Emirati Expresions is an exhibition showcasing the work of Emirati artists across different mediums including photography, digital design, sculpture, mixed media installations and paintings.
The exhibition is taking place at Gallery One in Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi until the 16th April 09.
I attended the exhibition’s opening night and to be frank I expected better work, as I’ve seen really good Emarati art in other exhibitions. Nevertheless, there’s a number of good pieces from familiar names fromthe local art scene and some familiar names who attended the same university I did, as well as good work from other artists I haven’t heard of before. Jalal Luqman’s and Lamya Gargash’s (two of my fave UAE artists) work were great as expected.
I absolutely loved the ad campaign for this exhibition:
My favorite execution is the one with the camers lenses. I totally love it! In case the ads didn’t make sense to you, they symbolize the Emarati man and woman (as the Emarati men always wear a white thobe/kandora and the women wear black shela/head cover and abaya). I love the detail of the men’s black ghutra depicted in all 3 executions.
Campaign credits: TBWA\RAAD\Abu Dhabi.
8 responses so far ↓
F // February 4, 2009 at 5:48 am |
Well in winter times, in the UAE and in the Gulf, men often wear black, dark grey or brown thoba made of warmer fabrics…
Secret Window // February 5, 2009 at 7:12 pm |
true…but the white is very common, so the message is easy to understand
Bint Dar Zayed // February 14, 2009 at 4:57 pm |
Dear..
the campaign was the most shameful adv. camapign I have witnessed for some time…
Impersonating emartis in a paint brush, a vase from ikea, and a canon lens… wow.. how innovative and creative… not to mention.. INSULTING for me as a national and other artists in the UAE…
a dull background in grey.. and a black & white figure…
very artisitic and inspiring…. but again it lacks taste and sense of the UAE culture…
Secret Window // February 18, 2009 at 6:21 pm |
art is very subjective…and advertising is a form of art so ofcourse not everyone will like all ads….but y do u think it is shameful and insulting? would really like to know
Jalal Luqman // February 27, 2009 at 7:49 am |
Thank you for such uplifting remarks.
The exhibition is a great start especially for the young upcoming artists, and only through these joint projects would their work improve.
Believe me, the first thing an upcoming artist does when they participate in an event where there are established artists exhibiting, is they go and look at the artwork and try to find out what makes that artist famous or established. and that in itself is the best way they learn.
Thanks again
Secret Window // February 28, 2009 at 1:46 pm |
thanx for stopping by!
You’re def right…young artists/students should be given a chance to exhibit in the “real world” amongst ohter artists so they can benchmark their work, accept criticism and learn. Art will always be subjective in all cases
F.Paul // July 5, 2009 at 6:42 pm |
I am not very good at understanding art, but I can certainly appreciate it. However, I absolutely love the color combination, especially the lenses! Presentation is awesome. Over the last month or so I have been searching for artists to collaborate on a project (which is very dear to me) and I have been running into different painting, pictures and messages by different artists around the world that is getting me close to the art, and I come from technology background.
GOOD JOB ON THE PHOTOS!
Xylene Tan // October 14, 2009 at 9:38 am |
As i was browsing google images, i came across the thumbnail of these ads. And it immediately grabbed my attention. Simple but explains the thought well. for those who don’t appreciate the concept and the execution, are u sure ur an artist? or maybe, you don’t belong to the target market of this ad.