Last chance to see Phantom Limb at NYU Abu Dhabi

There are only a few more days left to see NYU Abu Dhabi’s Diana Al-Hadid: Phantom Limb exhibition. Her first solo show in the Arab world, the Syrian-born American artist’s work is large in scale and instantly recognisable. Dripping and decaying, abstract yet figurative, the sculptures warrant a first-hand look.

Phantom Limb contains several new Al-Hadid artworks alongside three works generously loaned from three prominent UAE art collections: that of Sheikha Manal Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum; the Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah, courtesy of Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi; and the collection of the Sharjah Art Foundation, directed by Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi.

There is an Arabic and English audio guide to the exhibition, in which visitors can hear the artist discussing the work in her own words as well as an illustrated guide for young people. Maya Allison, founding director of the Art Gallery and chief curator at New York University Abu Dhabi, said: “Having the opportunity to show such a rich survey of Al-Hadid’s remarkable work here in the UAE has been a privilege. I’m already mourning the return of these loaned artworks when we close -- we’ve loved living with this show, seeing the sculptures every day. But I am heartened by the exhibition’s legacy that will endure: the catalogue with its ground-breaking scholarship adds meaningful new discussion to the literature around Al-Hadid; and a new range of programs have reached a broader audience than ever before. This type of in-depth engagement with the both the artwork and the community is at the heart of our vision for the Art Gallery program.”

* Phantom Limb runs until May 28 at NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery.

aseaman@thenational.ae

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