By The Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) has announced the return of its Portrait of a Nation exhibition series, following the success of its first iteration in 2016. The exhibition is organised in conjunction with the 19th edition of Abu Dhabi Festival (ADF), held under the theme Crafting the Emirates State of Mind: Creation, Innovation and Joy. On display from 21 January to 16 April 2022at Manarat Al Saadiyat,Portrait of a Nation II: Beyond Narrativeshighlights the innovation and collaboration that shaped the UAE’s visual art landscape over the past 50 years, focusing on the people, histories and stories of a rich and multifaceted homegrown creative scene.
Through an exhaustive presentation of multimedia artworks, oral testimonies, archival material and ephemera,Portrait of a Nation II continues the exploration of art practice in the UAE. Curated by Maya El Khalil with Co-curator Roxane Zand, it features the artworks and perspectives of artists, curators and gallerists born in the UAE or who have made it their home, narrating a story of five decades of continuous artistic growth, exchange and experimentation. At the core of the exhibition are more than 100 key artworks, including 15 special commissions, covering the work of over 62 pivotal artists, ranging from founders of the Emirati art scene to today’s emerging generation.
H.E. Huda Ibrahim Alkhamis, Founder of ADMAF and Artistic Director of Abu Dhabi Festival,said: H.E. Huda I. Alkhamis-Kanoo, Founder of ADMAF and Artistic Director of the Abu Dhabi Festival, said: “Portrait of a Nation II: Beyond Narratives brings us together to witness the UAE’s boundless creative energy. Organised as part of the 2022 Abu Dhabi Festival, held under the theme Crafting the Emirates State of Mind: Creation, Innovation and Joy, the exhibition is an embodiment of the UAE’s cultural milestones. With more than 62 artists and 100 works of art, including 15 special commissions debuting for the first time, Portrait of a Nation II is an unprecedented celebration of 50 years of visual art in the Emirates. It is truly inspiring to see our country’s timeless story of creativity and collaboration told by the artists who have given it life.
“The exhibition leads visitors on a tour through the nation’s art scene, sparking new conversations inspired by five essential themes. Reclaiming/Reimaging Home looks at the early days in the places artists called home and explores their wider sense of belonging. In Shifting Landscapes, home yields ground to its opposite, and artists must negotiate both stability and transformation, authenticity and modernism. Configurations of Togetherness examines the spaces that draw people together and the relationships that transcend cultural difference to embrace diversity. Reclaiming/Reimaging Language looks to the mediums of communication that make togetherness possible. Last but not least, Shifting Sociality addresses changing social modes, including consumerism, custom and the organising structures of time and travel.
A dedicated section of the exhibition honours the late artist Christo and his partner Jeanne-Claude, whose innovative spirit redefined public art and showed us its true value. The tribute highlights Christo’s pivotal role in nurturing young artists and his dedication to supporting creative talent in the UAE and the world,” HE added.
“Portrait of a Nation II: Beyond Narratives is a testament to the creativity, innovation and joy that define our nation, and it forms a bridge to the next fifty years of limitless ambition in the UAE,” she concluded.
Curator MayaEl Khalil said:“The development of Portrait of a Nation II: Beyond Narratives, has been, from the beginning, a process of approaches – to people, histories, and stories. We present ways of tending to culture as space not time, recognising that art is shaped by and through encounters that may lay dormant then return, that relationships accumulate significance in and with the places of their genesis and that people assimilate the ideas of their world into their activities.What emerges is a portrait of a multivalent and polyphonic community forged through camaraderie and exchange.”
The exhibition features prominent loans from esteemed partners including the Barjeel Art Foundation, HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, UAE Unlimited, HE Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, The National Pavilion UAE La Biennale di Venezia, The Farjam Collection, HE AbdulRahman Al Owais, The Cleveland Clinic, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, the Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah Museum, Art Jameel, NYU Abu Dhabi, RaminSalsaliMuseum and the Samawi collection.
Aiming for maximum public engagement, a rich series of talks, workshops and performances around the exhibition will take place throughout its three-month run.
New productions in conjunction with Portrait of a Nation II exhibition
In conjunction with the exhibition and as part of Abu Dhabi Festival’s Composers’ Platform, which promotes Arab artists’ work worldwide through the production of albums, the Festival is presenting the latest releases supported by the Composers’ Platform in a dedicated installation from January – April 2022.
Guests to the exhibition will have a unique opportunity to enjoy these new albums, including Ismakby Saudi pop singer Tamtam; Ihab Darwish’s Hekayat: Symphonic Tales, which captures the musical traditions and cultures of every continent, delivering 13 compositions played by 128 musicians in 20 countries; and the first album by Cairo Jazz Station encompassing young performers from Egypt, Turkey, Portugal and Italy, in collaboration with Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. Other albums include Piano Concerto No. 1 by Omar Rahbany who blends music from his own Arabic and Lebanese origins with European Baroque music, by renowned composers such as Bach and Vivaldi, intricate Indian rhythms and the irresistible swing of Brazilian beats.
Supported by Abu Dhabi Festival and in collaboration with the Foundation for Arab Music Archiving and Research, A Journey with the Arabic Oud will be published as a comprehensive archive of the most iconic instrument from the Arab region, a set comprising 2 CDs and 1 DVD, with an accompanying booklet. The festival will also launch Belgian-Iraqi composer and researcher QoutaybaAl Neaimi’s revolutionary new musical innovation, the Polyphonic Maqam System, which will change the way musicians throughout the world understand Arab music.
Emirati director and artist NujoomAlGhanem will also participate in Portrait of a Nation II: Beyond Narratives, presenting her short film Passage. The movie was commissioned by the National Pavilion UAE La Biennale di Venezia for the UAE pavilion at the 2019 Venice Biennale and was filmed in the UAE and Venice, Italy.It was curated by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath, founders of the multidisciplinary curatorial platform Art Reoriented and directors of Hamburger Bahnhof Museum for Contemporary Art. The return of this film to the UAE was made possible by the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Art, courtesy of The National Pavilion UAE – La Biennale di Venezia and the artist.
The exhibition also mounts a tribute to Christo and Jeanne-Claude, whose legacy with the Emirates began over 40 years ago and flourished over the years through collaborations with ADMAF until after Christo’s passing on May 31, 2020.
The 19th edition of Abu Dhabi Festival 2022 is held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha ShamsaBint Hamdan Al Nahyan and is supported by lead partner Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala) and energy partner GS Energy. Abu Dhabi Festival 2022 encompasses over 1,000 participating artists from around the world to present more than 300 performances and events. The 19th edition will also include two world tours and 17world premieres.
The 2022 Abu Dhabi Festival programme is part of the contribution that the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation makes to the UAE capital’s designation as a UNESCO City of Music.
