Ode to the Nation

18 NOVEMBER – 8 DECEMBER 2023
The Majlis Gallery, a steadfast bastion of art and culture in Dubai, is proud to present “Ode to the Nation: A Celebration of Local Talents.” This momentous exhibition joyously highlights the incredible artistic talents of Emirati creatives, showcasing their boundless creativity and deep connection to the country. In a country that has witnessed remarkable growth and transformation in a relatively short span of time, this exhibition serves as a vibrant celebration of the thriving artistic spirit that enriches the UAE’s cultural landscape. Through the creative expressions of local Emirati artists, we embark on a visual journey that traverses time, encapsulating the soul and spirit of the nation. “Ode to the Nation” showcases a diverse array of artistic interpretations, each a testament to the artists’ profound connection to their homeland. It’s an exploration of the present and the aspirations for the future, as seen through the eyes and hands of those who call the UAE their creative muse .Through an array of mediums and styles, this exhibition invites you to delve into Emirati artistry, where tradition and innovation harmonize, and where the spirit of the nation is woven into the very fabric of the artworks on display. We invite you to experience the depth and diversity of Emirati artistry, and join us in celebrating the remarkable talents of our local artists, whose creations shape the vibrant cultural landscape of the UAE. “Ode to the Nation” is not just an art exhibition; it’s a celebration and a visual narrative of the boundless creativity within this nation.

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40 Years On

An Exhibition that celebrates 40 years of The Majlis Gallery’s active role in the cultural development of the UAE. Running from Saturday 1 Feb, to Tuesday 31 March 2020.
Click here for full catalogue

Emirati artist Mona Al-Khaja

Observe + Absorb
An exhibition by pioneering Emirati artist Mona Al-Khaja

Emirati Artist Mona Al Khaja studied art from 1976 to 1981 at the College of Fine Arts in Cairo, where she developed a natural talent for oil and acrylic painting. Since then, the mother of 6 and grandmother also of 6 has evolved her style from realism to abstract as a way to continue expanding her journey as an artist. Her pieces are studded with Middle-Eastern motifs and Islamic patterns and can be distinguished by her signature use of bold colors. Balancing her time as a full-time artist, wife, mother and a grand-mother has been challenging for Mona, but she hopes that her work will be appreciated by art lovers and inspire other Emirati women to pursue their passions and creativity.

Below, a poetic message from the

Below, a poetic message from the artist herself:

“Painting is my world, a place where I can freely swim with my thoughts and exercise my ability to describe the world as I desire. I arrange it according to my imagination, returning to thoughts, places and themes that can only be expressed by observing and absorbing them into a visual story. 

In my opinion, a good work of art consists of using time and space, depth and movement, shadow and light, to enrich the eyesight and provoke inner-thoughts. Personally, I am influenced by the changes in colour and form that take place in everything that surrounds me, from the change of seasons to the diversity of light in different regions. I observe how a blue sky turns to shades of night, how a light wind raises dust that disturbs a clear sky – giving it a yellow tinge that hides the contours of shadows on the floor. 

I grab my brush and the ideas grapple inside me. I find them bound by some of the influences that stem from inherited legacies. I attempt to break free from them to give my ideas the opportunity to explore beyond these constraints. I try to paint new forms and use slightly different methods, but they tend to return back to their origins, as if they were fixed in my being.”

There is no direct human form in my work, but its fingerprints are still present in my paintings. I often use decorative elements inspired by my local and Islamic heritage, such as nature, jewelry, clothing and calligraphy, as well as architectural symbols and motifs. These elements constantly enrich my ideas.

Click Here to Download Catalogue

Creative Diversity

Sikka 2019. 16th – 24th of March

The Majlis Gallery is renowned for the wide scope of the artists we represent and the great variety of the materials and genres they work in, for Sikka 2019 we bring together 5 artists and a writer who between them will fill the galleries 4 main exhibition spaces, its beautiful courtyard and surrounding external areas with stunning Art and Artifacts under the title of

Creative Diversity  

All the artists will be here for the first week of Sikka to personally introduce you to their work

“Love” Oil on Canvas 90 x 120 by Sophie Walbeoffe
(to see the complete collection click here)

The Amboseli ecosystem is unique. No other place in Africa combines its special hydrology, topography , geology and cultural history. Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya is famous for its views of Kilimanjaro and its iconic elephants.  Cynthia Moss has been studying these elephants for the last 46 years, her project is the longest continuous study of elephants in the world.

Sophie Walbeoffe has exhibited regularly with the Majlis Gallery over the last twenty five years having lived in Dubai in the 1980’s. Combining their special talents and experience Sophie and Cynthia share the amazing beauty of Amboseli and the elephants in a book with Sophies paintings and Cynthias words. Many of the paintings and drawings will be exhibited and for sale in the Majlis gallery during Sikka 2019 with the book being officially launched at the same time

    Caneworks by Peter Bowles      Wild flower perfume bottles by Anne Clifton

(to see the complete collection click here)

Glass Manifesto is the Creative Partnership of Peter Bowles & Anne Clifton.

Peter Bowles is recognised as one of Australia’s finest makers. Renowned for his technical mastery, his inventive approach to his craft and a dedication to a practice that spans object making, contemporary craft and public art. A prolific and fastidious artist, he has exhibited, lectured, researched and made work throughout the UK, Europe, Australia, Canada and the USA.

Anne Clifton brings an unparalleled enthusiasm and a sense of wonder to her work. Her innate curiosity drives her practice which has taken her throughout Europe, Australia, Asia and the USA. Her commitment, vision and deep regard for community engagement have positioned her as a significant member of the international studio glass movement.

(to see Jamal’s complete collection click here)

 

There will be plenty of parking during Sikka in fact there is plenty of parking all the time now just a short stroll away in the new Al Seef area at the bottom of our road.

For more details on Sikka Art Fair 2019 contact

www.dubaiculture.gov.ae

www.themajlisgallery.com

majligallery@gmail.com

tel +9714 3536233

 

 

 

Seeking Al Seef

Opening on Saturday 24th November.
We welcome the winter months with Seeking Al Seef by Martin Giesen an exhibition of works on paper exploring the multi facetted world of Dubai Creek.

If you travel along Al Seef the stretch of waterfront along Dubai’s creek, you could be forgiven you thought you were in a historic neighborhood. Wind tower houses, narrow alleys, restaurants and shops all seem grown organically over decades into a port community on the Arabian Gulf. In reality, Al-Seef is a typical Dubai project: brand new and unabashedly geared towards commerce. It utilizes the Venice-like appeal of a city on the water. It boldly appropriates the historical appearance of 19th century regional architecture but constructs this nostalgic tableau with contemporary building technology. The result is a 1,8 km long neighborhood with invisible underground parking, upscale hotel and event facilities, all hidden behind the stage set of an artfully aged and romanticized market town of merchants and pearl fishers. 

Memorable art always tells at least two stories: The story of content and the story of form. The content story of Dubai reflects our contemporary dilemma. We demand universality and equality but insist that identity is a treasure. We seek global integration and witness a shrinking planet but aim to safeguard cultural authenticity.

The formal story of Giesen’s watercolors reiterates modernist concerns. It plays with degrees of abstraction, explores patterns both repetitive and colorful, shifting intermittently to a representational even figurative focus. 

Nestling beside Al Seef is the authentic Al Fahidi Neighbourhood which like the creek has sustained itself through the years. Years that have seen Dubai almost forsake its origins.

 Martins paintings bring us back to those origins

click here to view the entire collection

We are delighted to welcome Nick Bashall back as our January Artist in Residence

Born in England and raised in Zimbabwe, Nick returned to the UK to study law at Cambridge, where he was also a heavyweight boxing blue. A stint in London with one of the big solicitors’ firms preceded six years working in Pakistan and Dubai, saving up the money to study painting full time. He then trained under the Spanish maestro Joaquin Torrents Llado in Majorca for five years before becoming a full time artist in London in 1997 . Working mainly in oils and charcoal, Nick is renown for his ability to get beneath the skin of his sitters. Antecedents as well as descendants appear during the painting process with the finished portrait being something that goes deeper than pure likeness. Below are just a few examples of Nick’s work, more can be seen on his website www.nickbashall.com

Nick has lowered his London prices for Dubai He loves to come here and to give back to a country that helped nurture his creative spirit. His prices include VAT

Charcoals, head and shoulders

Children 8,250 AED

Adults 10,000 AED

Oil Sketches head and shoulders

Children 16,500 AED

Adults 20,000 AED

Groups are also a possibility

Two sittings of around two hours each following an initial “chat” are usually needed to complete a commission. To meet Nick in his studio at The Majlis Gallery and talk through the process please phone Alison on 050 4503853

Click Here to see Nick Bashall Portfolio

The Surface and Beneath by Khaled Al Saai – Saturday March 4th – Thursday 6th April 2017

Khaled is a man wise beyond his years. Deeply contemplative and quietly confidant he is not only a driving force behind modern Arabic calligraphic practice but also a passionate advocate of a wider understanding of this formidable art.
Recognition of his rightful place in the genre comes not only from art houses, museums, universities and collectors worldwide but also from fellow calligraphers who on numerous occasions have awarded him the title of Master of Calligraphy in both modern and traditional categories. Initially this ability to stride the role of being a painter and a calligrapher was a dilemma until with maturity he accepted that the two exist along side, no decision had to be taken, in fact the discipline of conforming to the edicts of the seven “pillars” of Arabic Calligraphy, Thuluth, Naskh, Tualeeq, Kufic, Diwani, Diwani Jali Jali and Regga feeds his abstract spirit allowing his painterly being to soar.

Khaled’s fascination with the written word was kindled and nurtured through growing up in Syria, in a family to whom creativity, visual, musical, poetic and edible! was part of daily life. His work is often a reflection on the emotions of freedom and discovery associated with his childhood though recently it has become more reflective on the bigger issues facing the world in general
Khaled travels extensively
Universities and pretigous galleries in Morocco, Europe, The States, South America all regularly host lectures, workshops and exhibitions.

Click below to download the complete Catalogue.

SPIRITED BREEDS

 

A photographic exhibition under the gracious

Patronage of  Her Highness Sheikha Hissa bint Sultan

bin Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

 

Limited edition equine photogravure etchings

and large format archival prints of exotic species by 

International Photographer Astrid Harrisson.

 

21st JANUARY – 17th FEBRUARY 2017
, 10am – 6pm  


Astrid’s vision is simple and clear for all who view her bold yet graceful portraits of animals. She presents compassion and empathy for her subjects, her talents behind the lens perhaps playing second-place to the sense of nostalgia she evokes with her intimate studies and the simplicity with which she presents them.

Astrid’s powerful imagery appeals to a global audience, her fine art prints now held by private collectors around the world. During 2010 and 2011 Astrid began to develop a global following during the documenting of over seventy of the world’s most important breeds of horse in order to illustrate iconic book title The Majesty of the Horse, written by Tamsin Pickeral and published globally in 2012.

Her Highness Sheikha Hissa bint Sultan bin Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan recognizes Astrid’s rare and remarkable talent to capture the spirit and beauty of horses and is proud to put this collection at the forefront of her artistic Patronage.

Sheikha Hissa, an Arabian Horse Breeder and lover of the arts, has a life-long background in the horse world as well as an interest and education in the arts. Since meeting Astrid she has become a fond supporter of her work – in particular her collection of etchings.

Astrid’s skill lies in her ability to capture the exterior physical beauty as well as the ethereal inner beauty of the horse through the artistry of her images”.  Sheikha Hissa.

Click here to see the Portfolio

December is a busy month at The Majlis Gallery

Our big room is full of

New works from our New Orientalists. John R Harris, Trevor Waugh, Martin Giesen, Spencer Tart, Paul Wadsworth and many others. We are also introducing a collection of fabulous oil paintings by Faramarz Mokhtarpour.

10-60x90_resized_2-600pxMountain Spring oil on canvas 90 x 60 by Faramarz Mokhtarpour

To make room for this show we have moved our Art Shack Bargains into the front room.
Great fun to be had in here !

Nick Bashall will be working on commissions in his studio

Nick Bashall is no stranger to Dubai, he lived and worked here in the late 80’s and early  90’s both as a lawyer and a painter. It is as the latter that most people remember him especially for the many charismatic family portraits he completed in both charcoal and oil. 

Sitting for a Portrait
Is not as intimidating as it sounds in fact it is a rather cathartic experience. Nick builds from the structure up, the image literally emerges from the paper or canvas. Anticedents as well as descendants appear during the process with the finished portrait being something that goes deeper than a pure likeness.

Prices for a head and Shoulders
Charcoal     Dhms
Child          7,500 
Adult        12,750

Oil
Child        21,000
Adult        37,000

He will also be giving workshops on 12-13-14 December, 10am to 4pm

These will replicate the typical short overview course he has taught for years in England, using the teaching techniques that were employed by art schools in the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century,  before such teaching was almost entirely abandoned in Europe. Instruction will be in the following basic principles that underlie all drawing and painting from life: 650 Dhms Per Day including a light lunch.

Day One:  Proportion, Line, Volume and Movement

Day Two:  Dark and light

Day Three: Colour

To book a course or commission a portrait call Alison Collins on 050 4503853

All this plus some unique gifts for every pocket, from hand blocked scarves made in Jaipur to silver jewellry from the Sahara and beautifully presented silk spice squares made in the UAE. 

The Majlis Gallery is a wonderful place to bring family and friends, a place to browse in peace and tranquility away from the hurly burly of the shopping malls.

We look forward to welcoming you.

Intimate Objects from Saturday 15th of October

The Majlis Gallery is the place for anything Fine Art related. An oasis of tranquility but buzzing with creativity.
Small is beautiful, from our earliest years we learn to collect little things that catch our eyes. A shell, an acorn, feathers, stones, as we grow older this intuitive habit never leaves us. That is what this exhibition Intimate Objects all about. Small intimate eye catching tactile objects that are just asking to be added to your collection.
We have brought together small works from, amongst others, Patricia Millns, Peter Hayes, Carole Grace, Hans Loots, Mustafa Ali, Lynette ten krooden, Junko Yamamoto and Sanna Swatt.

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Peter Hayes           –           Carole Grace          –           Patricia Millns