THE ART CIRCLE
دائرة الفن
12th March
11:00AM
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre
COINS OF ISLAM EXHIBITION
A private tour of the coin exhibition taking place at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre with the curator Dr. Alain Baron, founder of Numismatica Genevensis.
Coins of Islam exhibition consists of approximately 350 rare and precious coins dating from the time of Alexander and largely tracking the emergence of the Islamic empire from just after the time of the Prophet to the emergence of the Caliphates in Syria and its subsequent spread across North Africa into Al Andalus.
The exhibition narrates the history of coinage across different Islamic eras and highlights the cultural interaction and exchange among cultures.
This is the first time that the collection of the rare and precious coins is being brought together for public viewing.
09th March
10:00AM
Cultural Centre
Abu Dhabi
TALK: ART BETWEEN SAUDI ARABIA, UAE & GCC
A private tour of the Red Palace exhibition with the curator Reem Fadda followed by a purview of the Gulf art scene.
The Red Palace takes inspiration from the historical 20th century ‘Red Palace’ and its role within Saudi Arabia’s key historical and political events of that era. Collecting memorabilia, relics, and discarded objects from various sites, artist Sultan Bin Fahad creates sculptures and installations that explore the transformative potential of the ruin to stand in for what was lost and its reformulation within the country’s social metamorphosis.
Reem Fadda, the director of the AD Cultural Foundation, was the former Associate Curator, Middle Eastern Art for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Project from 2010-2016. Between 2005-2007, she was Director of the Palestinian Association for Contemporary Art (PACA) and worked as Academic Director to the International Academy of Art – Palestine, which she helped found in 2006. She was appointed as the curator for the National Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates of the 55th Venice Biennale, 2012, and was recently the curator of the 6th Marrakech Biennale, held Feb-May 2016.
25th February
10:00AM
Dubai
VISIT TO SAFWAN DAHOUL’S STUDIO
Visit to Safwan Dahoul studio followed by a visit to Ayyam gallery in Alserkal Avenue, to view his latest work.
Safwan Dahoul is a Syrian artist mostly known for his beautiful melancholic and monochromatic works that present influences from the Cubist style of Picasso ranging to Assyrian and Pharaonic art. Since the late 1980s, the artist began an ongoing body of work investigating the dream state.
19th February 11:00AM
Sharjah Maraya Art Center
2:00PM
Mleiha Archaeological Site
LI HONGBO EXHIBITION & MLEIHA ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
11:00 - Private tour of the Maraya Art Center - Sharjah and the ongoing exhibition of Li Hongbo lead by its director Nina Heidemann and the curator Jolaine Frizzell.
12:00 - Heading to Mleiha (1 hour drive)
13:00 - Lunch at Bistrot café
14:00 - Visit of the archeological site (involving a short hike in the desert) and Mleiha archeological museum guided by Ajmal Hasan Mohamed, the education manager.
17:00 - Departure to Abu Dhabi
4th February
7:00PM – 9:30PM Lina’s Residence
TALK: PIAGET, ART AND ARTISTS FOLLOWED BY A COCKTAIL
Building on over 140 years of history, the audacious Maison Piaget innovates by offering in-motion, elegant and extravagant creations. In a world unconstrained by boundaries, Piaget the watchmaker-jeweller continues to explore unexpected creative possibilities, turning gold, stones and gems into brilliant works of art.
Annick Vernet-Travail, High-Jewellery Manager at Piaget, will present the artistic dimension of the brand and the relationships that Piaget has developed with artists throughout its history. From Salvador Dali in 1967 to the Dutch artists, the Verhoeven twins in 2019, art and artists have been in constant dialogue with Piaget through both formal collaboration and simple friendly relationships.
After four years as Associate Specialist with Christies’s International, Annick Vernet-Travail moved to Piaget Switzerland in 2015. She is responsible for High-Jewellery Sales development in Geneva.
28th Jan - 2nd Feb
Jeddah, KSA
TRIP TO JEDDAH: 21,39 JEDDAH ARTS
Attending the Opening of the 7th edition of 21,39 Jeddah Art, “إيتها الأرض، I love you urgently “ curated by Maya El Khalil, and ‘’Architecture of Tomorrow: Frei Otto’s Legacy in Saudi Arabia’’ curated by Maya El Khalil and Prof Georg Vrachliotis.
A VIP packed program and an Immersion into Art from Saudi and the Mina region: exhibitions, talks, gallery visits and artist studio visits in Jeddah and Al Balad, Jeddah’s old town, an UNESCO World Heritage
A day trip to visit Al Ula , 1st UNESCO World Heritage sight, and contemporary land art exhibition curated by desert X.
23rd January
10:30AM - 12:30PM
Spinneys Bldg.
Khalidiya
First Floor – Apt. 106
VISIT TO MARI GAMARRA’S STUDIO
Mari Gamarra will show us her latest painting of the series “The Eye of the Artist in the UAE” and the series: “Tanshumants” which she is currently working on.
The world of the Colombian-American artist-painter Mari Gamarra is pure “magical realism”. Her creative process overlaps reality and dreams. It is a powerful reflection of expressions of emotion, events, life, and hope which combine into unique poetic compositions and overflow onto her canvasses.
