LONDON: One of UAE’s biggest art fairs, Abu Dhabi Art (ADA), has joined forces with London’s Cromwell Place in a bid to promote the works of Emirati artists.
An exhibition of works by Hind Mezaina, Afra Al-Dhaheri and Afra Al-Suwaidi will be presented at a show in South Kensington in the English capital during early June — the first Abu Dhabi Art show held abroad.
The pieces were created last year as part of Abu Dhabi Art’s annual program “Beyond: Emerging Artists,” which was adapted amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Cromwell Place was a natural partner for our first exhibition abroad, as several of our gallery exhibitors at the fair are also members at Cromwell Place,” Dyala Nusseibeh, director of Abu Dhabi Art, said.
Hind Mezaina, one of the featured artists, “explores themes of collective memory and the notion of heritage” in her work, while Afra Al-Dhaheri uses strands of her own hair to produce pieces, which she says explore “identity formation.”
Abu Dhabi Art’s Cromwell Place project is part of a wider plan to exhibit artists from the UAE at the London gallery.
As part of the tie-up between ADA and Cromwell, Dubai-based Lawrie Shabibi Gallery will also showcase the works of Emirati artist Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, while Dubai-based galleries the Third Line and Isabelle van den Eynde will present a selection of Middle East-based artists, including Anuar Khalifi, Sara Naim, Sophia Al-Maria and Manal Al-Dowayan.
