Dec 910th - 22nd:
Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday 12:00- 19:00
Friday and Saturday 12:00- 20:00
The United Arab Emirates is more than just oil, desert heat and monumental architecture. This young country has a lively culture with a rich and diverse heritage; here contemporary artists reflect on a culture that is undergoing rapid development. The 14-day exhibition ART NOMADS - MADE IN THE EMIRATES wi
ll show 20 artists from a variety of disciplines. Together they represent a cross-section of fine art in the Emirates including exciting characters such as Maitha Demithan, Maisoon Al Saleh and Nadia Kaabi-Linke. In the centre of Kreuzberg, under the roof of the Kunstquartier Bethanien an old hospital and chapel, these artists will come together to introduce their exciting new ideas into the Berlin art scene. The exhibition is curated by, David Szauder, Zsuzsanna Petró and Rachel Rits-Volloch. Where today skyscrapers and museums are built, fifty years ago Bedouins, fishermen and pearl divers lived in modest tents. Rarely has a population experienced such a rapid transformation. Between modernization and ancient traditions the region is now one of the most dynamic in the world, and Abu Dhabi is the new cultural melting pot of the Middle East. With The Louvre and The Guggenheim whom already both have sister spaces in Abu Dhabi, the metropolis plans to become a cultural destination of world rank and opens itself to the phenomenon of the culture nomads, sciences, economy, and of course the people behind the exhibitions whom make this transformation process possible. The exhibition ART NOMADS - MADE IN THE EMIRATES shows emerging young artists from the United Arab Emirates, influenced by cultural heritage and visual traditions and translated into the 21st century, while simultaneously presenting the most prominent artists of the older generation. The exhibition raises the question: How does the art from the Emirates find its place in global art history? How has artistic practice changed in recent decades through accelerated financial, social and cultural growth? Are there parallels to Berlin? The visitors are to expect an exhibition of artists from a region that is one of the most exciting of our time, young works which are not only new in their form and language, but also largely un-discussed in Western art history. In cooperation with The Etihad Modern Art Gallery, Abu Dhabi. The exhibition ART NOMADS - SOVEREIGN ART PRIZE will take place as part of a partnership with MOMENTUM in cooperation with the Etihad Modern Art Gallery and the Sovereign Art Prize. Four finalists of the SOVEREIGN MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA ART PRIZE, given for the first time this year, are on display in addition to the 14 selected UAE artists. All the finalists included have a close relationship with the United Arab Emirates.
“Art Nomads will introduce a selection of young exciting artists from Abu Dhabi, the most modern, forward thinking capital of the Middle East, and be shown at the heart of Kreuzberg in the Kunsquartier Bethanien. Art Nomads will cement a connection between these two vastly contrasting capitals and demonstrate the two cities commonality in their growing contemporary art scene.”- David Szauder, Exhibition initiator and Curator. In addition to both these exhibitions, a symposium discussing the topic "Cultural Capital" will take place on the 10th December. In January, the sister exhibition ART NOMADS - MADE IN BERLIN will show a selection of Berlin artists in Abu Dhabi.
