Guggenheim Abu Dhabi announces new artist selection for virtual programme

Running until July 28, the initiative includes virtual studio visits and a panel discussion with three Abu Dhabi artists

Afra Al Dhaheri installing her rope sculpture 'Tasreeha' (2020), at Manarat Al Saadiyat for last year's Abu Dhabi Art. She is one of the artists included in Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's In the Studio virtual programme. Courtesy the artist

A new line-up of artists has been announced for In the Studio, a virtual programme organised by Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.

The initiative supports Abu Dhabi artists and aims to nurture the capital's creative ecosystem.

Running until July 28, the programme will introduce resident artists Afra Al Dhaheri, Mays Albaik and Simrin Mehra-Agarwal through a series of virtual studio visits and a live-streamed panel discussion, which will be available to view on the CulturAll.ae website and Abu Dhabi Culture's social media platforms.

In the Studio gives artists a platform to showcase their work and creative process, as well as the opportunity to discuss Abu Dhabi’s nascent art scene, through panel discussions.

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"The upcoming series of virtual studio visits and a panel discussion will examine how Abu Dhabi-based artists have shaped their unique identities, and the ways each is contributing to the emirate’s dynamic arts ecosystem," said Maisa Al Qassimi, senior project manager of Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.

She said the programme's goal is to also build new audiences for the artists.

The first artist to present their work is Abu Dhabi-born Al Dhaheri, whose practice reflects on her experiences growing up in the emirate and the wider UAE. Working with mixed media, sculpture, drawing, painting, installation, photography and printmaking, she experiments with materiality, ritual and process.

A work from Mays Albaik’s first solo exhibition, A Terranean Love Note, at Tashkeel. Courtesy the artist and Tashkeel

Albaik’s interdisciplinary practice, meanwhile, investigates the concept of place, primarily how it is formed and expressed through the body, language or their intersections. Drawing from oral history and her Palestinian heritage, Albaik explores the geopolitical and cultural landscapes that led her to where she is now as a resident of the UAE. She will present a tour of her studio and her work on Wednesday, July 7.

Mehra-Agarwal, who was born in India and lives in Abu Dhabi, examines nature, destruction and rebirth in her intricate drawings, carvings and reliefs on paper, wood and plaster. She will present her latest works on Wednesday, July 14.

The programme will conclude on Wednesday, July 28, with a panel discussion with the three participating artists, who will talk about their practices and their careers. The panel will be moderated by Guggenheim Abu Dhabi curators Sara bin Safwan and Jessica Cerasi.

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi: In the Studio sessions will be available to stream on the CulturAll.ae website and Abu Dhabi Culture social media platforms until Wednesday, July 28

Updated: July 1st 2021, 8:06 AM