New Zealand, Uganda, Pakistan, England. There could scarcely be a more disparate-sounding collection of nationalities. It sounds more like a cricket tournament (Uganda aside) than an art collective, but, then again, in the melting pot of the UAE this is only natural.
The Visual Art Squad Abu Dhabi (or Vasad) formed in October of last year when a group of artists and art students met at Delma café in the Cultural Foundation with one aim: to get their art noticed.
‘We wanted to help each other and work together in public areas,’ explains Bruce Hill, surrealist painter, art teacher and the svengali figure of the ‘squad’. His mandate was clear: ‘The meetings sorted out the serious artists from the pretenders and earlier this year we found our core group of trained artists with a concern for public access to their work and a real desire to work together for mutual benefit.’
Bruce certainly isn’t afraid to express his opinion: ‘Yearly visits by grand exhibits such as Art Paris can only turn the city into an expensive tourist art venue,’ he declares with a broad New Zealand twang. ‘We visited Art Paris and revelled in what could be here if the local population became more involved and educated about modern art practice. We knew grassroots art had to be established in Abu Dhabi to grow art interest from the bottom, where it would be more sustainable in the long run.’
It is a sentiment commonly whispered among the city’s artistic community, who are quick to express their frustration over government money gravitating towards grander projects. But with the city’s focus on November’s Art Abu Dhabi (albeit at the expense of Fringe Abu Dhabi) and the cancellation of Art Paris shows in the foreseeable future, things are looking a lot brighter for local practising artists, says Bruce.
Vasad’s first exhibition comes at an opportune moment, then. Since its formation, the group has expanded to include a number of Emirati students, but the core remains a familiar team of four artists: surrealist Bruce, abstract expressionist Said Ali Sowafy, realist Ali Hammad and landscape artist Andrew Field. They are all veterans of flogging themselves on the altar of the UAE art scene having exhibited and taught in galleries, schools, hotels and even evangelical churches across the UAE.
Each tells tales of stumbling across ‘the Bruce’ at exhibitions or via friends and acquaintances. Perhaps the best story comes from Pakistani artist Ali, who went for a job interview at an oil company and happened to express an interest in art, whereupon the manager declared ‘Why don’t you meet Mr Bruce?’ – who had been teaching him painting at the time. ‘It was as if this group was meant to be,’ he enthuses.
Ali’s realist oil portraits provide a formal riposte to some of the wilder, more expressionist works of the rest of the group. But since moving to the UAE he has expanded his range of subjects, he explains, documenting different nationalities from a Turkish co-worker to a young Iranian dancer. Indeed, exchanging cultures is a fundamental part of the group’s collective experience. Certainly it was what attracted English artist Andrew Field, a teacher at the British school, who explained that Vasad offered him a chance to meet artists he wouldn’t normally have met in his homeland.
For the final member of the group, Said, the group offered something different. Originally from Uganda, his paintings depict often harrowing images of refugees and conflict in his homeland. But, by his own admission, he maybe lacks discipline. ‘I used to make a lot of paintings but I didn’t have someone to encourage me,’ he explains. With the backing of the group and through the exchange of ideas, he claims that he has gained some of the focus and inspiration that he believes was missing in his work.
In truth, art groups are not rare in the UAE. The financial aspects of putting on an exhibition mean that being able to spread the cost is a big advantage. But the eclectic mix of cultures and backgrounds makes Vasad more unusual than most. Certainly, trying to build a grassroots arts movement in the capital is an admirable aim. Having gained support from the Cultural Foundation, and with its first exhibition at Acento Gallery on the horizon, the group is making definite progress. Who knows, maybe Bruce will get his wish. For now we are content to simply wait and see.
Vasad’s exhibition appears at Acento Gallery from November 8-22.
