See Claudia Cordia’s interpretations of the symbolic ‘mandala’ at this Alliance Française art exhibition.
The Alliance Française is an association devoted to exposing people around the world to French language and culture. While it is most known for its French language courses, its commitment to French culture extends far further. The organisation is hosting an exhibition by a different French artist each month, and in April it’s the work of Claudia Cordia.
The exhibition, which runs until April 30, features 50 paintings, illustrations and sculptures by Claudia and lines the entrance and hallways of the Alliance Française Abu Dhabi headquarters in Al Khalidiyah. The title of the exhibition, Mandala, is a theme running throughout the work.
A mandala is a symbol common in Hinduism and Buddhism which represents the universe. It is typically illustrated by a circle within a square. Traditionally, mandalas are symmetrical in their design and often in colour too, and the hypnotic and intricate designs draw the viewer’s eye to the centre focal point, like a visual labyrinth.
Claudia’s artwork is clearly inspired by the mandala in that each work is painted on a square canvas with a circle in the centre of the composition. She says, ‘The mandala has been at the heart of my artistic approach for 20 years now, since I was exposed to the design at a meeting in Asia.’ Born in France, Claudia now lives and works in Abu Dhabi. Describing her artistic process, she says, ‘I meditate before I start to work on any of my paintings.’
Although all of the works follow the same concept, each one has a different focus. Some feature themes from Claudia’s surroundings, such as Emirati-inspired images – camels, deserts and Islamic culture – and others seem to arise from her imagination. For example, one painting depicts music notes around the circle.
Unlike many artists who adhere to one style, Claudia has many stylistic approaches. The consistency in her work is evident in the visual elements – the mandala-like shapes – rather than in a signature style. If you didn’t know better, you’d think the exhibition featured four different artists.
One of Claudia’s styles is a tight, illustrative painting style on natural, handmade paper. The vibrant colours combined with the detailed designs complement the earthy, fibrous paper and perfectly showcase the beauty of this ancient symbol. These are the highlight of the show.
Another style running through the exhibition is a more abstract, ethereal aesthetic. Scattered throughout the hallways and featured prominently in the entrance of the exhibition are large canvases featuring pale-coloured oil paintings. Not quite as impressive as the smaller designs, these paintings lack the same sophistication and development. Nonetheless, the canvases maintain the circle theme and, next to Claudia’s more complex work, bring an element of lightness and a sense of relief to the exhibition – a breath of fresh air.
Sitting in the entrance to the exhibition, beneath three of the large canvases, are three different sized camel sculptures. Each of the sculptures, which are made from plastic, clay and papier-mâché, is painted a different colour. Over the top, there are painted illustrations
of mandalas and impressions of Abu Dhabi landscapes. The small brush-strokes of pearlescent paint create a look of multi-faceted texture on the surface.
Rounding off the exhibition are smaller canvases to which Claudia has added three-dimensional sculptural elements. The roughly painted, dark coloured pieces are particularly interesting and, again, show off an entirely different artistic approach. They look as if she has stamped the design in from the back; as if the mandalas are jumping off the page. These provide another curious take on the symbol and exhibit an interesting mid-point between her large oil canvases and her smaller controlled paper paintings.
Claudia’s paintings and sculptures are all for sale through the Alliance Française and start at Dhs1,400 for the paintings, while the camel sculptures start at Dhs400 and increase in price according to size.
Free entry. Open Sun-Thurs 9am-8pm, Sat 10am-6pm, closed Fridays. Alliance Francaise, Al Khalidiyah (02 666 6232).
