationally. The Third Line also hosts non-profit, alternative programs to increase interest and dialogue in the region. Represented artists include: Abbas Akhavan, Ala Ebtekar, Amir H. Fallah, Arwa Abouon, Babak Golkar, Farah Al Qasimi, Farhad Moshiri, Fouad Elkoury, Golnaz Fathi, Hassan Hajjaj, Hayv Kahraman, Huda Lutfi, Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige, Laleh Khorramian, Lamya Gargash, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Pouran Jinchi, Rana Begum, Sahand Hesamiyan, Sara Naim, Sherin Guirguis, Shirin Aliabadi, Slavs and Tatars, Sophia Al-Maria, Tarek Al-Ghoussein, Youssef Nabil and Zineb Sedira.