Hundreds of artworks go on sale on Monday, June 20, during Etihad Modern Art Gallery’s annual Art Souq. The event is a chance for visitors to get their hands on one-off pieces ranging from Dh2,000 to Dh10,000. The works cover a variety of styles and mediums, from traditional calligraphy and oil paintings to experimental digital images and geometric compositions.
Opening night will feature traditional Arabian food and live music, as well as camel rides and a falcon stand to celebrate Emirati heritage. A bazaar with local crafts and fashion items, including handmade jewellery will run concurrently in the adjacent Art House Café.
Abu Dhabi-based Moroccan artist Loubna Abdelkrim's City of Arabia shows an imaginary city full of light, colour and beauty, with angular buildings jutting into the skyline and crescent moons on their spires.
“Art Souq makes original paintings affordable,” she says. “And I like this idea because so many people will be able to hang one-of-a-kind artworks on their walls.”
Ras Al Khaimah-based Pakistani artist Soraya Sikander will show her new work Gardenia, an oil-on-canvas of floral patterns. Regular contributor Yiannis Roussakis, from Greece, will exhibit photographs, while Cypriot artist Constantinos Ptochopoulo will show Dog Heroes, depicting a blue-eyed husky staring from the canvas.
• Art Souq launches at 9pm on Monday, June 20, then runs Saturdays to Thursdays from 10am to midnight at Etihad Modern Art Gallery, Al Bateen, Abu Dhabi, www.etihadmodernart.com
aseaman@thenational.ae