Abu Dhabi Art announced that the “Horizons for Emerging Artists” program will display the works of Al Maha Jarallah, Samo Shalabi and Latifa Saeed during the Venice Biennale activities, which will be held at the Marignana Art Gallery in Venice from April 16 to May 15, under the slogan “Foreigners Everywhere.” ».
Commenting on the matter, Samo Shalabi, one of the participating artists, said: “There is no doubt that being invited to display my artwork in Venice is a great honor and an amazing opportunity to display my work on the international scene. I look forward to presenting my latest work, “Hidden Worlds,” which I launched during the Abu Dhabi Art Exhibition in November 2023, which integrates personal narratives and expresses them through drawing, installation, and multimedia elements, and through which I aim to create an immersive experience that invites viewers to learn about the complex aspects of identity and perception.”
He added: “For emerging artists like me, these platforms represent vital spaces that enable us to enhance capabilities and challenge everything that is traditional to present a renewed perspective on art and culture. “As an artist from the Middle East, it is necessary to amplify diverse voices and focus global attention on them. I am grateful to the Emerging Artists Horizons program for the support it has provided to artists, and I look forward to sharing my vision with audiences in Venice and elsewhere.”
For her part, Latifa Saeed said: “I am very excited about this opportunity that allows me to weave my narrative within a rich canvas in this prestigious global destination for culture. These opportunities have a profound impact on emerging artists, providing them with a global platform that supports dialogue and growth. Visitors in Venice will see in my work a clear reflection of the essence of my region and its embodiment through a display of a natural phenomenon that we see in the Gulf desert under the title “Dust Devil,” a work that represents a dialogue between innovation and nature. Experimental artworks also give a feeling of contemplation and questioning and invite viewers to delve deeper into the selective and precise harmony in nature between its four elements: air, fire, water and earth.”
Since 2017, the “Emerging Artists Horizons” program, within Abu Dhabi Art activities, has provided a platform for three emerging artists in the Emirates to develop their practices and innovate their ambitious artistic projects, as they participate in a year-long program of visits to artistic workshops and studios under the guidance of one of the guest curators, before Showcasing their work at the prestigious annual exhibition held in November at Manarat Al Saadiyat. The art historian, publisher and curator is the supervisor of this version of the program.
It is noteworthy that this is Abu Dhabi Art’s second participation in Venice and its fourth participation at the global level, designed with the aim of introducing emerging artists in the Emirates to a wide international audience. The timing of the Biennial coincides with Abu Dhabi Art, and provides them with the opportunity to display their work on the international scene and communicate with art specialists and collectors and with artists from all over the world.
*Raw memory
Al Maha Jarallah commented, saying: “Exhibiting works in Venice in cooperation with Abu Dhabi Art is of great importance to me, because of the history of the pearl trade between our region of the world and Europe, especially Venice. Pearl diving was one of the basic businesses for our economy before the oil boom that changed The nature of our lives. As our towns and cities develop, how will we remember the architectural remains of our not-so-distant past, which are already disappearing? Venice is an island, like Abu Dhabi, but as we grapple with radical change, in what seems like a very short time frame, Venice has suffered centuries of floods and damage to its buildings and architecture. I think there are interesting conversations about the architecture in both places, and about the context of showing the installation, Raw Memory, in Venice.
For her part, Diala Nusseibeh, Director of Abu Dhabi Art Fair, said: “Abu Dhabi Art is committed to supporting emerging artists and providing them with a platform to display their work on a large scale. We are grateful to the Friends of Abu Dhabi Art for the distinguished support they provide to emerging artists in the UAE, and enabling them to participate in this international forum.” the important”.