With a burgeoning art scene in the city, there is a palpable undercurrent of artistic expression taking form among local minds. The end results are new exhibitions and galleries sprouting up. Amid the flutter of activity in the artistic community is a grassroots group with over ten years of history. We spoke to Bruce Hill about the Abu Dhabi Art Squad (ADAS) and its development.
How did the concept for ADAS come about?
ADAS started casually in 1999 when Saidi Ali Sowafy and I hooked up with three amateur artists for regular weekend painting and drawing sessions. These were creative and social events, usually held at each other’s apartments or during the winter at interesting sites around the city like the dhow harbour, the Iranian souk or the marina at InterContinental. This climaxed with an exhibition at Delma Café at the old Cultural Foundation in September 2002. People left, including me for three years, and it wasn’t until 2008 that ADAS was reborn as a more serious art group. The spark for this growth was the announcement of the building of the major art museum projects on Saadiyat Island within five years’ time. An opportunity was seen to build the middle space between the grassroots and the top tier art scene and ADAS would be right in that middle space there. Following the success of our first exhibition at Acento Gallery in 2009, momentum was built and the rest is history.
What was the main challenge when establishing the group?
The main challenge came in 2011 when we found the standard of art produced by many wasn’t up to the mark required for us to be taken seriously. Hard choices had to be made and the membership was reduced to ten by early 2012. Artists are individuals and with a group like ADAS with 15 members from 12 different countries, it is not just personalities that create friction, but also cultural differences and expectations.
So what has the public feedback been like?
The public has always been supportive in attending our exhibition openings. Education is the key to making the public realise that we are professionally trained artists and what we produce is serious work. Our prices are very reasonable so we hope to get more financial support as our group establishes itself more in the city’s visual arts scene.
Tell us about the group’s most memorable moment.
In October last year when Mr Khalid Seddiq from Etihad Antiques Gallery chose ADAS as the group of artists he wanted to initiate his new modern art gallery in Al Bateen.
Do you have any advice for young aspiring artists?
My advice is to work on your individual style and refine your techniques. Stay true to yourself and try and bring out what is truly unique in that vision; that’s what will vibrate well with the general public.
For more information on the group visit www.abudhabiartsquad.com
Meet the talent
A word from one of the Art Squad’s newest members, Matt McCobb.
How has joining the Art Squad helped you as an artist?
I feel it has helped me in a number of ways; firstly, being a member has made me feel part of an increasingly maturing middle art scene in the city. Having personally arranged three exhibitions for the Squad since I joined in September, I feel that being a part of an established, energetic group has helped me secure bookings.
There is a great enthusiasm within the group, especially with the core members, to promote not only our own work and ideas, but to increase awareness that there are serious local artists here in Abu Dhabi. Compared to Dubai, there is a distinct lack of galleries in the capital, which is an unusual concept for me, coming from Europe. With the approaching openings of major galleries in the city, we at the Art Squad do not want the local talent to be overshadowed by the international pulling power that these galleries possess. There is an increasing feeling here that modern art is the last piece of the jigsaw to make the UAE complete in the international arena.
What’s your favourite part of the Art Squad?
The fact that everyone has a common agenda, and although we are a group of 15 artists from 12 different countries, we communicate in English, which is a big help for me.
But my favourite part about being a member of the Art Squad is Bruce’s beard.
