Al Fahidi Festival – The New Orientalists

We would like to introduce you to ALFF.      

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ALFF personifies everything that is

The Al Fahidi Historic Neighbour Hood

A Creative Fun Cultural Hub right by Dubai’s Iconic Creek and Traditional Souks

Opening on Saturday 6th of February from 10am -10 pm 

will see all the Creative Companies

in the neighbourhood mounting new exhibitions,

the numerous cafes offering special menus

and  the various museums welcoming visitors through their doors.

The Majlis Gallery’s contribution to the Festival is 

The New Orientalists

A group show of new work from over 20 of our major artists 

We look forward to welcoming you to ALFF

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alff2“Orientalism” is widely used in art to refer to the works of the many, mostly European,19th-century artists, who specialized in “Oriental” subjects. They travelled mainly as addendums to larger groups of archeologists, scientists, traders and explorers. hired initially in these pre photography days to record the sights and general exotica of the Levant eventually travelling onward into the Middle and Far East.

The “lone” traveller painters of the early nineteenth century were often accompanied by an entourage of servants to carry bags and equipment, many of them such as John Frederick Lewis and Jean Leon Gerome set up homes in Cairo immersing themselves in the heat, the light and the eroticism of a culture far removed from the climate of Northern Europe. Paintings by Lewis, Gerome, Ingres. Delacroix and many others were a regular feature of the Salon Exhibitions in Paris from 1847 and from 1894 onwards an annual exhibition of Orientalist painters took place in Paris greatly influencing the younger artists of the day.

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The great David Roberts was instrumental in opening the eyes of Victorian England to the epic architecture and vast vistas of The Holy Land, Syria, Arabia, Egypt and Nubia but  by the turn of the century interest in things Oriental was in decline however  in the last quarter of the 20th century Orientalist painting soared in value spurred on by “oil money” coming into the art market.

Works produced in the first half of the 20th century were usually attributed to official war artists such as Henry Lamb or to those working more with a camera than a brush such as Wilfred Thesiger and Ronald Codrai. They were among the first of a new generation of Orientalist artists for whom the changing face of The Middle East as it moved from the mystical to the masterful is still a subject of great visual interest.

alff3The early works of many of the artists in this exhibition are already of great historical importance. Paintings from before the camel track moved down the Al Ain road before the Souk and the Bastakia were restored, when Jumeira Beach was wild and goats roamed the  streets of Bur Dubai.
These artists are just one more step in the long tradition of Orientalism and in time will be equally collectable.

From Highly Contemporary to Downright Romantic there is something for everyone in this great exhibition

Udaybhanu – Hues and Barks

Opening 24th- October until 26th- November.

Who said Fauvism or Impressionism is restricted to paintings and never makes it presence felt in photography, or photography lasts only for a glimpse, with nothing to delve beyond that, and who was it that instead a story cannot be delineated with a few abstract clicks of a photographer, or good photographs are those that undergo makeovers with the click of graphic software. Udaybhanu, who calls himself an environmental activist, is in a sole resolve to rewrite such preconceived myths about photography. This artist, who has an eye for the extraordinary, is leaving no stone unturned when he scurries about to narrate the heart-wrenching story of a tree. The series ‘Hues and Barks’ is nothing but spellbinding art captured with an implacable mind that doesn’t compromise on mediocrity. It takes a few minutes for you to come to terms with the fact that Udaybhanu’s pictures are no abstract art but photographs that resemble paintings in more way than one.

Trees sacrificed their lives for us bipeds long before we were called Hominids. They provided food, shelter, clothes and fire to light up the dawn of civilization. Later they gave papyrus and charcoal to write their own story.

Nature had been signing itself on tree trunks even earlier with a biological time signature. These growth rings carved the biorhythms of the earth. The high degree of seasonal temperatures, rainfalls, and other climatic changes were fossilized in living trees talking to us down the millennia.

View Udaybhanu Portfolio

 

Art Shack Bargains

With 25 Years behind us as the prime Fine Art Gallery  in Dubai we have, as you can imagine, quite a bit of old stock.  We want you to benefit from the fact that our artists would like these pieces to find new homes at 50% of the listed price. Click Here to see Art Shack Bargains Portfolio

The Beauty of Imperfection

Jo Kearney is a photographer with a difference. Through her eyes, details of the ordinary become extraordinary.

The Beauty of Imperfection opens our eyes to the abstraction and romance of something familiar to us all.
The Dhows on Dubai Creek.

These wooden trading boats have long been associated with the Arabian Gulf Peeling paint, old ropes, rusting nails, tide marks all tell a tale of tradition and hard work.

Opening Day

Saturday 23rd of May from 10am-6pm 

Please join us and revisit Dubai’s Creek for yourself

Jo will be here here throughout the day

Jo’s work is affordable, ranging from AED390 to AED930.

They make great gifts and mementos of life in Dubai.

Click here to See Her Portfolio

The Art of Sculpture

Sculpture has been part of mankind’s world from prehistory to the present day. The story is populated by extraordinary artists, most until the Renaissance period sadly anonymous. Their creative and technical skills have given civilization an abundance of three dimensional art at every scale. Marble, stone and bronze were the favoured materials and are still the most durable and technically challenging of media

Opening on Saturday 14th-March as our contribution to Art Season.

The Art of Sculpture

Brings together the work of Contemporary Sculptors
Cristiano Alviti, Denise Dutton, Hannes Loots,  Jamal Abdul Rahim, Judith Holmes Drewry,
Karel Zijlstra, Lloyd Le Blanc,  Michael Chaikin,  Mustafa Ali, Sanna Swart
A full portfolio of all their work with the gallery is always available on our website
Pieces can also be commissioned

Click Here For Full Catalogue
Click Here For Full Price List

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