DIFC hosts Art Nights @ Gate Village 2
Press Release 29 Apr 2012 11:33 amThe Dubai International Financial Centre (“DIFC”) announced today that it is hosting one more of its popular Art Nights @ Gate Village on Tuesday, May 8 from 7-10 pm, just before the arts and cultural activities come to a pause for the summer. Following up on a successful 18 months of events that have attracted art enthusiasts from around the country, Art Nights @ Gate Village will bring an eventful and colourful season of art activities to a close.
The art-focus initiative is taking place in the heart of Dubai’s financial district; DIFC Gate Village, home to an impressive collection of galleries, boutiques, restaurants and high-end cafes. Having attracted nearly 5000 visitors at its previous edition in March 2012, this season’s last Art Night seeks to reaffirm the Gate Village’s role in bringing art enthusiasts together and in promoting the region’s vibrant art and culture scene.
The event is known for its unique vibe in bringing together high-end commercial art with local artists and musicians to create a welcoming, relaxed and creatively buzzing setting. Since its inception, the event has grown in popularity attracting everyone from art collectors and bankers to young creative art-lovers and families.
Visitors to Art Night @ Gate Village can expect the usual high standard of artwork in the galleries as new exhibitions are opened in the eight spaces: Art Sawa, Artspace, Ayyam Gallery, Cuadro Fine Art, Opera Gallery, The Empty Quarter, The Farjam Collection and XVA Gallery. There will also be a series of special events on the night in the boutiques including Aliel, The Rug Company, u energy and Andrew Martin.
Continuing its support of local talent, the last night will feature live drawing by artist Fathima Mohiuddin, who will be accompanied by live opera on the night. Guests will also get to enjoy the canapés and drinks provided by The Ritz-Carlton, DIFC.
Art Nights @ Gate Village is free and open to the public.
GALLERY EXHIBITIONS
ARTSPACE Gallery
‘My Family’ by Mohamed Abla
ARTSPACE has the pleasure to showcase 'My Family' a solo show of artworks by established Egyptian artist 'Mohamed Abla' that runs through until May 20. The exhibition 'My Family', narrates a story of the artist who invites us into his home, past and present. The viewer is taken on a journey into the artist's life to meet some of the characters that have formed his past. His artworks weave a rich tapestry of stories of old and new, and give the viewer an insight to family life in Egypt and that of the artist. Mohamed Abla's artworks stir the memory, with nostalgic imagery and touching portraits of family scenes that somehow feel familiar.
Art Sawa
‘Commentaries’ by Mohammad El Rawas
Art Sawa invites you to the opening of ‘Commentaries’ by Mohammad El Rawas.Mohammad El Rawas’s work is a narrative and record of his emotional and intellectual reactions to circumstances and events, personal or otherwise, happening or prevailing at the time, hence the diversity of the themes tackled in each work and hence the cynical and absurd flavour permeating his work.
Ayyam Gallery
‘It’s No Longer About Me’ by Mohannad Orabi
‘It’s No Longer About Me’, a solo exhibition of new work by Syrian artist, Mohannad Orabi, will present a shift in the artist’s subject matter and display an evident progression in stylistic rendering and a maturing of technique. Diverging from his trademark playful, infantile subjects with deeply cavernous almond-shaped eyes that seem to float within the confines of the canvas, his new works are less gestural and less sharply delineated by shape. Where once empty ocular cavities stared hauntingly, glimmering irises now pierce the viewer.
The Young Collectors Auction Catalog
Ayyam Gallery will also be giving away catalogs of the seventh edition of its Young Collectors Auction. Comprising over sixty lots, this edition of The Young Collectors Auction will feature painting, sculpture, photography, silkscreen, and installation works from renowned and emerging artists throughout the region.
Cuadro Fine Art Gallery
‘The Imprint’ by Niloufar Banisadr
Beyond the diversity of shapes, colors or textures, these towels tell their own story. They are the imprints of unclad and unrestrained bodies. Heavy, light, lively or static, these bodies rise, move away and leave their imprints. In their grooves and furrows, the curbs of their folds memorize a posture between presence and absence.
Opera Gallery
‘Secret of the Veil’ (Memories wrapped in gold paper)
Opera Gallery invites you to the opening of ‘Secret of the Veil’ (Memories Wrapped in Gold Paper) featuring new series of paintings by critically claimed Spanish painter, Lita Cabellut.
Lita Cabellut is considered to be a painter with a unique pictorial language, using a contemporary variation on the fresco-technique and her own personalized 'Cabellut-palette'. Born in 1961, Lita lived her gypsy-childhood in Barcelona, her works are inspired by memories of the old area Barcelona, El Raval, with closeness to the docks, La Bocquerai market, Las Ramblas and Sant Antonie market, replete with pickpockets, street performers and of course, street walkers.
The Empty Quarter Gallery
‘Poetry of Speed’– Group Exhibition
The Empty Quarter Gallery invites you to the opening of ‘Poetry of Speed’, a photography exhibition celebrating the UAE’s forty years of achievement.
Featuring works by Maitha bint Khalid, Andre Lavadinho, Genoveva Kriechbaum, Kareem Mohsen Sahib and Marwan Zouhair Naanmani, this exhibition will look back in time to where the love for racing of this nation started during the era the Bedouins ruled on camel and horse back, accompanied by falcons and salukis. The traditions have lived on, today being raced on par with those using modern horsepower, such as Formula One. ‘Poetry of Speed’ will express in pictures, the emotions felt when the power of nature, people and machines meet.
The Farjam Collection
‘Hybrid’ by Shirin Alibadi
The current exhibition on at The Farjam Collection is ‘Hybrid’, a solo show by Iranian artist Shirin Aliabadi. Encompassing works from Aliabadi’s previous series of Girls in Cars, Miss Hybrid, City Girls, and Eye Love You, this exhibition presents two new bodies of work not viewed before, which recontexualizes the depiction of Iranian feminine beauty and freedom that mark a constant theme throughout her work. This exhibition is ongoing until June 19.
XVA Gallery
Solo Exhibition by Hussein Al-Mohasen
The XVA Gallery DIFC is pleased to invite you to the opening of the exhibition by Saudi Arabian artist Hussein Al-Mohasen. The artist, known for his bold, colourful approach will open his exhibition by undertaking a graffiti installation, to be created live on site.
Hussein’s figurative works on canvas and paper combines baleful objects and machinery with strikingly vivid colour. Through the eyes of the artist, Hussein manages to alter perceptions imbued with deep political connotations. In addition, the artist takes inspiration from music and Arabic poetry, using graffiti on canvas and paper to explore freedom and the relationship between spaces and calligraphy.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Aliel
Pietra Collection
Aliel invites you to its exclusive viewing of the Pietra Collection. Dressed with pave diamonds to give definition to the design motif, the Pietra collection fashionably stylizes a unique way to enliven the majestic solitaire. Each gem is meticulously cut to frame another, expressing the concept of "stone in stone". Always classical, sophisticated and graceful.
Andrew Martin
Nostalgia
Evoking memories of days gone by, the ‘Nostalgia’ theme has emerged as one of the significant trends in interior design for 2012. Andrew Martin celebrates the joys of yesteryear with its collection of movie memorabilia, retro print fabrics and unique vintage collectables. Take a step back in time at the Andrew Martin Sho wroom and enjoy a wide verity of eclectic furniture, unique lighting, and one off accessories.Andrew Martin is located in Gate Village 07.
The Rug Company
Paul Smith Collectables
The Rug Company invites you to a special event to celebrate Paul Smith’s collection of handmade rugs, wallhangings and cushions & his 10 year exclusive collaboration with The Rug Company.The Rug Company is located in Gate Village 02.
u energy
Members Reception
In collaboration with Blue Marlin Dubai, UAE's first boutique health club, u energy, welcomes its members to an exclusive reception during Art Nights. U energy is a turnkey health and fitness concept which is dedicated to being unique and consistently providing high customer satisfaction to Dubai’s exclusive market. The gym ‘u energy’ offers personal training, group sports specific training, corporate training, sports/ physical therapy; in a hip, trendy setting with functional equipment (unique to the UAE), running track, MMA Cage (for boxing & mixed martial arts), functional climbing area, and a DJ area. This evening is open to the u energy family and Blue Marlin members only.
LIVE MUSIC
‘A virtuoso display of avant-garde vocal classics’ by Clare & David Lasser
Art Nights is pleased to presents a virtuoso display of avant-garde vocal classics with Clare Lesser (Soprano) and David Lesser (Technical Support), performing works by John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Donizetti/Serra.
British coloratura soprano Clare Lesser has a remarkable voice; she sails through this recital of daunting contemporary music for very high voice with astonishing ease. She specializes in the performance of 20th and 21st century music, and has collaborated with many composers on new works, giving over fifty premieres. David Lesser studied the piano at the Royal College of Music in London and then the music composition at the University of Huddersfield. His music has been widely performed in Britain and Europe by Ensemble Aleph, Accroche Note, Linda Hirst, Ian Pace and others. As a performer he specializes in the music of the Twentieth century, vocal repertoire, and has given a number of world and British premieres.
Music performance is sponsored by gallery Art Sawa.
LIVE ART
Fathima Mohiuddin
Art Nights is pleased to bring back Dubai-based artist Fathima Mohiuddin, founder of The Domino. Fathima's distinctive style of mark making has been seen around town in murals, on canvases in stop motion videos and more recently live art. Her gestural style of drawing accesses something in the psyche that is primeval and free while at the same time chaotic and in response to social conditions.
