Saadiyat is capital’s new cultural hot spot

Sophia Money-Coutts and Jen Gerson

• Last Updated: November 21. 2009 11:00PM UAE / November 21. 2009 7:00PM GMT

ABU DHABI // The official opening of an exhibition of contemporary art yesterday heralded the arrival of Saadiyat Island as the capital’s cultural hot spot.

Manarat al Saadiyat, which translates as “the lighthouse of Saadiyat” is the first of the island’s galleries and opened with an exhibition called Disorientation II.

The opening was conducted by Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, the chairman of Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development and Investment Company, the body responsible for the exhibition together with the Sharjah Art Foundation.

The curator, Jack Persekian, gave Sheikh Sultan a tour among a crowd that included dignitaries and well-known names from the art world, including the artist Jeff Koons, the Swiss curator Hans-Ulrich Obrist, and Jessica Morgan, the curator of London’s Tate Modern.

“It’s brilliant,” said Mr Persekian, best known in the region for his role as the artistic director of the Sharjah Biennial. “I’ve been working here closely for months and I can’t believe how it’s all come together.”

The exhibition, which runs until February, is made up of mixed-media work from 16 different artists exploring political, social and cultural themes from the Arab world over the past 40 years.

Visitors yesterday walked among watercolours and sketches by the late Ali Jabri and a vast rubber floor map of Beirut, created by the Lebanese artist Marwan Rechmaoui and entitled Beirut Caoutchouc.

Some ventured into a small booth by the Egyptian artist Hala Elkoussy, called On red nails, palm trees and other icons. Inside they found 300 photo images of Cairo, along with several videos of changing life in the city. Others sat silently watching Massaker, a documentary shot by the German filmmaker Monika Borgmann about the Sabra and Shatila massacre of 1982.

“It’s exciting,” said Mr Koons, standing near a series of 13 photographs by the Palestinian artist Tarek al Ghossein. “I was here in March when there wasn’t even a building here so it’s great to see it together,” he said.

“Art is all about connections,” Mr Koons added, discussing the increasing importance of the Middle East to the international art world. “It’s a wonderful space to have for cultural dialogue.”

The gallery is the first part of Manarat al Saadiyat to open. When finished, the site will house three more galleries and a theatre in a 15,400 square-metre space in the heart of the island.

Visitors to the centre were pleased that the capital had finally received its own permanent art space, and said they particularly enjoyed the exhibition’s political themes. “It’s impressive,” said Matthew Booth, 26, a teacher from the English College in Dubai.

Mr Booth was taken by a diorama that depicted Palestinian poverty and Israeli wealth: “You’re seeing it through the eyes of the artist, rather than just yourself or through the papers.”

He said the exhibit would give needed space to Arab artists. “I suppose in the West, we wouldn’t always take it from the idea of the Arab side,” he said. “I think this is reality. It’s nice, in general, to have this culture here and to be able to go spend an afternoon in a museum.”

Hind al Yousef, 24, an Emirati, agreed. “It’s amazing this kind of thing is here in Abu Dhabi,” she said. “I love these pieces. They’re extremely powerful.”

Hesham Lotfy, 29, an accountant from Egypt, said he was just passing through Saadiyat when he decided to explore the Manarat with his wife and infant daughter. “I found this place by accident. There has been no advertising about it. There needs to be some advertising, some campaign,” he said.

On display outside the hall until the end of the month is Art Cars, a showing of classic cars owned locally and painted by Emiratis.


jgerson@thenational.ae
smoneycoutts@thenational.ae