Until 1 September 2024, the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi is holding Hussein Sharif: Re-framing Reality, a free exhibition curated by Aysha Al Hemeiri and Zuhoor Al Sayegh. It offers a comprehensive look at over 40 years of this renowned Emirati artist’s practice, spanning from the early 1980s to the present. One can admire his diverse works in which he comments on modern consumerism and the evolving urban landscape of the Emirates. The surrounding site of the Cultural Foundation also features the artist’s installations.
Sharif is famous for his ability to create “something out of nothing”. In his multifaceted practice, using found objects, such as metal cans or pieces of wire, occupies a special place. The artist carefully examines the form and character of these raw materials before transforming them into narratives that reflect on the world around him.
The show presents Sharif’s small pen-and-paint drawings featuring scribbled lines, mini squares, and alphabet-like patterns, alongside his large abstract canvases like Untitled (2021), which also incorporate repetitive patterns. Meanwhile, the walls of the exhibition space are adorned with the artist’s hanging “carpets” made out of cardboard and brightly coloured food packaging.
Among the notable exhibits are Faces (2021), an installation of a pile of compressed metal cans that show facial expressions, and Figures (2003), another installation comprising multiple wire-formed figurines all marching in the same direction. On view is also Cars 2 (2021), a work that recreates an urban life scene with small cars made out of food tins and water bottle caps clustered together in traffic.
The exhibition’s central art piece is the Cement Web (2001) installation resembling a cityscape. It consists of rows of small cement blocks arranged in straight lines. Half of these blocks are plain grey, while the other half are colourful and cluttered with everyday objects like a glue stick, a cheese metal container, or a plastic bottle. This artwork visually reflects how the UAE’s landscape has dramatically transformed over time, prompting viewers to question whether these changes have been for better or worse.
About the artist
Hussein Sharif (b. 1961, Dubai) graduated from the High Institute of Kuwait with a degree in Theatre Design in 1986 and later served as Head Designer at Sharjah TV. A key figure in Emirati postmodernist art, he is one of the group of Five, a collective of artists who emerged in the mid-1980s and are considered pioneers of contemporary art in the UAE. The group included such artists as Hassan Sharif (Hussein’s internationally famous brother), Abdullah Al Saadi, Mohammed Kazem, and Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim. In 1980, Hussein and his brother co-founded the Emirates Fine Art Society in Sharjah.
Hussein Sharif’s oeuvre encompasses painting, drawing, sculpture, collage, and installation, with a focus on the exploration of Emirati identity. He often employs materials from the streets to delve into the socio-political and economic changes that have shaped his homeland since the mid-1970s. The artist’s work is characterised by a methodical and determined approach, frequently pushing the limits of the physically defined “object”.
Sharif has displayed his works in many exhibitions and art events, such as Abu Dhabi Art 2019; Arab world meets Zurich (AB Gallery, Zurich, Switzerland, 2010); Selected UAE Contemporary Artist Expo (Zaragoza, Spain, 2008); Dhaka Biennial (Bangladesh, 2002); UAE Contemporary Art (Institute of Arab World, Paris, France, 1998); Paintings, Oil and Collage (a solo show at Sharjah Cultural Center, Sharjah, 1992); and others.
To get more information about Hussein Sharif: Re-framing Reality, please go to the official web page of the exhibition.
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