Thursday 13 November 2014

ARTful noise in the region

If you are moved by current affairs and if you are one of the many who think why artist love to collect objects to represent their thoughts, you may be interested in knowing the scope of such art and its value. Did you know Da Vinci is coming to UAE next December? Have you ever wondered who an art curator is?

Record auction 

Bahraini artist Mahmud Obaidi's Farewell Kiss has gone under the hammer for $62,500 at a recent Sotheby's Doha auction. 

Obaidi's work features former US president George W. Bush in the centre of the artwork with shoes arranged like petals of a flower. 


Kochi-Muzrish Biennale 

Recent events in the region rounds up a versatile action… as art has come a long way from the 2 and 3D representations. Found objects have become and important medium to spill expression. It is also making big noise in the public art scene and was elaborated by Gigi Scaria of the Kochi-Muzrish Biennale team during his recent visit to Dubai. A complete insight to contemporary public art and its relevance will be available to read/learn in Gigi's interview that will be released shortly in one of my recent newspaper stories. The Biennale team has been visiting Dubai to accelerate awareness in the region on India's promising art fair and attract more patrons. 

Gigi Scaria's Settlement

Da Vinci in Abu Dhabi

Louvre Abu Dhabi will be first museum in Middle East to show a Leonardo Da Vinci painting. With just an year away for the official opening of Louvre Abu Dhabi, a stellar cast has been assembled for the fourth and final series of the Louvre Abu Dhabi Talking Art Series, that began at Manarat Al Saadiyat recently. 

The portrait, La Belle Ferronniere, in which a serious-looking young woman dressed in red velvet stares out at the viewer, will form part of the first batch of about 300 works sent on loan from more than a dozen cultural institutions in France to supplement the new permanent collection of Louvre Abu Dhabi when it opens in December next year. 



The talk night was an in-depth analyses on Leonardo Da Vinci, as an artist - genius yet human with flaws - through his female portraits. The details of each work was revealed by Vincent Pomarede, the director of mediation and cultural programming for the Musee du Louvre in Paris. 

Who is a curator?

Following a radiology report and scientific research backed presentation of the acquired Da Vinci's authenticity, restoration journey etc, the floor was open to live questions through social media and to the press attending the event in person there. One of the remarkable questions were if curator can be called as art detectives. The answer to which was rather amusing.

"I read the Da Vinci code twice because I had to with all the commotion around the subject. It is not true even while the writer takes his creative liberty to paint a picture the way he wants. It is more amusing to see visitors and tourists walking with the book to connect the clues mentioned in the book. To keep facts as they are or are as 'probably they could have been' the art curators need to keep their detective's hat on. And yes, there is nothing wrong in calling them so," says Vincent Pomarede.

Vincent Pomarede
PS: Thanks to electronic translators at press conferences… they allow speakers elaborate in their comfortable languages… be it Arabic or French… and we can survive knowing just English. Phew! ;)


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