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• COLOUR AND MATERIAL • CURATED BY VENETIA PORTER • IMMORTALISING AL-MUTANABBI STREET •
• CHRYSTYNA SALAM’S WORLD OF CERAMICS • IN DISCUSSION WITH MUSTAPHA AZEROUAL AND CAROLINE TABET •
THE COLOURS ISSUE
LBP 15·000 / AED 37 / QAR 37
ARTS / STYLE / CULTURE FROM THE ARAB WORLD AND BEYOND
# 32
Unit B11, Alserkal Avenue, Exit 43 SZR, Street 8, Al Quoz 1, DubaiT: +971 4 3236242 [email protected] www.ayyamgallery.com
Untitled, 1986, Mixed media on canvas, 122 x 207 cmMoustafa FathiTowards the Absolute of Nature
5 October - 12 November 2015
Unit B11, Alserkal Avenue, Exit 43 SZR, Street 8, Al Quoz 1, DubaiT: +971 4 3236242 [email protected] www.ayyamgallery.com
Untitled, 1986, Mixed media on canvas, 122 x 207 cmMoustafa FathiTowards the Absolute of Nature
5 October - 12 November 2015
For its 32nd edition,
Selections magazine is
delving into the world of
colour. Since it is such an
inherent component of an
artist’s consciousness and,
perhaps more importantly,
his or her unconscious
experience, we invited a
diverse body of artists from
very different backgrounds
to share with us how they
employ colour and how they
perceive its relevance to their
work. Special thanks goes to
Valerie Reinhold for curating the theme of this issue,
and for her selection of the following artists to cite as
the ambassadors of colour: Jacob Hashimoto, Anish
Kapoor, Nadim Karam, Maha Malluh, Farhad Moshiri,
Nabil Nahas, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Sydney Regis,
Hadieh Shafie, Hoda Tawakol and Marcel Wanders.
Selections would also like to extend a special thank
you to Venetia Porter, curator of the Islamic and
Contemporary Middle East Department at the British
Museum, for kindly sharing her knowledge in a
dedicated section of the magazine.
Elsewhere, there are plenty
of highlights waiting to
be discovered this issue,
including features such as
Immortalising Al-Mutanabbi
Street, which explores
bookseller Beau Beausoleil’s
collection of original artwork
celebrating Iraq’s literary
culture, and others on
Chrystyna Salam’s vast world
of ceramics and a discussion
between two Lebanese
photographers.
On the front cover you’ll find one of Sadik Kwaish
Alfraji’s works on paper, made with black ink and
charcoal and recently acquired by the British Museum.
Our desire to look beyond what is presented in a
matter-of-fact way in order to give the work its full
scope of acknowledgement has certainly coloured
our perception of monochrome and, likewise, with this
issue, Selections invites you to broaden your spectrum
of colour.
THE COLOURS ISSUE
EDITOR’S LETTER
6
10
India Stoughton graduated from the
University of Edinburgh with an MA
in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies.
Having travelled extensively in the Middle
East, spending time in Morocco, Turkey,
Jordan, Iraq and Qatar, as well as Syria,
she is currently based in Lebanon, where
she has written for publications including
The Daily Star, Canvas, The Outpost and
The National, among others.
Dr Zoltán Somhegyi is a UAE-based
Hungarian art historian, holding a PhD in
aesthetics. Besides being an Assistant
professor at the University of Sharjah, he
is a curator of international exhibitions,
a consultant of Art Market Budapest –
International contemporary art fair, and
author of books, artist catalogues, and
more than two hundred articles, critiques,
essays and art fair reviews.
Rajesh Punj is a London-based art critic,
correspondent and curator, with a specialist
interest in Asia. He has previously written
for international art publications including
Flash Art International in Milan, Deutsche
Bank Art Mag in Berlin, and Elephant in
London, among others.
Danna Lorch is a Dubai-based writer
focusing on art and pop culture from the
Middle East. She blogs at ‘Danna Writes’
and serves as Contributor to ArtSlant.
Recent publications include The National,
Jadaliyya, Contemporary Practices,
Canvas, and Vogue (India). Danna holds a
graduate degree in Middle Eastern Studies
from Harvard University.
Maria Cristina Didero is an independent
design curator and journalist contributing
to Domus, Vogue Casa, Flair, Loft, and
Apartamento. She has been in charge of
the Vitra Design Museum for Italy for more
than 10 years and sits on the board of
Veritas auction house in Lisbon, is a patron
of Design Days Dubai, and curates Design
Talks for Miart Milan. She has been Director
of Fondazione Bisazza since 2011.
Valerie Reinhold is Amsterdam-based art
consultant. She holds degrees in art history,
art market as well as in finance and uses
her cross-field expertise to assist collectors
and artists. Having lived in many countries,
Valerie appreciates art that goes beyond
cultural differences, at the same time
acknowledging the importance of cultural
identity. She is also a frequent speaker on
topics such as art investment, women in
art or the values of art and has contributed
to various publications, including Famous
City Amsterdam.
CONTRIBUTORS
11
Born and raised in Tehran, Pendar
Nabipour is a Rotterdam-based artist
and curator, who focuses on interactive
situations using sculptures, installations,
and performances. He also has a strong
interest in social phenomena and memory,
and the role of artists in their process.
Ahmad Minkara is a Lebanese-American
doctor and writer. He has lived between
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and the
United States.
Over the course of a 20-year career,
Marwan Naaman has written for the likes
of Fodor’s, Businessweek, Monocle, Harvey
Nichols and eHealth Insurance, in a variety
of fields that range from lifestyle, travel,
design and art to finance and medicine. He
spent 12 years as Editor-in-Chief of Aïshti
Magazine (later renamed A Magazine),
which he launched, transforming it into the
most successful luxury lifestyle publication
in the Middle East.
Kasia Maciejowska is a London-based
writer and editor who spent a year with
us in Beirut editing Selections and the Art
Paper. She has an MA in Design History
& Material Culture from the Royal College
of Art/V&A Museum, and a BA in English
Literature from the University of Oxford. Her
regular subjects are the visual arts, interior
design, and contemporary culture. She has
previously written for The Times and Ibraaz
among others.
Akili Tommasino is a scholar of twentieth-
century avant-garde art and advocate of
emerging artists. A former Fulbright Fellow
at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, Tommasino
is currently completing his doctoral thesis
through Harvard University while working
as a curatorial assistant at The Museum of
Modern Art, New York.
CONTRIBUTORS
12
CONTENTS
ART PAPER
18 – 39 Local, regional, and international news, reviews and interviews
ART
40 Moscow’s contemporary art hub
Selections talks curation, context and drawing in a crowd with Kate Fowle, curator at Garage Museum of Contemporary Art
48 Sculpt me a fable Sculptor Mireille Honein
rarely chooses to tackle the same subject matter or use the same material twice
52 What days may come Nearly a decade after
launching Ayyam Gallery, Khaled Samawi gears up for new challenges
54 The dangerous book Hadieh Shafie discusses the
secret stories that lie tightly-coiled within her sculptures
58 A fantastical reality Turkish artist Taner Ceylan
explains why his paintings are more real to him than daily life
62 Colour and material Selections explores the role
of colour and material in the work of 11 contemporary artists in a special section curated by Valerie Reinhold
STYLE
86 Rolex’s investment in the arts The Rolex Mentor and
Protégé Arts Initiative pairs emerging artists from all over the world with established leaders in their fields
90 An explosion of brilliance Vivid colours are at the
forefront of this year’s jewellery trends, adding a splash of colour to every ensemble
LITERATURE
96 Immortalising Al-Mutanabbi Street
American poet and bookseller Beau Beausoleil celebrates Iraq’s literary heritage through a vast collection of original artwork
DESIGN
100 Just Lust in Brussels Belgian designer Xavier
Lust exhibits his creative experiments with metal at the Botanique museum
104 A passion for pottery Chrystyna Salam gives
Selections a glimpse into her extensive private collection, which includes a stunning array of ceramics
ARCHITECTURE
108 Radical wrapping Installation artist Christo’s
latest work, The Floating Piers, transforms the Italian Lakes
CURATED BY
112 Hooked on Islamic history Venetia Porter, curator of
the Islamic and Middle East department at the British Museum, tells Selections how she came to fall in love with art from the region
115 Curated by Venetia Porter
PHOTOGRAPHY
133 Experimental images Mustapha Azeroual and
Caroline Tabet discuss medium, material and photography in the digital age
14
CONTENTS
EDITORIAL MASTHEAD
Editor-in-ChiefRima Nasser
EditorAnastasia Nysten
Copy EditorIndia Stoughton
DesignerGenia Kodash
IllustratorYasmina Nysten
Production EditorRayya Haddad
Production CoordinatorLida Kabbara
Contributing WritersMaria Christina Didero, Danna Lorch, Kasia Maciejowska, Dr Ahmad Minkara, Marwan Naaman, Pendar Nabipour, Rajesh Punj, Valerie Reinhold, Dr Zoltan Somhegyl, India Stoughton, Akili Tommasino
ADVERTISING & DISTRIBUTION
Advertising & Editorial [email protected]
Distribution
lebanonMessagerie du Moyen Orientde la Presse et du Livre s.a.l.
qatar
City News Publishing
united arab emiratesJashanmal National Co. L.L.C.
PrintingChamas for Printing & Publishing [email protected]
Responsible EditorFatma Koteich
BPA Worldwide Consumer Magazine
Membership Applied for December 2014
Selections magazine digital edition is also
available for iPads and Android tablets
selectionsthemagazine.com
THIS ISSUE’S CONTENT CURATORS
Art news from New York — yasmina nysten
Art news from Sharjah — dr zoltan somhegyi
Design — anastasia nysten
Colour and Material – valerie reinhold
Curated by (coordinated) – ahmad minkara
Style — marwan naaman
The Colours Issue #32
cover: Sadik Kwaish Alfraji, 2014, From Ali’s Boat 1 book,
Indian ink and charcoal on notebook
paper, British Museum. © the artist
08
The Lightbulb, 100 × 65 × 60, bronze, 2015 , courtesy of Artspace Hamra
18 History in the making
20 Conflict as culture
22 Emotional mapping
24 Celebrating terracotta
25 Leila Heller’s Dubai haven
26 Colour studies
27 Existence in exile
28 Consumption on camera
31 Fighting fair
32 Championing African art
34 Art at the crossroads
36 Dubai art agenda
39 Sombre stories
Ahmed Al Bahrani,