The Storyteller: Hassan Sharif’s “Objects” Series, an exhibition currently on view at Gallery Isabelle, offers a profound exploration of Emirati artist Hassan Sharif’s seminal “Objects” series, recontextualising his work through the lens of storytelling and craft. Curated by Murtaza Vali, the show features artworks spanning from the mid-1980s to those created shortly before Sharif’s passing away in 2016 and will run through 31 May 2025.
The exhibition’s title draws inspiration from “The Storyteller” (1936), German philosopher Walter Benjamin’s essay which examines the interplay between storytelling and craftsmanship. Sharif’s “Objects”, sculptural assemblages he started creating in the 1980s from mass-produced materials like rope, wire, and everyday items, embody this intersection. Initiated in the 1980s, these works reflect his deep engagement with the materials of daily life and the repetitive processes of craft.
Using actions like cutting, binding, folding, and stacking, Sharif transformed banal, industrial materials into densely layered sculptures. These pieces challenge conventional distinctions between fine art and manual labour while acting as commentaries on consumption, production, and the invisible labour, often feminised, that underpins craft traditions. Each “Object” becomes a fragment of a larger narrative, inviting viewers to reflect on the stories hidden within material and gesture.
About the artist
Hassan Sharif (b. 1951, Bandar Lengeh, Iran – 2016), a Dubai-based artist, writer, educator, art critic, activist, and mentor, is widely regarded as a pioneer of conceptual art in the Middle East. In 1984, he graduated from the Byam Shaw School of Art (London, UK) with a Diploma in Fine Art and Design and returned to the UAE, where he introduced contemporary art practices that diverged from the prevailing calligraphic abstraction.
Deeply influenced by movements such as Fluxus and British Constructionism, Sharif developed a practice grounded in process and repetition. His body of work spans performance, installation, drawing, painting, and assemblage, often engaging themes of form, time, mathematics, and social structures.
Sharif was also instrumental in developing the UAE’s contemporary art scene. He co-founded the Emirates Fine Arts Society in 1980 and the Art Atelier at the Youth Theatre and Arts in Dubai. In 2007, the artist helped establish The Flying House, a Dubai-based initiative supporting contemporary Emirati artists.
Sharif has displayed his art pieces in numerous exhibitions held across the world, including Hassan Sharif: I Am The Single Work Artist (solo) (Malmö Konsthall, Malmö, Sweden, 2020); Viva Arte Viva, 57th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia (Italy, 2017); 1st Yinchuan Biennale (China, 2016); Une Histoire. Art, Architecture and Design from the 1980s to the Present (The Centre Pompidou, Paris, France, 2014); and Interventions (Mathaf Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar, 2010), among others. His works are part of esteemed public collections such as Tate Modern (London), Solomon R Guggenheim (New York, USA), and Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain de Saint-Étienne Métropole (MAMC+) (France), to name a few.
To get more information about The Storyteller: Hassan Sharif’s “Objects” Series, please go to the official web page of the exhibition.
In addition, you may be interested in visiting Through the Window by Elias Sime.
