Think of the term “Mind the Gap” and it is likely your mind will travel to London where the phrase is famously broadcast in Tube stations as a genuine warning. It is fitting, then, for a title of an exhibition put together by young London-based curator Jack Thomas Taylor at Tashkeel studio hub.
As the first guest curator to host an exhibition at Tashkeel, Taylor put out an open call to the creative community of the UAE to identify gaps in society, culture, language, architecture and even in food production and other aspects of life.
Selecting 24 artists, the show moves across several genres, and exhibits everyone from established names to first-timers.
“I didn’t want it to be only an exhibition to show art,” says Taylor. “I believe there has to be a role, a purpose and an end result, so I set out to make this exhibition diagnostic. We wanted to work with the community to look at problems and encourage other people to think and reflect upon solutions.”
These are commendable but lofty aims and whether they will be realised with a month-long exhibition is debatable; however, there are certainly some interesting issues addressed.
Jordanian Rami Alotaibi presents a photographic series called Let Them Eat Cake. At first, the images seem to depict a mouthwatering cake, dripping with icing. On closer inspection, the cake is topped with canned sardines, causing the viewer to recoil in disgust. Alotaibi is an architect and also the owner of a cake business.
He made the work to highlight the issue of food waste and excess in a world where people are starving.
Indian Romy Ravindran raises another socio-economic issue in her piece Trickle, which consists of a stack of steel and porcelain plates to focus on the stark inequality of the distribution of wealth.
However, not all artists see the gaps as voids that need to be filled; some see them as offering an opportunity.
The Upcycling Art Collective, which uses found material and turn them into art, have wrapped the many columns of the Tashkeel building with fabric that hold different cultural significance such as American jeans, Indian indigo and the Emirati ghutra.
Held together with twine, the idea is to try to meld the many different societies living in the UAE, who, although they exist alongside each other, don’t always mix as much as they could.
Tom Baggaley also addresses this issue by presenting a sculpture made from squash that he grew in his garden in a communal effort with his neighbours.
They are the physical evidence of what can happen if people bridge the perceived gaps between cultures and come together for something positive.
Taylor also emphasises this in his description of the title. “A lot of people look at gaps as a negative aspect, but I wanted people to look at it as an opportunity to do something. I like the word minding the gap because if you mind something, you take care of it and take pride in it .... I am trying to present things in that way and highlight gaps of understanding.”
Several artists also simply present the gaps that exist with an air of acceptance and normality suggesting that this is what characterises the UAE.
Katie Venner-Woodbridge, a British artist, has used three panels of wire mesh in the shape of a different district woven into it with cotton thread.
Amal Al Gurg, an Emirati who is exhibiting for the first time in this exhibition, has produced a beautiful screen print based on two Arabic letters – one representing the male and the other a female.
The two compliment each other and together they make a pattern but they do not touch – a comment on the gender segregation that exists in the UAE society.
There are a few established artists also included such as Owais Husain, whose work is an installation of a suitcase filled with a projection of water to comment on climate change, and Nujoom Al Ghanem, a prominent filmmaker who presents a film about Sufism.
In general, it is an ambitious project to put so many artists in one space, and the curator has succeeded in raising interesting points for discussion.
• Mind the Gap runs until April 6. For details, visit www.tashkeel.org
aseaman@thenational.ae
