Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak inaugurates art exhibition The Creative Act on Saadiyat Island

WAM -- Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, inaugurated The Creative Act: Performance, Process, Presence exhibition, organised by Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA) at Manarat Al Saadiyat on Saadiyat Island here.

The event is being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

The inauguration was also attended by Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of TCA Abu Dhabi, Saif Saeed Ghobash, Director-General, TCA Abu Dhabi, and Mansour Al Mansouri, Director-General of National Media Council and TCA Abu Dhabi Board Member.

Featuring works by more than 25 artists from different nationalities and generations, the exhibition explores the related themes of performance, process, and presence through a variety of mediums. Running until 29th July, 2017, The Creative Act is the second major exhibition from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi collection.

"The Creative Act: Performance, Process, Presence includes artworks that inspire audiences, and it serves as a catalyst for personal and collective inspiration, as well as creativity by giving the public further insight into the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi collection, and its curatorial narrative," said Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of TCA Abu Dhabi.

"With this exhibition, our community engagement programme will continue to establish an interactive dialogue between Abu Dhabi and the world, and in the process, build on Abu Dhabi’s own unique cultural characteristic around its urban, contemporary landscapes," he added.

The Creative Act features examples of live actions that constitute the works and performative practices that result in drawings, paintings, sculptures, and videos. A selection of photographs document the renowned Emirati artist Hassan Sharif’s 1980s performances, which he realised in London and Dubai. His conceptual, experimental, and performative practice greatly influenced the subsequent generation of artists in the UAE, such as Mohammed Kazem, who is also featured in The Creative Act.

Many of the artworks offer insights into the process used to make them. A key work within this section is Anish Kapoor’s My Red Homeland (2003), a monumental sculptural installation composed of nearly 25 tonnes of red wax with a mechanical arm that circumnavigates the platform, continually altering the surface as it moves across the material. Works by pioneering 1960s experimental art practitioners including Rasheed Araeen, Julio Le Parc, Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, Gunther Uecker, and Jacques Villegle, explore the process of creating with everyday materials and using performative techniques.

The theme of human presence is highlighted through artworks that involve the appearance of the artist or others in the works, as well as visible traces of the physical acts undertaken to realise them. Paintings by artists affiliated with the Gutai Art Association (1954–72), including Motonaga Sadamasa, Shiraga Kazuo, and Tanaka Atsuko epitomise these ideas. Video installations by Susan Hefuna and Anri Sala represent the performing arts dance and music, respectively, and the theme of interpretation. Autobiography (03-07) (2007), a series of 40 photographs and a video, captures Emirati artist Ebtisam Abdulaziz’s performances at various public spaces in Sharjah and examines the complex relationship between social and personal identities.

Hazem