The Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), which promotes culture through its unique public art displays from around the world, has added four sculptures by American contemporary artist and designer Mia Fonssagrives Solow to its public artworks. The new art pieces, installed in front of the Gate Building flags, pay tribute to the UAE. Made of fibreglass and covered with enamel, they are in four different colours representing the colours of the country’s flag: Bone Form in red, Apple Form in green, Sale Form in white and Eggplomb in black.
Mia Fonssagrives Solow is known for her refined and whimsical aesthetic in figurative and abstract forms in various mediums, from polished bronze to gilded wood to sleek enamel over fibreglass. Her abstract artworks explore the world through the simplicity of form and colour, examining scale and movement as the curving surfaces of each piece draw the eye from one beautiful line to the next.
Everyday subjects, such as a sail, a wave, or an apple, are refined to their form’s clean, basic lines. A small lucite or wood maquette evolves into a monumental fibreglass sculpture up to 16ft-high. The negative space at the centre of each work created by Fonssagrives Solow reflects her upbringing in front of and behind the lens of a camera. The hollow spaces define the sculptures themselves and serve as windows, re-framing the world beyond.
The artist comments on how art can impact people in these difficult times: “Art can save you. Listen to music; read books; search for new paintings, sculpture, comedy, and films. So much of what people do is art, in one form or another. Everyone should open their hearts and minds to all of it.”
Mia Fonssagrives Solow has displayed her works in various exhibitions and major art events, which include Summer Collaboration with Schoelkopf Gallery (presented by ARC Fine Art LLC) (New York, USA, 2022); Monumental Abstract Forms (solo) (Leila Heller Gallery, Dubai, 2021); PAD London 2019 (UK); ART021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair (China, 2018); and UNTITLED, Miami Beach 2016, among others. Fonssagrives Solow’s sculptures have been featured in publications such as Artnet, Artsy, Vanity Fair, The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, and Vogue.
In addition, you might be interested in reading our article about Pillar of Fortitude by Helidon Xhixha, also on view in DIFC.
