Organised
by the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority as part of Abu Dhabi Art, this
year’s edition of Art,
Talks and Sensations —under the artistic direction of Fabrice
Bousteau — will ‘open up’ a larger and more permeated outdoor setting in front
of Manarat Al Saadiyat. Inspired by the architecture of Lord Norman
Foster–designed UAE Pavilion and the surrounding landscape of Saadiyat Island,
the theme and title of the 2013 edition of Art,
Talks and Sensations is Dunes
and Waves.
Dunes and Waves, (the title representing the visual and
transitional desert landscape and the fluid rippling of the sands) presents a
unique series of live art, music and video-screenings outdoors, and pushing the
boundaries of artistic performance.
For
this year’s edition, the project consists of bringing the Art, Talks and Sensations
spirit, which is, exactly the essence of what Abu Dhabi is - a land of
innovation, experiences, cultural mix. This translates to Art, Talks and Sensations
being in the midst of Abu Dhabi Art, without occupying a specific space, the
message is interrelated everywhere,” says Curator Fabrice Bousteau.
Art, Talks & Sensations situates itself at
the crossroads of various contemporary art disciplines. As a platform for
authentic sharing and exchange, it intends to push the boundaries of artistic
practice to new levels of experimentation and com-munication including fleeting
live performances by pianist, composer and musical director, Chassol,
who will
present a composition that articulates
voice, music, sounds and images based on his background of composing for films,
in the tradition of such producers as Jerry Goldsmith Michel and Quincy Jones.
Julie Fruchon and Alexandrine Leclère will create culinary
art sculptures titled Sand
Dune [Dune de Sable] made by local ingredients - tomatoes, salted
caramel and spice – for audiences inviting them to take part in the work. Alessandro Sciarroni,
presents a choreographic meditation on the passing of time (UNTITLED_I will be there when you
die), a reaction on the art of manipulating objects with dexterity
by juggling. This is the second chapter in a larger research project exploring
the concepts of struggle, steadiness and resistance.
Finally, dancers Sebastien Ramirez and Honji Wang - recent
winners of the New York Dance and Performance Awards, The Bessies - will
showcase AP15,
inspired by hip hop and reconstructed as contemporary dance,
performed in a wave of acrobatic and elegant movements. Video screenings, music
made by plants, created by
Grégory Lasserre & Anaïs met den Ancxt, poetic
installations, and “architectures” produced by dancers in movement add to the
multidisciplinary programme.
Dunes and Waves also includes Small is Beautiful, a parallel
presentation of small-scale artworks from Abu Dhabi Art’s participating
galleries in the Modern, Contemporary and Design, Bidaya as well as Abu Dhabi Art’s new
Artists’ Waves section.
Situated
on the top floor of the UAE Pavilion on the grounds of Manarat Al Saadiyat, Small is Beautiful, takes
its title from a theory of the same name published in 1974 by the British
economist E.F. Schumacher where the concept of progress is rooted in the desire
to want more from more. Small
is Beautiful takes exception to view, offering a selection of
small-scale works that are intended to explore and potentially redefine the
ethical, philosophical and aesthetic considerations that define the concept of
‘smallness’. More than 25 works will be featured including Jean Michel Basquiat, Mona Hatoum,
Jacques Villeglé, Erwin Wurm, Dia Azzawi, Martin Creed and Yao Jui Chung.
All
participating galleries are invited to include an additional small-scaled
artwork (no more than 50 cm in dimension), among their selection of artworks
for Abu Dhabi Art, by both celebrated and emerging artists in a setting that
unifies scale considerations and modes of presentation.
“In
a sense these works are ‘levelling the playing field’ — the exhibition will
uncover new resonances across a radically diverse range of artistic intentions.
Seen together, the works will function as both autonomous entities and
fragments of a whole, with each element freely influencing the entire
presentation. Ultimately Small
is Beautiful promotes unity in diversity and is intended to be a
platform for authentic sharing and exchange,” says Bousteau of the exhibition’s
theme and over all message.
Abu Dhabi Art organised by Abu
Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority is an annual platform for modern and
contemporary art and design to be held from 20-23 November 2013. Sponsored by Julius Baer, the leading Swiss private banking
group with a focus on serving and advising sophisticated private clients, Abu
Dhabi Art is held at Manarat Al Saadiyat and the iconic UAE
Pavilion on Saadiyat Island.
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