A new crop of artists at Abu Dhabi Art Hub bring eclectic styles and open minds as they prepare for the organisation’s first exhibition of 2014.
It’s a bright December morning as five jet-lagged men and women report to the cosy but elegant office of Ahmed Al Yafei, founder of Abu Dhabi Art Hub. They are polite and friendly, despite my waking them for an
early morning meeting. We gather around in a close circle as they explain their first few days in Abu Dhabi – each translating different words for the others — and their excitement is palpable.
The five artists, hailing from Macedonia, Croatia, Belarus and Serbia, are the newest crop of residents at Art Hub. The first artist community in the Arab world, Art Hub hosts a group of artists from a different region or country each month. The residency programme, which was established in 2012, aims to connect Abu Dhabi artists and residents with artists from various cultures around the world.
This month the focus is on Eastern European artists, this group of fresh arrivals will begin developing work that will be shown at the Art Hub Gallery from January 4-February 1.
Each of the five artists brings a distinct style and focus to the programme. Stipan Tadic and Katsiaryna Sumarava, are painters. Stipan focuses on figure painting and is often inspired by comic books, humour, his friends and his family. It might seem an odd decision for a person with such strong ties to home to venture to Abu Dhabi on his own, away from his muses. But when asked why he chose to be a part of the programme, he responds thoughtfully, explaining that many of the famous artists he looks up to, such as Eugene Delacroix, travelled the world to improve their artwork — even if their original subject matter was closely connected to their homeland and culture.
Katsiaryna, on the other hand, paints mainly abstract landscapes. She speaks passionately about the ‘grandiose view’ she remembers seeing as her flight landed in Abu Dhabi four days earlier. As she describes the smooth lines of the desert in detail it’s clear that she is aching to begin painting and already absorbing the surroundings into her creative process.
Two other artists, a married couple from Macedonia named Saso and Pandora, are a sculptor and a painter respectively. Saso, whose sculptures made out of marble, metal and wood embracing minimal, simple forms, is the most talkative of the group. He explains ‘I am amazed at how hard [the people of Abu Dhabi] have worked to transform the desert into such a modern city.’ Pointing out that often new buildings and developments honour the past in their design, Saso poignantly remarks ‘[Abu Dhabi] is making history by living in the moment.’
Pandora’s paintings play with pattern and symbolism. In the past she has drawn on imagery from her home country, including the Cyrillic alphabet. She is beaming as she lists all of the details of Arabic culture that have already sparked ideas in her. Having fixated on the geometric patterns that decorate many Arabic buildings and interiors, she bubbles with ideas.
Finally, seated far away and clearly the shyest of the bunch, is Nevena Vuksanovoc from Serbia. Nevena makes sculptures. She later showed me her studio where she has started working on a new piece already. Her abstract wire and yarn structures are striking. Working from the inside out, the tightly woven metal wire pieces combined with red yarn are weird, wild and intense — a surprising contrast from the unassuming girl seated before me.
The group are in the middle of their orientation week and have not yet started working, with the exception of Nevena. They will have just under one month to create at least four pieces for the show in January. Ahmed explains that the rush to finish work in such a short time happens every month, but the artists always finish on time. The programme has recently expanded, however, giving artists the opportunity to extend their stay up to three months, though Ahmed points out that often the artists leave behind spouses and children during their residency, making the one month duration just long enough to produce
a body of work without disturbing their family life.
Each of the artists speaks freely of their amazement with the UAE’s trademark landscapes — the desert and the architecture. They all nod as one or the other mentions different aspects of the culture that they have experienced so far. Seeing a group with such diverse styles inspired by the same elements, it is no surprise that this residency programme has produced such successful exhibitions in the past. The mystery of what to expect at the January opening cannot be understated.
Entrance to the exhibition is free. Open Sat-Wed 9am-8pm; Thu 9am-2pm. Closed Fridays and Holidays. All work will be for sale. Prices will be determined by the artists. Abu Dhabi Art Hub, Mussafah, www.adah.com (02 551 5005).
