Abu Dhabi's Warehouse421 presents its autumn arts programme

Highlights include a pilot of the centre's Curatorial Development Exhibition programme

Vivek Vilasini's series 'Housing Dreams', part of the So Different, So Appealing exhibition at Warehouse421. Photo: Vivek Vilasini

Warehouse421 will begin its autumn programme with two exhibitions, including the conclusion of the Substructures: Excavating the Everyday series, curated by Murtaza Vali, and the inaugural show of the centre’s Curatorial Development Exhibition.

So Different, So Appealing is the final exhibition of Vali’s four-part series Substructures: Excavating the Everyday, which looks at Gulf urbanism and quotidian life in the region.

Running from October 16, the new show will consider how Gulf cities became models of urban development in the 2000s, with dizzyingly high towers and redrawn coastlines serving as manifestations of various aspirations and desires, both public and private.

Warehouse421 is also presenting the first exhibition to have come out of its pilot Curatorial Development Exhibition programme, which was launched earlier this year. It aims to boost curatorship in the UAE, and the chosen applicants have been rewarded with up to Dh20,000 while also collaborating with a mentoring team to develop their projects.

The show, titled As We Gaze Upon Her, is curated by the Banat Collective from the UAE. Working with the Bombay Institute of Critical Analysis and Research to develop the exhibition and their research, the collective is exploring the notion of ‘woman’ as it pertains to social, cultural and existential contexts.

As We Gaze Upon Her will also look at issues of objectification, family honour, gendered labour and roles of women in public and private spaces. Opening on Saturday, October 16, the show will run until Sunday, January 23, 2022.

In addition, Warehouse421 has joined up with The National Pavilion UAE – La Biennale di Venezia to present research from its exhibition Wetland: How Will We Live Together, which won a Golden Lion at the La Biennale Architettura 2021.

Developed by Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto, the project looks at harnessing the minerals from sabkha, or salt flats, to manufacture alternatives to concrete.

The collaboration will include a workshop, material displays, as well as the publication and research on the sabkha and sustainability.

As part of its autumn programme, the arts centre will also offer various workshops, including an experimental event called Reimagining wall practices in November.

This will delve into mural techniques and wall practices such as frescoes and decorative painting. Participants will be taken through conceptual and technical processes, as well as combining media into the practice.

In December, Warehouse421 will host a winter market in collaboration with Creative Link-up. This will include a shoemaking session for beginners to understand how to use different materials, threads, sewing techniques and painting to make their own shoes. The Cheeseboard Resin Workshop will teach the techniques of mixing resin to create different objects.

In addition, Gulf Photo Plus will offer its Winter Camp: Engaging with Photography as part of Warehouse421’s education programme. Taking place in December, the workshops will look at photographic practices, with a combination of hands-on sessions and lectures on photography history.

More information on Warehouse421’s programme can be found at warehouse421.ae