Pointers to memory: tales of then and now, 16 Mar 2015 — 16 May 2015
Exhibitions

Pointers to memory: tales of then and now

Pointers to memory: tales of then and now explores the possibilities of alternative narratives in the visual culture of today, visual narratives are pointers to collective memory and collective unconsciousness. A collaboration between Alif gallery and ArtHub (Abu Dhabi), the project summarizes several approaches inspired by folk traditions and indigenous narrative techniques to explore narrative forms in order to tell a story or to form some visual pattern.
At the heart of the exhibition is the juxtaposition of works by Alexander Nikolaevfrom Uzbekistan and Iranian artist, Nasser Palangi. The exhibition will also showcase the works of textile artisans and fiber artists from the Middle East to tell a new story that challenges categorisations based on material, perceptions of the decorative or locales.

Alexander Nikolaev from Uzbekistan will showcase World of Kind People collages, first presented in 2012 at the Central Asian Pavillion at the Venice Biennale. The colorful artworks fit into a paradigm of appropriated naïve art and can be described as ‘bas-relief made of cloth.’
World of Kind People explores life today by making inroads into local iconography, through gentle characters taken out of everyday situations. Each collage narrates a snapshot of a life of that is real and unreal at the same time. There is penchant for humor through the depiction of clothing, cell phones and other ethnographic details. The image is frozen, locked up in a jadval-like setting and crafted with ribbons, glitter, rhinestones and other accessories.

Iranian artist Nasser Palangi narrates his story about the rise of a modern nation through the artworks and installations created for The First International Historical Memory Art Festival at Art Hub (Abu Dhabi) in 2014, using a visual archive of a cultural journey made by the people of this desert land. N. Palangi shows a special interest for the unconventional use of materials and forms such as aluminum cooking pots and ceramics as an attempt to offer a number of observations about art as both form and metaphor, object and idea, physical presence and abstract concept. The artwork of N Palangi explores the local cultural, religious and political iconography of The Age of Transformation in UAE history of the 1960’s and 70’s, encompassing the pre- and post-unification periods.

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