Emirati Expressions Exhibit

Abu Dhabi was my favorite emirate based on the things I experienced of the three out of seven Emirates. In the week we were traveling, we visited Sharjah, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi in UAE.  It could have been because of the more mellow atmosphere and environment built in Abu Dhabi.  The more recently developed emirate had a more pleasant vibe than the more fast-paced seemingly more “fake” Dubai that felt overdone and too “glamorous”.  It felt like a Las Vegas of the Middle East because everywhere I seemed to go was something we had to pay extravagant amounts of money for (to eat, shop, ski, sled, or ice skate).  I’m not saying there was no Emirati culture, but Dubai is an emirate of a couple of millions of people and Emiraties make up a third or something of this population.  I wonder if most of them just hang out at home or if they are the ones in the most expensive clubs and restaurants in Dubai.  

Anyways, Abu Dhabi inspired me more because of the more apparent culture and less over-developed feeling.  It felt like the state was developing at a much more calm pace allowing for room to have the Emirati culture grow with the modernity with seemingly more ease.   I mentioned my thoughts to my Omani sister and some other Omani members of my family and I got a lot of the same comments and feelings.  If many people from Omani culture who go to these places several times a year to visit their relatives feel this way as well, that must mean something  My favorite part of the culture we experienced there was the fact that we got to visit the Saadiyat Cultural District.  It was exciting to see the designs in the museum of what the much anticipated Saadiyat Island will be like.  There will be a Louvre, a Guggenheim, a state of the art performing arts center, and many other neat attractions.  It will be interesting how these newly added additions will affect the culture and feel of the emirate when they are complete in the next couple of years.  

The best part of the Saadiyat Cultural District was the Emirati Expressions exhibition.  Upon entering the large hall, one could go left to the exhibition or go straight to the very large black and white polka-dotted cube that immediately draws your attention.  The large cube was a large installation put in by the anonymous artist “JR”.  On the brochure it says, “The fact that I stay anonymous means I can exhibit wherever I want”.  I thought this was interesting because it’s so cool that he does these large scale photographic installations and makes them public.  I like the idea of public installations that are not approved and usually illegal but that artists do them anyway.  I forget the actual term that is used for this but I love the concept of graffiti and putting something somewhere that is unexpected that can spark emotion in the public or make them think about something or simply enjoy a work of art.  

JR is a young French artist.  He likes to print humongous portraits of people or their intimate parts of their faces and post them in public places throughout the world.  I really liked the fact that it seems his art is so intrusive in the way that it could pull anyone in closer to figure out what is going on with the huge photographs of eyes or huge photographs of people in locations that are not expected.  JR in a way is doing a lot of the things I would love to be doing more of.  He travels to far off lands, makes friends, makes them models for his photographs, and makes art from these photographs while building relationships and learning more about people, cultures, and his own self in some ways with being able to really look at people’s eyes in his massive portraits.  Like they always say... “The eyes are the windows to the soul”.  And JR makes these windows larger and more accessible peer into and think about.  

The Photo booth installations was in fact a very large photo booth that allowed for visitors to use.  If you used it, a massive portrait of yourself would fall from the top of the cube for you to have posted as part of the installation that was throughout the many walls in and outside the museum.  The public became a part of this project.  “INSIDE OUT is a collaboration between the artist JR, and you”.  

The entrance to the rest of the exhibition was nice because it had a large quote up of an author I enjoy and respect.  She written some great philosophical books about photography and using the camera as a tool to investigate people.  Her name is Susan Sontag.  A quote that she is famous for was a part of the entry to the exhibit read “Essentially, the camera makes everyone a tourist in other people’s reality, and eventually in one’s own”.  

It was a great introduction to the exhibition of photographs created by Emirati artists and some visiting photographers.  One of my favorite genres in art and quiet possibly the world’s most popular hobby! If more and more people learn to take photographs to explore themselves and the world around them better, the more we will be able to understand each other and our cultural differences.  Photographs become ideas, realizations, explanations, and observations.  All unique to the eyes of the picture taker.  

I really enjoyed being at this center for the short time we visited and wished we could have had a little bit more time to take it all in.  I am happy we got to go!