Jameel Arts Centre announces 2020-2021 programme

Highlights include a debut solo by artist Hiwa K and a group show curated by Shumon Basar, Douglas Coupland and Hans Ulrich Obrist

The exhibition Age of You is curated by Shumon Basar, Douglas Coupland Shumon Basar. Courtesy Jameel Arts Centre

Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai has announced its programming for autumn/winter 2020-2021.

The contemporary art institution, located along Al Jaddaf Waterfront, will present two major exhibitions, including a debut solo show by Iraqi-Kurdish artist Hiwa K, and two new site-specific installations for its Artist’s Garden commission and sculpture park.

The centre’s autumn calendar will also see the return of youth programme The Assembly, and a new iteration of its research initiative Library Circles.

Here are some of the highlights:

Do You Remember What You Are Burning

This exhibition by Iraqi-Kurdish artist Hiwa K marks his first solo show in Asia and the Middle East.

Opening on December 16, the show highlights more than 10 years of the acclaimed artist’s practice. Fusing humor and personal experience, Hiwa K’s work explores issues of displacement, belonging and resilience.

Hiwa K, 'The Bell', 2015, shown at the 56th Venice Biennale. Courtesy Jameel Arts Centre

Many of the works in Do You Remember What You Are Burning relate the city of Sulaymaniyah, in Iraqi Kurdistan – where the artist was born in 1975 – and his experience as a refugee.

Works on view will include One Room Apartment, an outdoor installation originally commissioned for Documenta 14 in 2017, and a new interactive large-scale work created especially for the show.

On view until July 24, 2021

Age of You

Curated by Shumon Basar, Douglas Coupland and Hans Ulrich Obrist, with graphic design UK studio by Daly & Lyon, Age of You considers how our perceptions of ourselves have changed, and what it means to be an individual today.

Opening on January 28, the exhibition will include works in film, fashion, sculpture and installation by more than 70 contributors, presented through 13 chapters that chart the remaking of the interior self.

The exhibition – a collaboration between Jameel Arts Centre and Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto – also previews an upcoming book by the curators titled The Extreme Self, a sequel to The Age of Earthquakes: A Guide to the Extreme Present.

On view until August 14, 2021

The exhibition Age of You is curated by Shumon Basar, Douglas Coupland Shumon Basar. Courtesy Jameel Arts Centre

Artist’s Garden Commission: 'Desert is a Forest'

Namrata Neog and Sunoj D were awarded the centre's Artist's Garden commission for 2020. They are presenting the work Desert is a Forest, which examines the relationship between humans and their environment through local biodiversity and food.

Set to open on October 17, the new garden will grow over the coming months and will include plant species indigenous to the UAE, allowing visitors to learn more about their traditional uses in food and medicine, as well as expanding public knowledge about local plant ecology and nutritional habits.

On view from Saturday, October 17

Jaddaf Waterfront Sculpture: 'Formation III: The Dappled Light of the Sun'

British artist Conrad Shawcross will present his work Formation III: The Dappled Light of the Sun, a large-scale sculptural work in Jaddaf Waterfront Sculpture Park, adjacent to Jameel Arts Centre.

The new permanent installation is made up of geometric structures that extend into branches and cloud-like forms comprised of thousands of tetrahedrons. The immersive canopy stands on three tripods, six metres above ground level, revolving around geometry's natural patterns.

On view from Wednesday, September 30

Library Circles: Maryam Al Dabbagh

Library Circles is a research series programme where UAE practitioners host talks and experimental interventions that are open to the public.

The autumn series features writer and researcher Maryam Al Dabbagh, commissioned by Jameel Library to produce a bilingual text and audio installation that takes visitors on a journey throughout the centre.

A photo at Alkhan beach, 1983, part of Maryam Al Dabbagh's Library Circles project. Courtesy Maryam Al Dabbagh

The work includes conversations around the theme of belonging, filtered through the topics of bureaucracy, administration and the age of retirement.

Runs until January 7

The Assembly: 2020 Takeover

The Assembly is an annual programme aimed at developing programming for and by UAE youth. It is managed by nine core members aged 18-24, who develop initiatives based on their own interests and experiences.

This year, 14 young artists and creatives from the UAE were selected for the Assembly.

This year, 14 young artists and creatives from the UAE were selected for Jameel Arts Centre's Youth Assembly. Courtesy Jameel Arts Centre

Starting October 30, 2020, they will conduct curated interventions and organise activities at the Jameel Arts Centre focused on the theme of 'Reassigning Value’. Over the course of two weeks, they will also present artworks, including illustration, painting, sculpture and photography to sound-design, film and performance, along with a digital programme on the centre's online blog.

Runs until November 12

More information is available on jameelartscentre.org