The Sharjah Art Foundation has put together a very strong autumn programme, featuring a trio of world-class exhibitions running all season. From a Japanese artistic giant to an avant-garde leader and a Turner Prize nominee, the breadth of genres covered is reason enough for a visit.
Dot Obsessions by Yayoi Kusama
This is arguably the showstopper of the season. The 87-year-old Japanese writer and artist has achieved worldwide acclaim for her use of the polka dot in almost all her works.
In 2014, people were queuing up to experience her installation work, Infinity Room, at the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi exhibition, and this weekend, anticipation was high for an exhibition four years in the making.
It didn’t disappoint. Three giant red balls form the centrepiece of the show, covered, of course, in white polka dots, while the main attraction is a small, white-walled room in which people can peel dot stickers off the wall and place them anywhere they like.
Curator Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi also includes drawings and small collage works from as far back as the 1950s, which really showed the artist’s development and her road to excellence.
• Until January 9 at Building I of SAF Art Spaces
Time Flies by Robert Breer
He was known for mixing animation with painting, and had a deep interest in abstract art, following Piet Mondrian’s famous rules of composition.
Time Flies is an eye opener because it seems to complement the quirky building itself. The angular windows, such a big part of the structure, somehow echo the lines of the abstract paintings, and also provide a stage for the several mechanical sculptures that are on show.
These sculptures are very small, floor-based pieces that move so slowly that you have to look twice to notice – which is part of their charm.
Although most of the works are decades old, it remains relevant to modern audiences.
• Until January 9 at the Flying Saucer building
Fault Work by Enrico David
Fault Work marks the regional debut of the 2009 Turner Prize nominee, who was born in Italy and lives in London. Known for his sculptures that were shown in the United Kingdom's Hepworth Wakefield gallery last year, this show features a selection of David's small sculptures and several large tapestry works.
The exhibition could be seen as the most challenging of the three – there is no prescribed way to view the art and no real accompanying explanations are offered. The tapestries are rendered from drawings or doodles that David did on the fly, while the sculptures are also based on unconventional figures.
What is beautiful about the works is the freedom to interpret them as you wish. Spend some time with these weird, strange and fun works to derive your own meanings.
• Until January 9 at Building I of SAF Art Spaces
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