1980 – Today: Exhibitions in the United Arab Emirates

As presented by the National Pavilion UAE la Biennale di Venezia at the 56th International Art Exhibition 2015, commissioned by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation.

“1980-Today: Exhibitions in the United Arab Emirates” looks at the history of exhibition making in the United Arab Emirates over the last 40 years.  The emergence of art practices in the UAE is presented here through a selection of over 100 works by fifteen Emirati artists.

The exhibition is built upon extensive research involving archives of newspaper articles, artists’ writings, and catalogues, as well as interviews with artists and cultural practitioners. Reflecting personal and geopolitical trajectories, the research focused on the underexposed historical record and evolving practices of some of the UAE’s most important modernist and contemporary artists.

The Emirates Fine Arts Society, a non-profit association that was formed in 1980 in Sharjah, has served as a main point of focus and inspiration for research.

Curated by Hoor Al Qasimi for the  for The National Pavilion United Arab Emirates at the 56th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, the exhibition includes works by Ahmed Al Ansari, Moosa Al Halyan, Mohammed Al Qassab, Abdul Qader Al Rais, Abdullah Al Saadi, Mohammed Abdullah Bulhiah, Salem Jawhar, Mohammed Kazem, Dr Najat Meky, Abdulraheem Salim, Ahmed Sharif, Hassan Sharif, Obaid Suroor, Dr Mohamed Yousif and Abdulrahman Zainal.