Origins
The Sharjah Archaeological Museum takes visitors back to the time when the Emirates were the land of the first human settlers. The remains unearthed in the Hajar Mountains date back to the first inhabitants of the region, more than 7,500 years ago. The great trade routes crossed here, at the junction of Africa and Asia. From the Neolithic to the Islamic period, intense cultural exchanges developed, as the museum's collections attest. In the pre-Islamic period (300 BC to 300 AD), the first pottery was followed by bronze figurines such as the one from the Mleiha site (emirate of Sharjah), depicting a man holding a bird. The Islamic period (up to the 7th century) is particularly rich in objects marked by multiple influences: Chinese porcelain, Thai celadon, Iranian gourds and Portuguese texts, among others.
Emirati culture has been constantly enriched by migratory movements. Iran, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh all play their part in this seamless blending. Emirati culture is founded above all on the precepts of Islam, as well as on Arab and Bedouin traditions, which continue to permeate daily life. Arabic calligraphy also deserves the status of an artistic practice. Letters inspire arabesques and geometric motifs of rare elegance. Among the masters of the genre, Muhammad Mendy, born in Abu Dhabi in 1977, shares his talent on a variety of media, including frescoes in public spaces.
The growth of cultural life
In Abu Dhabi, as in Dubai, the cultural sector is experiencing an unprecedented boom. In the capital, large-scale projects are making this commitment loud and clear. Still in progress, the development of the Saadiyat Island cultural district already includes Le Louvre Abu Dhabi and Abraham House. By 2025, the Guggenhiem Abu Dhabi and the Sheikh Zayed Museum will have opened. On the "Island of Happiness", ancestral traditions meet the contemporary scene. While the themes addressed by classical artists are fairly prosaic, there is a real craze for abstract art. Art galleries are flourishing in Dubai, showcasing both foreign and Arab artists, including XVA Gallery and Majlis in Bastakiya, as well as dedicated spaces in the Jumeirah area, the DIFC and the Al-Quoz industrial wasteland. The founder of Lawrie Shabibi Gallery, who also champions African art, as well as major Emirati names such as Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, are among Art Dubai's founding members.
Art Dubai welcomes the cream of the gallery world for six days in the spring. The Middle Eastern art market is estimated to be worth $10 billion. Art Sawa, Ayyam, Isabelle Van Den Eynde, Green Art, Mojo, Meem, The Shelter, The Jamjar, Total Arts, Opera Gallery, Pro Art, Traffic, The Third Line and our favorite for its ambitious photographic choices, The Empty Quarter. Another major annual event, the Abu Dhabi Art Festival, showcases the visual and performing arts, as well as literature, with a host of exceptional guests.
The Emirate of Sharjah, a great patron of the arts, encourages the most innovative expressions. To this end, Sultan Al Quassimi, a cultivated figure and collector of excellence, has opened the Barjeel Foundation, whose collection houses all forms of contemporary art. Also in Sharjah, international artists have been welcomed at the Sharjah Art Foundation since 2006. The foundation's activities revolve around the promotion of artists and education for all publics.
Emirati painting
A discipline recently encouraged in the UAE, painting has been affirmed by two generations of painters. Among the representatives of the first generation, Abdulrahim Salim (born 1955 in Dubai) is a painter and sculptor. He is considered a pioneer of the fine arts in his country, as are Hassan Sharif, Abdul Qader Al Raes and Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim. In the 1990s and 2000s, the avant-garde collective "The Flying House" brought together Hassan Sharif and his brother Hussain Sharif, Abdullah al Saadi and Mohamed Kazem and Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim. Hassan Sharif (1951-2016) is one of the most influential artists in the Arab world. His extremely varied work includes drawings, performances, accumulations of objects and collages. He was the first to demonstrate that art detached from calligraphy was possible. Also born in 1951, Abdulqader Al Rais is both a precursor and a major reference on the Emirati art scene. The works of this self-taught artist adorn the walls of countless palaces and government offices, as well as public places, in the form of commissioned frescoes. A solo exhibition at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris retraced his career, from his youth in Kuwait in the 1960s to the canvases created for the occasion. Having revolutionized the artistic landscape, Abdulqader Al Rais has multiplied his initiatives to promote the younger generation. He was the first to marvel that some sixty art galleries had sprung up where, in his early days, there was virtually nothing.
Visual artist Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim (b. 1962) immerses himself in the landscapes of his native Khor Fakkan to "let forms be created". His sculptures bring together mixed materials (clay, plants, paper) in pieces not unrelated to his training as an archaeologist. In 1997, he founded the Art Atelier at the Khor fakkan Art Centre. Acclaimed in a solo show at the Sharjah Art Foundation, he frequently exhibits in Europe.
Born in 1956, Najat Makki is another of today's adventurers. The artist draws her inspiration from the emotions of her surroundings. The first Emirati woman to win a government scholarship to study art abroad, she took up sculpture and then metalwork in Cairo. Her career is divided into abstract, realist and expressionist periods. While the female figure and symbols are her favorite themes, in recent years she has superimposed layers of paint in a new kind of abstraction.
A disciple of Hassan Sharif, Mohammed Kazem (b. 1969) is paving the way for a second generation of artists. He uses video, sound art, photography, objects and performance to question globalization. He likes to represent his body in drawing or photo, at the heart of a whirlwind of change that he strives to document. As an exhibition curator, he directs events designed to promote the new generation.
Dedicated places
In the DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre), The Empty Quarter photo gallery, founded by a Saudi princess and artist, is renowned for its original choices. On to the industrial wasteland of Al-Qhoz, and the 30 or so galleries on Alserkal Avenue. Among the best addresses, Isabelle van den Eynde's gallery invites you to discover regional conceptual art, Lawrie Shabibi's gallery defends African art, and The Third Line gallery combines established and up-and-coming names.
Galerie Zawyeh was founded in Ramallah, Palestine, in 2013, before the Alserkal Avenue branch was opened. It promotes Palestinian artists, from Palestine and beyond, through traveling thematic exhibitions. In Al-Qhoz, 5 km from Aserkal Avenue, don't miss the Meem Gallery, committed to local artists such as Sohrab Sepehri, Parviz Tanavoli, Mahmoud Obaidi, Kamal Boullata and Dia Azzawi.
To the east of Downtown, the Tashkeel art center brings together artists' studios and residencies. A small building tucked away in the Nad Al-Sheba district, Tashkeel is a veritable melting pot for the cultural scene, where future big names in the field are trained. Its exhibitions are well worth a visit, if only to get an idea of the local contemporary art scene. Artists such as Nasir Nasrallah, El Seed and Ammar Al Attar have passed through Tashkeel.
In Abu Dhabi's port area, WAREHOUSE421 came into being on the occasion of Abu Dhabi Art Fair 2015. This eco-responsible space presents temporary exhibitions, workshops and debates around art. A must for contemporary art enthusiasts.
Since 2014, the Etihad Modern Art Gallery has been exhibiting promising and established Emirati artists alongside international artists. After the visit, the Art House Café promises a surprising break.
In a splendid building, the Jameel Art Foundation perpetuates the work of a family of philanthropists who have been helping the underprivileged since the 1940s. At the same time, the family has built up an ever-expanding collection of works that reflect the influence of Islamic tradition on contemporary art. Events such as Jeedah Art week bring its nuggets and protégés to light. Art Jameel relies on international collaborations to strengthen its support for artists.
The behemoth Louvre Abu Dhabi, the first universal museum in the Arab world, retraces millennia of artistic creation from all origins. The result of a major partnership between France and the UAE, the building, inaugurated in 2017, was designed by Jean Nouvel. What makes the collection so special is that it brings together cultures that are a priori distant in time and space.
Street art
In Dubai, delusions of grandeur can be felt right down to the street art. Don't look for tags or graffiti on the sly - they're frowned upon. On the other hand, an official project has redecorated the metro. A few spots across Dubai:
City Walk. A host of public artworks line City Walk, all of impressive size and craftsmanship. The façades are home to two multicolored birds, a giraffe that seems to spring from a wall along a park staircase, a child holding out his umbrella in a rainbow shower, or jellyfish splashing about on the pillars of a bridge. Artists from all over the world, such as Rone and Banksy, joined forces with their brushes and bombs to color the long artery.
An official project brought together 16 street artists to embellish the Dubai Street Museum: an old man on a boat, children galloping down the street, among others. Lithuanian Ernest Zacharevic collaborated with Tunisian The Inkman, known for his calligraphic frescoes. The theme of this open-air gallery is the heritage and history of the Arab Emirates. Calligraphy, royal portraits, golden dallah and children's games make up this beautiful album of traditional images. No fewer than 16 facades along2nd December street bear witness to an explosion of creativity.
Artist Ashwaq Abdullah has composed a fresco in homage to the founders of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikhs Rached Al Maktoum and Zayed Al Nahyane.
Karama. A must-see stopover, Karama is home to breathtaking frescoes. Its buildings reveal sharks, falcons and lions all along 18b street.
Bonus: French artist Blek le Rat has left his mark in the form of a tug-of-war, British artist Nick Walker has signed a Vandal, and Polish duo Etam Cry has painted a splendid "orange girl". The London Police marks the entrance to the City Walk pedestrian zone, the first initiative of its kind in 2016!
