DIFC hosts Art Nights @ Gate Village 4
Press Release 10 Jan 2012 01:21 pmThe Dubai International Financial Centre (“DIFC”) announced today that it is hosting the New Year’s first Art Nights @ Gate Village on Sunday, January 15 from 7-9 PM. Aimed at highlighting the significant role that DIFC Gate Village holds in the development of the arts and culture of the UAE, the forthcoming Art Nights will present a diverse programme of events.
Art Nights returns after a successful series of vibrant cultural evenings that take place at the heart of Dubai’s financial district – DIFC Gate Village; a contemporary urban area that’s home to a collection of galleries, boutiques, restaurants and high‐end cafes.
Abdulla Mohammed Al Awar, CEO, DIFC Authority, said: “In addition to being a leading global financial hub, Dubai is now emerging as an important home of the arts. Hosting Art Nights @ Gate Village reaffirms our contribution to the overall development of Dubai as a leading international city, in which arts play an integral role. The arts industry is growing by the day, with some of the most valuable and interesting collections housed right here in the Middle East, and we will continue to support the industry through housing initiatives such as this”.
The ongoing series of Art Nights @ Gate Village has become an essential part of Dubai’s calendar highlighting the important role that DIFC Gate Village plays in bringing art enthusiasts together. The event has grown in popularity and esteem through 2011 attracting everyone from art collectors and bankers to young creatives and families. The unique location and lineup of exhibition openings as well as live acts creates an attractive ambience and experience for visitors and has come to play an integral role in promoting and supporting the arts and culture in Dubai.
The upcoming Art Nights will feature several new exhibitions, special receptions, viewings, live art and music. Guests will also get to enjoy the canapés and drinks provided by The Ritz-Carlton, DIFC.
The evening will be complimented by a performance by Dubai-based DJ Lobito, who was recently rated as one of the top ten DJs in his style worldwide.
Art Nights @ Gate Village is free and open to the public.
Full Art Nights Programme - January 15, 2012
GALLERY EXHIBITIONS
ARTSPACE Gallery
‘I...Revolution’ by Mohammed Taman
This exhibition is a result of an affair between art and politics. An attempt to review and comment on the political reality of contemporary Egypt post revolution- a harvest of personal experiences of the artist in the political field for nearly a year of the Revolution age.
The artist makes a visual narrative for some of the events that took place during his short political experience, at other times he reviews his point of view in the contemporary political reality and his critical vision for some new and extraordinary facts.
www.artspace-dubai.com
Art Sawa
‘Love, War & Dream’ by Ahmed Al Bahrani
‘Still Nature’ by Zena Assi
‘Love, War & Dream’ is monumental sculpture by artist Ahmed Al Bahrani that depicts hope amongst the recent violence and protests in the Arab world.
Through the works on show in ‘Still Nature’, Lebanese artist Zena Assi offers a different take on still-life paintings which traditionally depict unanimated objects or scenes. Her pieces pose questions pertaining to the line that separates still life and nature mortein the context of Lebanon's socio-political situation. In her reinterpretation, the still life becomes a vehicle for exploration in order to reveal the physical and emotional subtext of her homeland's contemporary society.
www.artsawa.com
Ayyam Gallery
‘Dirty Laundry’ by Tammam Azzam
Continuing his acclaimed body of work, which utilizes rope, clothespins and other found objects, young Syrian artist, Tammam Azzam remains interested in the visual possibilities of basic components amidst an organic state. For Azzam, the benefit of working from such methodology is that it facilitates the creation of an artwork as a “hybrid form,” one that is capable of borrowing and multiplying as it evolves.
Ayyam Gallery will also be giving away catalogs of the sixth edition of its Young Collectors Auction. Featuring more than 70 lots from many of the top emerging and established artists in the Middle East, the auction will be held on January 17 at the Ayyam Art Center, Al Quoz.
Cuadro Fine Art Gallery
‘Method to the Madness’ and ‘On Paper’
Method to the Madness:Artworks in exhibitions are presented as completed objects. The audience acts as observers - outside the artistic process, rather than integral to it. Cuadro alters this paradigm by including peripheral materials that unveil the process of artistic choice and the evolutionary nature of the creation of art.
On Paper: Cuadro presents the works of artists who explore the prominence of the line through gestural mark-making and action painting.
Video Installation
Cuadro presents experimental video art by local and international based artists
Opera Gallery
Johanne Corno and Sylvain Tremblay Retrospective
Opera Gallery invites you to the opening of its first retrospective exhibition of two renowned contemporary Canadian artists, Johanne Corno and Sylvain Tremblay.
Johanne Corno’s expressionist style fuses with her underlying figurative details, resulting in a work that both stimulates the imagination and throws the viewer off balance. The swirls of assorted colors slowly meld together in harmony creating a beautiful infinite space bursting with desire and passion.
Sylvain Tremblay’s works have always been anchored in the inescapable passage of time, use and texture. His themes converge on the human condition in an industrialised, urban context
www.operagallery.com
The Empty Quarter
‘Third Rock from the Sun, a Journey into Space’
Societe Perrier Dubai and The Empty Quarter present “Third Rock from the Sun, a Journey into Space” a photography exhibition featuring Vincent Fournier, Jan Kempenaers , Nicholas de Monchaux , Maurice Loewy & Pierre Puiseux, The Lebanese Rocket Society and Sultan bin Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, the first Arab Astronaut. The show also premiers films such as “Space Tourists” by Christian Frei and “Mars Underground” by Scott J. Gill.
The Farjam Collection
‘Chants from Paradise’ – Safavid Carpets
Special Screening of ‘The Voided Loom’
The Voided Loom is the story of Kelardasht (North of Iran) carpet, how it initiated from a way of life and a noble philosophy of a devoted ethnicity with nomadic origin, freedom of forms and imaginative designs. Directed by Sarah Moridpour, film music and editing done by Pouya Afshar.
The screening will coincide with The Farjam Collection’s current exhibition
‘Chants from Paradise’, selection of Safavid carpets from one of the most
significant ruling dynasties of Iran, whose cultivation of the arts is a key
point in the history of Islamic Art.
XVA Gallery
‘Transgressions’ by Al Braithwaite
XVA presents new work by London based mixed-media artist Al Braithwaite, for his third solo show in the Emirate. Transgressions encompasses painting, cabinetry, drawing and his wide-ranging collection of repurposed European antiques and rearranged objects. Variously ambivalent and self-contained, Transgressions takes seemingly familiar subjects and allows them to be freshly viewed by being reindexed and relocated.
LIVE ART
u energy
‘The Tension of Balance’ by Rebecca Rendell– Live sculpture Installation
Continuing their support of the creative community, the region’s first boutique health club, u energy, presents a live sculpture installation by Rebecca Rendall outside its space in Gate Village 4.
Rebecca Rendell is a UAE based visual artist, she produces three-dimensional work that is a fusion of mixed media ad geometry. 'The Tension of Balance' is a sculptural idea initially drawn from textile weaving. The invisible tension between two entities is a concept that can be applied to numerous situations. Balance is a vital formula needed to maintain harmony; between human relationships, within ourselves, with respect to our environment, and in countless other ways.
www.uconcept6.com
www.rebeccarendell.com
LIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCE
DJ Lobito
Recently rated as one of the top ten DJs in his style worldwide, Dubai-based Lobito is a turntablist and vinyl collector with an eclectic style and vast vinyl collection rooted in deep funk, cut n paste, latin beats, brazilian breaks, afrobeat, classic hip hop, soul, downtempo, reggae, block party sounds and all things drum related. He is also a pioneer of breakin music in the Middle East and regional representative for Afrika Bambaataa’s Universal Zulu Nation, Break DJ Lobito will be playing live exclusively for Art Nights @ Gate Village. He has performed alongside countless artists including De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, Ozomatli, Fatboy Slim, Wyclef Jean and many more. He is also one of the original founders of the cult Freshly Laced & Deep Crates nights in Dubai.
