The Farjam Collection @ DIFC to open its latest exhibition;

Nujoom: Constellations of Arab Art from The Farjam Collection

The Farjam Collection @ DIFC will open its latest exhibition on Tuesday, 2 November.  Nujoom: Constellations of Arab Art showcases works by some of the foremost modern and contemporary Arab artists, including Mahmoud Said, Nja Mahdaoui, Mona Hatoum, and Youssef Nabil.

"From the birth of civilization to the present day, the Arab world has produced a multitude of gifted artists, from painters and potters, to musicians and poets. Today, the region, and the UAE in particular, is at the forefront of major developments in art and culture internationally.  It is a great personal pleasure and source of satisfaction for me to share with audiences in the UAE a selection of Arab art drawn from the collection," says Farhad Farjam, founder of The Farjam Collection.

Suhail Butti Al Maktoum, Head of Community Services at DIFC Authority, commented on the exhibition: "Art is an important part of Arab heritage and it is vital that organisations such as the DIFC support the development of artists who are able to portray our culture through a range of mediums. The DIFC is proud to play host to this truly exciting and incredibly diverse collection of contemporary Arab art which represents the talents of modern Arab."

Encompassing a wide range of media, including paintings, sculptures and photography, the exhibition explores some of the defining styles and techniques in Arab art over the last century. The fusion of tradition and innovation, and of stylistic influences from across the globe, demonstrates the timelessness and the universal resonance of the art from the Middle East.

"The artists in the exhibition, a sample of those included in The Farjam Collection at large, reflect the seasoned taste of a serious collector. Defying predictable categorizations, they offer a powerful reminder that letting art speak for itself encourages debate and sparks fresh perspectives," commented Emilie Faure, Collection and Exhibitions Manager at The Farjam Collection.

Nujoom reveals a broad range of styles and artistic concerns that pervade modern and contemporary Arab art.  The exhibition features two works by Egyptian artist Mahmoud Said, one of the Arab world's greatest modern painters. Also included in the exhibition is the master Paul Guiragossian whose work Festivites, 1986, is a striking example of his signature style.  Palestinian, Lebanese-born artist Mona Hatoum, famed for her large-scale installations, is represented by a powerful piece titled Over My Dead Body, a large billboard banner on which a miniature toy soldier ascends the artist's profile.

Showcasing over 40 works, the exhibition encompasses a diverse group of artists, from the renowned Mahmoud Said and Adam Henein, to young and emerging artists such as Lamia Naji and Emirati artist Maitha Huaraiz, the youngest artist featured at just 21 years old. Other Emirati artists showcased in the exhibition include internationally celebrated artists Abul Qader Al Raes and Lamya Gargash. Nujoom includes several monumentally large pieces, including the impressive Kaleidoscope, 2007 by Lara Baladi, and brings together mediums as diverse as painting, video, ceramics, and bronze.

The foremost ambition of The Farjam Collection @ DIFC is art education. A number of educational programmes will run alongside the exhibition, giving audiences a greater understanding of the artists represented, the works on view, and the context in which they were produced.  The Farjam Collection's popular First Wednesdays lunchtime guided visits will start again on Wednesday, 1 December. School and University Programmes are available throughout the exhibition's run.  For further information and to book a place for their class, teachers can visit www.farjamcollection.org