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At the 17th edition of Art Dubai unfolding within the vibrant Madinat Jumeira in Dubai, UAE, from March 1 - 3, 2024, Ayyam Gallery will present works by artists Safwan Dahoul, Sadik Kwaish Alfraji, Rula Halawani, Ali Kaaf and Kais Salman.
Salman’s new body of work on showcase at the art fair moves further towards abstraction from his notable figuration. Disfigured faces can still be found within colourful layers, and yet, now the focus is on the energy projecting through his expressive brushstrokes and unfolding compositions.
The Dream series by Dahoul embraces a monochromatic minimalism, exploring the physical and psychological effects of alienation and solitude. The artist embraces his dreams in all their beauty, chaos, and the nuances in between. Some are disconcerting nightmares of unsettled beings, while others are of a perpetual longing for Dahoul’s homeland. Partly autobiographical, this seminal body of work encloses feelings and emotions within each canvas while emanating through space.
On the other hand, Halawani’s artworks at the art event maintain a minimal colour palette, despite featuring vibrant blues and reds. The infrared photographs, empty of living beings, reflect a melancholic dream-like state. Widely respected for her experimental approach to documentary photography, Halawani’s work details the Israeli occupation of Palestine from the vantage point of fading recollection according to the Dubai-based art gallery. With the formal innovation of the series, the feelings of loss that she describes mirror the transitory nature of life and the sense of alienation that is experienced by Palestinians as families continue to be internally and externally displaced.
Through black and white artworks, Kwaish explores the complexities inherent in the question of whether language is merely a tool for communication, or does it also shape us. At Art Dubai this year, he explores the elements that form language, whether it be words, images, phonetics, symbols, intonations or gestures. "We are born into worlds, environments, and circumstances that are outside of our control—we are born into language. The languages we speak impact how we think about and interact with, our environments. They influence our thought processes, feelings, and perception of time and space," shares Kwaish.
Relatedly, Alfraji’s work at Art Dubai 2024 echoes the notions of the body as language, a carrier of shapes and meanings. Meanwhile, Kaaf’s Helmets collection is inspired by ancient war helmets. These relics of fighters from different times represent cultures that used to fight each other. Now the relics are captured in the cabinet together. They are a strong symbol of the oscillation between the good and bad in history. Like death masks, helmets refer to what no longer is: the heads that used to wear them. "The shell, this remnant of man, despite all cultural differences in shape, color, and material, reveals what humans have in common: vulnerability," mentions the gallery.
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