So you like a bit of art, but what are the chances of actually owning an original piece to hang as the focal-point of your snazzy pad? You know, something to pass down through the generations maybe, so that one day it’ll fetch millions for your great-grandchildren and get hung up in the British Gallery alongside Van Gogh? OK, maybe not, but you know what we’re getting at, right? The point is, the average man’s chances of owning original artwork are slim. Well, ordinarily they are anyway. But things are rarely ordinary in Abu Dhabi.
Curated by Sumayyah Al Suwaidi, the Ramadan Art Bazaar has become something of an annual fixture in the capital. It’s the art exhibition which makes it affordable for enthusiasts and budding collectors to get their hands on some (and for many, their first ever) original artwork. The price promise is that everything is Dhs4,000 or below.
But now, in its fifth year, Sumayyah has decided to make things even more interesting. ‘I’m not only having art, but art and furniture,’ she says. ‘The exhibition will also showcase designer T-shirts. I’m trying to make it a little different this year.’
And this year’s Ramadan Art Bazaar will also mix it up by displaying work created by young, lesser known artists as well. ‘There’ll be 20 artists exhibiting,’ she says. ‘Some of them are established, some of them are pioneers and some of them are young talents. And we sell original artworks for not more than Dhs4,000. So for example, a painting by Mattar Bin Lahej normally goes for Dhs60,000.
At my show it will go for Dhs4,000.’ The initial concept, which has proven to be very popular, came from the desire to give every art enthusiast the chance to own an original piece. ‘Art is an investment, at the end of the day,’ says Sumayyah. ‘So we have to be smart about buying it and know there will be a return for this investment.’
And there is a good reason why Sumayyah has chosen to hold her annual Ramadan Art Bazaar during the Holy Month. ‘It’s the month of giving, forgiving and being nice to others. I thought, you know if Chanel and Dior could do a yearly discount on their very expensive bags, we as artists could do the same. Why not? Once a year, we put our prices down and help others to buy and collect art.’
The Ramadan Art Bazaar will showcase works by renowned Emirati artists such as Jalal Luqman, Mattar Bin Lahej, Khalil Abdulwahid and the curator-artist Sumayyah Al Suwaidi herself.
It will also include well known local artists such as Jennifer Simon, Chritch and Khouloud Sinno. Expect to see creativity across all mediums spanning paintings, photographs, mixed media artworks, furniture, home accessories (by Riga’a), T-shirts and even stationary such as daily diaries.
Entry is free. Opening reception is from 10pm, with daily gallery hours being from 10am-1pm and 9pm-11pm. The Ramadan Art Bazaar opens on July 26 and runs throughout Ramadan till August 26 at Ghaf Art Gallery, Khaleej Al Arabi St, Khalidiyah (02 665 5332).
