Dubai
| 23 November 2013– 8 January 2014
Gallery Ward
November 2013- Dubai –UAE: Gallery Ward
prepares for its third exhibition in the UAE since its opening. A group exhibition
exploring a unique cultural phenomenon,
“El Moulid” will open on
Saturday November 23rd as part of the Quoz Happens event and will
feature cultural activities inspired by to the festivities throughout
the day for a real family experience.
“EL Moulid” is named after a
traditional event that essentially celebrates the birth of a Sufi saint and
takes place throughout the year all over Egypt and has a very vibrant carnival
feel with unique rituals and characteristics. The exhibition will show a
selection of work by a group of contemporary Egyptian artists that have been
commissioned by Gallery Ward to articulate their personal interpretation of El
Moulid through their work.
Ehab Ellaban, head curator of
Gallery Ward says: “EL Moulid is a happening that is culturally rich,
diverse and full of life, it therefore inspires many artists and opens up
endless ideas and angles for interpretation and exploration. I feel that its contradictions and intensity
offer the viewer a sort of microcosm of Egypt’s popular culture and social
fabric and character in an exaggerated state, it is therefore to me a subject
worth revisiting repeatedly and it will undoubtedly allow for original
interpretation and dialogue time and time again.”
‘El-Moulid’, is a distinctive,
ever-changing, dynamic event that has been etched into Egyptian history and
popular culture alike for hundreds of years.
The diversity of the theme is naturally reflected in the choice of
artists and the media they have used in their works.
The aim of the exhibition is
not only to display the artists’ works, but to reflect and bring to the fore, a
very unique part of Egyptian popular culture. Thus evoking the feel and
character of an authentic Moulid and offering audiences a complete
multi-sensory experience, spanning music, performance, video, photography,
sculpture and painting.
In effect however, the
festival, its implications and the way it transpires far transcends the
original cause for celebration and has evolved into a full blown carnival of
colors and life. The event attracts different generations, classes and gender
and the sense of togetherness fused with variety is overwhelming.
The Program:
As part of the programming surrounding Quoz Happens, Gallery Ward will be hosting a children's workshop from 11am - 2pm.
Children aged 5+ are invited to re-create aspects of a 'Moulid' on paper using
an array of materials.
At 7 pm guests will be taken on a Bilingual guided tour through
the art on showcase reflecting the concept of “EL Moulid”. This will be
followed at 8 pm by a performance known as Tanoura (a traditional Dance
performed at Moulid also known as whirling Darvish)
The
artists commissioned to present Work for “El Moulid” are Mohamed El Tarawy
,
Mohamed Ardash, Hisham Abdullah, Rida Abdel Rahman and Ayman Elsemary
(painting), Essam Darwish and Ahmed Abdel Fattah (sculpture), Atef Ahmed
and
Mohamed Abu El Naga (mixed media), Naglaa Samir and Bassam El Zoghby (Digital
Photo Montage), Ahmed Khaled (video installations) as well as Mustafa El Bana
and Khaled Sorour.
Ward is located in AL Quoz
district St. 6, next to The Courtyard, Al Quoz, interchange 3, Al Manara,
Dubai.
The opening hours: Saturday -
Thursday
Timings:10am - 6pm.
Facebook: Gallery
Ward
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