Art Dubai

Stu finally agreed to go with me to Art Dubai this morning (see nagging does work) as it was the last day of the show and I made him feel guilty that we don’t see and do enough cultural stuff here (ok the limited budget isn’t helping either but anyway). This acquiesence may have been helped by the fact that there wasn’t a Super 14 match on the box at the time but whatever the reason, we went and I am happy.

Essentially the show is a joint exhibition by 70 odd galleries from around the world showcasing different (contemporary) artists and their work, both paintings and sculpture (and video which I still can’t totally get). The venue was the Arena at the Madinat, which is next to the Jumeirah Beach hotel and the Souq Madinat. Stu’s reluctance may also have had something to do with the fact that there is never anywhere to park at the Souq. Somehow we timed it well and were lucky enough to find a bay to squeeze the car into (they are particularly tiny there for some reason). On the way there we used the new bridge (hoorah) over SZR from the Greens to Knowledge Village, and along the way saw a huge lizard crossing the road. This guy was at least 1 meter long, light greenish-yellow with what looked like a hood. We didn’t stop to take a pic which I now regret as I have spent half an hour looking for this online and can only deduce that is probably somebody’s escaped exotic pet as it doesn’t appear to be indigenous to the UAE.

We were even luckier on arriving at the Arena to find that as HSBC “status” customers we qualified for free entry tickets, sponsored by them as supporters of the show. Fantastic!

The first exhibit was a Van Cleef and Arpels display called “Poetry of Time” highlighting a selection of their astonishingly beautiful time-pieces, some dating back to 1924. Unbelievably detailed and intricate, some of the faces are hand painted; there was a lady demonstrating how it’s done using a microscope. It gave me eye-strain just watching her.

We then proceeded to the rest of the show where I hauled my camera out to take pictures (everybody else was) only to discover the battery was flat. I had to resort to snapping away with my phone (apologies for the quality) and have included some of my favourite pieces below, enjoy.

Now from a distance this looks like draped fabric, but up close you realise it is entirely made of aluminium and wire, as you can see in the picture below.

And the same thing zoomed in…



This next one looks to me like something you would see if you were looking through glass bricks. Lovely effect.

The next one looks like a living bonsai tree, plucked from the earth and suspended in the room, but is made of textile, papier-mâché, acrylic and electrical cable. Fantastic.

And last, but by no means least, a rather frightening collection of saw blades stuck in the wall..

That’s all for today. I hope you feel as inspired as I do today by the talent on display. Enjoy the remainder of your weekend. 🙂