I’m Feeling 22: an art exhibition

Baqala (Old & New) by Nassra al Buainain (Courtesy: Koh Terai)

With globally renowned institutions on the horizon and grand gestures of artistic prowess constantly on the calendar, it is not often that home-grown initiatives in the capital get much attention. That’s why I was particularly impressed by the resourcefulness of one New York University Abu Dhabi student who decided it was time to do something for the younger generation.

Emily Wang, who is studying art, art history and music, has only been in the UAE for two years. She identified a gap in the art scene in that there were no platforms for emerging artists and so she approached a few and put together a curated show in The Space, Abu Dhabi. I'm Feeling 22, named after lyrics of the Taylor Swift song is, as the name suggests, for the young generation, made by the young generation but do not be deceived, this is a sophisticated show and well worth a mention.

“There are a lot of things happening in the Gulf that are really specific to people who have grown up here and there are new trends and aesthetics that are not touched upon in the art that you see here,” says Wang. “I wanted to find a way to fit young artists into the scene here; it was something I felt really strongly about.”

There are 11 artists in the show exhibiting multimedia pieces including video screenings, installations, prints and even iPhone photographs.

Crucially, not all artists are students or recent graduates. They also include for example, Abdullah Al Mutairi, a Kuwaiti artist who is a member of the GCC art collective who were shown in MOMA PS1 over the summer and are currently exhibiting in Sharjah.

One of the most interesting works is Baqala (Old & New) by Nassra al Buainain, a former Zayed University student. In this work, Buainain has created two light boxes that highlight the new system brought into force recently where all grocery stores must be branded under the same name "Baqala". The piece documents a key part of history and modernisation of the UAE.

“This was my first installation,” explains Buainain about the piece, which she submitted to the International Emerging Artist Award in 2012. “It was a way of capturing memory for the new generation, I wanted to preserve the image as it is part of our history.”

It is elements such as these, says Wang, which mean that this show, despite its playful title and youthful focus, can be appreciated by any member of society.

“It is not only for young audiences,” she says. “I also include the narrative of the clean technological aesthetics that people outside of the UAE have developed of Dubai for example, which are not often represented here.”

For someone so young and who is still studying Wang shows great promise and her initiative also hints at a very optimistic future for the UAE’s nascent art scene.

* I'm Feeling 22 runs until December 4th at The Space, TwoFour54, Abu Dhabi. Follow the exhibition on Twitter at @22artshow.