Until the 31st of August, 2024, Khawla Art Gallery in Dubai is holding Summer Collective, a group exhibition that features various artists from the UAE and the region. Displaying a full range of art pieces, from miniature paintings to calligraphic works, the show aims to inspire young collectors to explore and invest in MENA art.
Visitors are invited to see, for example, abstract paintings by Lebanese-Canadian artist Amal Salloum and works by Arcanes ac, a Lebanese art duo comprising Gaby Kamaret and Nada Abdallah who use recycled materials (old wooden boxes, window frames, the carcasses of old radios, etc.) to create impressively detailed miniatures.
Among the exhibits are Iraqi artist Nadia Al-Azawi‘s oil paintings depicting traditional tapestries and carpets. Speaking about her art, she says that her work connects different cultures, highlighting unity through small details to promote harmony in a divided world. Meanwhile, Dubai-based artist and designer Maryam Bin Bishr paints the natural world; beautiful landscapes and seascapes serve as a backdrop for delving into human emotions.
The exhibition also presents Syrian artist Nidal Khaddour‘s creations. In them, he blends abstract realism with the elements of cityscapes, nature, and light, employing bright colours and geometric shapes to create balanced and engaging compositions. Khaddour’s art pieces are juxtaposed with intricate works by Sudanese artist Yousif Yassin, which combine cultural elements and motives with calligraphy.
Lebanese artist Rawan Mahmoud Haydar also incorporates calligraphy in her colourful works that depict dreamlike characters. Taking cues from childhood, she merges modernism with traditional motifs in her pieces. Like Haydar’s artworks, Sahar Ghavami‘s paintings portray a cartoonish world, where a small girl in a red dress is the protagonist. In her practice, Ghavami delves into such themes as memory, culture, and identity.
In addition, the Summer Collective exhibition includes Mohammed Alsanea, Norhan Khorshid, and Yasser Gaessa. On display are also works by Algerian artist Abdelkrim Mancer, Tunisian painter Ahlam Ismail, Lebanese-Brazilian artist Asmahen Jaloul, Lebanese calligraphy artist Fadi Balhawan, Oman-born artist Fahad Salim, artist and printmaker Ghalia Kalaji, Syrian artist Khaled Al Attar, Egyptian artist Nour Fouad, Emirati realist artist Reem Al Dhaheri, and Jordanian artist Yassir Al Omari.
To get more information about Summer Collective, please visit the official web page of the show.
Additionally, you might be interested in visiting Dream Chronicles, an exhibition at the Theatre of Digital Art (ToDA) in Dubai.
