His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated this morning the exhibitions of artists Bushra Khalili, entitled “Between the Rings and Constellations”, and artist Emily Karaca, entitled “Ka Awatia, a New Dawn”, at the Art Buildings in Al Mareha Square.
Organised by the Sharjah Art Foundation as part of the Autumn 2024 programme, the two exhibitions present diverse works by the two international artists, through which they express themselves in various arts, through storytelling, visual and audio performances, writing accompanying texts, inventing theories, and reshaping concepts, in addition to multiple artistic styles and a broad vision and solidarity with and highlighting the issues of societies, which enhances the Foundation’s serious endeavour to present distinguished artistic experiences and open the doors of dialogue with cultural and civilisational identities in the world.
Upon his arrival, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah toured the exhibition of artist Bushra Khalili, which was curated by Sheikha Hoor bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President of the Sharjah Art Foundation, with Amal Al Ali and Mira Madhu, Assistant Curators at the Foundation.
His Highness listened to a detailed explanation from the artist about the artworks on display, their different connotations, and the concepts and meanings they symbolize, reflecting her rich experience in her journey with arts, culture and knowledge.
His Highness stopped at a number of artworks included in the exhibition, including films, and watched some of them, and learned about their components and what they seek to convey as a simplified artistic idea to the public, and what they reflect of an artistic vision that inspired the artist and motivated her to accomplish her works, which are dominated by the prominent diversity in the integration of various visual and audio materials, in her various projects in which she tried to express her ideas derived from ancient historical experiences and the importance of solidarity between societies across borders, and the needs of people in them, far from discrimination that is harmful to the human condition between people, which must be united and cohesive, not the opposite.
The exhibition of the artist Bushra Khalili, of Moroccan-French origin, is one of the distinguished art exhibitions in the world, shedding light on the investigation and meticulous research that the artist followed in her search and excavation of the absent history, by presenting a selection of the prominent projects that she developed over the past fifteen years.
The artist’s works go beyond traditional categories such as fiction or documentary, to cleverly combine diverse visual and audio materials, allowing her to formulate hypotheses about new and innovative forms of belonging.
In a number of her artwork projects, artist Bushra Khalili focuses on highlighting the issues of immigrants and the obliteration of their existence or identity. The two main words in the exhibition title, “rings” and “constellations,” express the potential communities that appear in the artist’s works. “Rings,” the singular of which is “ring,” represent a gathering or a type of typical meeting in the artist’s homeland, the Kingdom of Morocco. It is a purely social meeting in which stories are told, where people from different generations gather to exchange memories and political ideas. This pattern, the rings, has appeared in the artist’s works since her beginnings, but it is particularly prominent in her recent projects.
The word “constellations” derives its roots from the idea of a transnational solidarity network, through which the exhibition reveals deep connections between migrant groups and anti-colonial movements across seas and continents.
Through these diverse works, the current exhibition by artist Bushra Khalili sheds light on what the artist calls “radical citizenship,” an idea that presents an unconditional concept of society that transcends the traditional boundaries of identity.
Bushra Khalili’s work is characterised by its great diversity, including film, photography, printing, installations, publishing and textiles. Her collaboration with members of communities suffering from inhumane practices is a constant and vital feature of her work, allowing individuals who participate in her work to present their personal and collective experiences, contributing with her to the development of new ways of understanding history. To this end, Bushra Khalili uses montage as an effective tool for expression and reflection, which enhances her narrative style in transforming the audience into active participants.
His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah viewed the exhibition of Maori artist Emily Karaka, which expresses the uniqueness of arts and their societal issues in the areas of her origins, which go back to the “Iwi” tribes present in the lands of Tamakimakaurau, Auckland Strait, Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Kahu, and Ngāti Heni in New Zealand. The exhibition is curated by Sheikha Hoor bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Megan Tamati-Quinnell, one of the curators of Sharjah Biennial 16, along with Amal Al Khaja and Abdullah Al Janahi, assistant curators at the Sharjah Art Foundation.
His Highness viewed many of the artworks included in the exhibition, including paintings with various materials, including acrylic, oil paints, oil pastels on canvas, and oil paints on Kauri paintings. The artist Emily is known for expressing a specific point of view on the political issues of the region from which she hails. Her works are characterised by striking colours, expressive intensity, writing in different languages and stating various important dates.
His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah was introduced, through detailed explanations from the artist Emily Karaca during the tour, to her diverse works, in which she reflects her ideas and her commitment as a well-known intellectual towards her community and shows through them an amazing balance between the accuracy of the drawings she presents as an artist and the values she carries, through which she sends clear messages about what she believes in regarding issues of social justice, the environment, and strong belonging to roots and family and pride in that.
His Highness listened to Maori hymns from ancient heritage arts performed by the artist and an accompanying group of female performers.
The exhibition “Ka Awatia, A New Dawn” highlights the work of Emily Karaka, an influential political artist in her country and the world, who combines her artistic vision with her deep values, carrying the banner of cultural knowledge and rich tribal history.
The exhibition brings together selections from public and private collections, covering five decades of her career, in addition to special and new commissions from the Sharjah Art Foundation.
An abstract expressionist and exceptional colorist who sometimes creates assemblage art, Emily Karaca has worked hard to develop her knowledge and educate herself, describing her paintings as “political landscapes” or “intense self-portraits that delve into the landscape.”
The opening of the two exhibitions was attended by His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikha Hoor bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President of the Sharjah Art Foundation, Sheikha Nawar bint Ahmed Al Qasimi, Director of the Sharjah Art Foundation, Mohammed Obaid Al Zaabi, Head of the Department of Protocol and Hospitality, and a number of artists, intellectuals, officials and media professionals.
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