Celebrating ten years since its establishment, the NYUAD Art Gallery launched the In Real Time exhibition in February 2024. On view until the 9th of June, 2024, it is designed to anchor visitors, the gallery’s staff, and exhibiting creatives in the present moment. Maya Allison (Chief Curator at NYU Abu Dhabi and Executive Director of the gallery) and Duygu Demir (Curator and Research Assistant Professor at NYU Abu Dhabi) curate this unusual show.
In Real Time offers one something new to reflect on every time they attend it. Unlike traditional exhibitions where art pieces usually remain static, the In Real Time exhibit allows artists to come back to add to their works and/or reactivate the space with performances and interventions. In addition, the list of exhibitors has expanded since the exhibition’s launch. The participating artists include Moza Almatrooshi (UAE), Rana Begum (UK), Chafa Ghaddar (Lebanon), Gözde İlkin (Turkey), Sol LeWitt (America, 1928–2007), Cristiana de Marchi (Italy), Haleh Redjaian (Germany), Julie Becton Gillum (USA), Kiori Kawai (Japan), and the trio comprising the Haerizadeh brothers (Ramin and Rokni, Iran) and Hesam Rahmanian (Iran).
In Real Time is about being physically present with the traces left by artists and hints of those who will come in the future. For example, The Alphabets of the Baker (a performance focusing on bread-making) by Moza Almatrooshi was not part of the exhibition during the opening but was hinted at through a wall text. During the actual performance, Almatrooshi and participants kneaded dough, creating an alphabet of sorts as the bread was shaped.
Among the displayed artworks is Entrusted Ground by Gözde Ilkin, the latest exhibit to have been altered. This installation features soft sculptures made of fabrics Ilkin gathered worldwide. It was enhanced by an art intervention led by Duygu Demir: a dancing performance choreographed by Aslı Ozturk that echoes the show’s themes of ephemerality, transformation, and change.
Other notable pieces in the exhibition are Cristiana de Marchi’s hand-knitted wool works: The Echo of the Void (2021) and Black Square. The first work hanging on the wall is a white square with the exact dimensions of the smallest official prison cell. Black Square was created later when de Marchi discovered an even smaller prison cell in non-governmental records that measures only 98 cm. The black piece placed on the floor heightens the viewers’ awareness of the physical space they inhabit.
To get more information about In Real Time, please visit the official web page of the exhibition.
You might also be interested in exploring Short Circuits, a solo show by Vikram Divecha.
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