Internationally renowned Syrian-American contemporary artist Diana Al Hadid’s travelling solo exhibition, with works of Renaissance and classical imagery, will open at New York University Abu Dhabi in March, next year.
The NYUAD Art Gallery will display the towering sculpture, spectral wall pieces and bronzes from the artist’s Phantom Limb collection of works.
At the centre of the exhibition are two major wall insets: The Sleepwalker and Still Life.
The first draws from the 4th Century BC bas-relief Gradiva, while Still Life is a reworking of Hans Memling’s 1475 painting Allegory of Chastity.
The theme of memory and its physical manifestations in art and architecture is central in all her pieces.
“She uses source imagery from ancient and Renaissance art, and one has the sense that she has worked every element by hand, channelling some ancient shared artistic memory,” says Maya Allison, founding Director of the Art Gallery at New York University Abu Dhabi, and Chief Curator at NYU Abu Dhabi.
“The mix of art historical references and creative immediacy will bring many different audiences into dialogue.”
Phantom Limb opens on March 6 and will be on view until May 28, next year.
aahmed@thenational.ae