Latest news with #CulturalFoundation
Al Etihad
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Etihad
Abu Dhabi's Cultural Foundation presents Emirati Artist Maitha Abdalla in solo exhibition
26 May 2025 19:13 ABU DHABI (WAM)The Abu Dhabi-based Cultural Foundation, a cultural centre under the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), is shining a spotlight on local talent, with 'Maitha Abdalla: Between Metamorphosis and Reality', an ongoing solo exhibition by Emirati multidisciplinary artist, Maitha display until August 30, 2025, the exhibition invites visitors into a world where fantasy and reality merge, identity is ever shifting, and storytelling takes on a deeply personal a captivating mix of painting and sculpture, Abdalla explores folklore, mythology, psychology, and social constructs that shift between abstraction and representation. The exhibition highlights the power of art to spark dialogue, inspire self-reflection, and strengthen cultural connections within the the lines between disciplines, Maitha Abdalla's practice spans film, photography, sculpture, painting, drawing, and performance. She draws inspiration from the performative nature of theatre, using its constructed nature to explore themes of folklore, and social works often depict characters caught in confined, domestic spaces - symbols of vulnerability and self-exploration. Through expressive, textural techniques, she applies dense layers of oil and acrylic with her fingertips, and outlines figures with gestural smears of charcoal, making her process as physical as it is work explores social structures, memories, and fantasies through a lens that is both objective and intensely personal. Infused with drama, melancholy, and introspection, her compositions invite viewers into a world of shifting emotions and fragmented layered textures and expressive techniques, Abdalla embeds herself in her art, with each brushstroke and gesture reflecting her presence, making her creative process a 'performance in itself.'An artist talk featuring Maitha Abdalla, moderated by Munira Al Sayegh (Lead Curator and Founder of Dirwaza Curatorial Lab), will take place on May 28, 2025, from 6:30 to 8:00 diverse practice, spanning performance, sculpture, painting, and video, explores fundamental themes of birth, death, guilt, and metamorphosis, blurring the lines between memory and myth. The conversation will reflect on her artistic journey through the lens of these powerful ideas, including insights from her recent residency at the Cultural Foundation. The nuanced discussion will also investigate tensions between visibility and vulnerability, the relationship between language and the physical form, and the role of ritual in the act of creation.
Sharjah 24
05-05-2025
- Business
- Sharjah 24
Khaled bin Mohamed attends 2025 Pritzker Prize Ceremony
Hosting the ceremony underscores the importance of fostering intellectual dialogue and creative exchange by supporting architecture and design as fundamental pillars of sustainable development and cultural diplomacy. Abu Dhabi's architectural legacy is rooted in decades of thoughtful investment from the restoration of key heritage sites such as Qasr Al Hosn and the Cultural Foundation, to the creation of modern landmarks including Louvre Abu Dhabi by Jean Nouvel (Pritzker Laureate, 2008), the upcoming Zayed National Museum by Lord Norman Foster (Pritzker Laureate, 1999), and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi by Frank Gehry (Pritzker Laureate, 1989). These projects reflect the emirate's long-term commitment to shaping a culturally rich and inclusive urban landscape that resonates locally and globally, reinforcing its status as a leading destination for architectural excellence and cross-cultural exchange. The ceremony, hosted at the Louvre Abu Dhabi part of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), honoured Chinese architect Liu Jiakun as the 2025 Laureate, and brought together prominent figures from the global architecture community, including several past Pritzker Prize recipients.
Al Etihad
05-05-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi reveals Abu Dhabi to host Pritzker Architecture Prize ceremony in Middle East for first time
5 May 2025 16:14 ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD) The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has announced that Abu Dhabi will host the 2025 Pritzker Prize ceremony, marking a historic first for the UAE and the Middle East. As the world's most esteemed recognition in the field of architecture, the Pritzker Architecture Prize honours living architects whose work demonstrates a combination of talent, vision, and commitment. Their contributions must show consistent and significant impact on humanity and the built environment through the art of Dhabi's selection as the host city further strengthens its role as a leading destination for the world's foremost creative thinkers, and reflects the emirate's growing contribution to global architectural discourse, with a legacy of bold vision and cultural investment that bridges heritage, innovation, and of DCT Abu Dhabi, His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, said, "We are deeply honoured that Abu Dhabi has been chosen as the host city for the 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize, reflecting the recognition Abu Dhabi has received globally as a cultural centre. By hosting this event, DCT Abu Dhabi is honoured to offer a platform for the exchange of ideas that will shape the cities of tomorrow. This reaffirms Abu Dhabi's long-term vision to place creativity, dialogue, and sustainability at the heart of our development, and our belief in the transformative power of architecture to shape communities and enrich lives.'From the development and restoration of the Cultural Foundation to modern icons like Louvre Abu Dhabi, designed by Jean Nouvel (Pritzker Prize Laureate, 2008), the soon-to-open Zayed National Museum by Lord Norman Foster (Pritzker Prize Laureate, 1999), and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi by Frank Gehry (Pritzker Prize Laureate, 1989), the emirate has emerged as a global centre for transformative and meaningful landmark projects are in line with DCT Abu Dhabi's ongoing commitment to preserving, promoting, and protecting the emirate's rich cultural heritage while also championing innovation and creativity as drivers of sustainable development and global event will coincide with a public panel discussion taking place at the Cultural Foundation on May 3, led by Liu Jiakun, the 2025 Pritzker Prize will be joined by fellow Laureates Riken Yamamoto (2024), David Chipperfield (2023), and Francis Kéré (2022). Together, these leading voices will explore the role of architecture in celebrating cultural expression reflected in their own practices and the future of the built environment.
Al Etihad
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Etihad
Abu Dhabi International Book Fair: Celebrating decades of cultural, knowledge innovation
26 Apr 2025 15:09 ABU DHABI (WAM) With the opening of its 34th edition today, the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair has successfully reinforced its status as a leading cultural and intellectual destination. Over the decades, it has firmly established the concept of knowledge and cultural sustainability, while promoting the Arabic language's presence within the creative and cultural industries both locally, regionally, and Fair's journey began in 1981 when the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan inaugurated the first edition under the name "Islamic Book Fair' at the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation, with the participation of 50 1986, the first official edition of the Abu Dhabi Book Fair was launched, again at the Cultural Foundation, featuring 70 publishers. The momentum grew in the 1988 edition, with 80 publishers from 10 Arab countries 1993, the event had evolved into an annual fixture, attracting an increasing number of local, regional, and international publishing the new millennium, the 2001 edition attracted around 514 publishing houses, marked by the notable presence of cultural leaders and 2009 edition witnessed the launch of "The Arab E-Library" and attracted 637 publishers from 52 countries. France was the Guest of Honour for the first time in 2014, the fair introduced Al Mutanabbi as the Fair's inaugural 'literary figure of honour', with participation from 1,050 2015, the fair celebrated its Silver Jubilee, honouring the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as pivotal personality of the Year, with 1,181 publishers from 63 countries fair again celebrated Sheikh Zayed in the 2018 edition, coinciding with the Year of Zayed, welcoming 1,350 exhibitors from 63 countries, with Poland selected as the Guest of 2019, India was the Guest of Honour, and for the first time, the 'One Million Tolerant Document' initiative was launched, in line with the UAE's Year of most recent edition saw 1,350 exhibitors from 90 countries under the theme "Where the World's Tales Unfold'. It also welcomed 145 new publishers and participants from 12 countries, including Greece, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Pakistan, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Mozambique, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and an unprecedented move, the current 34th edition (April 26 – May 5, 2025) extends the exhibition period to 10 days for the first time. This aims to encourage innovation within the publishing sector, enhance cultural dialogue, and provide greater support to local and Arab authors by offering more opportunities for networking with international 2025 edition celebrates the Culture of the Caribbean as Guest of Honour, reflecting the UAE's commitment to cultural dialogue. The fair also spotlights Ibn Sina (Avicenna) as the central figure, and features a special tribute to "One Thousand and One Nights" within its rich year's edition features participation from over 1,400 exhibitors from 96 countries, speaking more than 60 languages. Impressively, 120 exhibitors are participating for the first time, marking an 18% growth. Moreover, the fair welcomes publishers from 20 new countries across four continents, speaking more than 25 languages. It hosts 28 international pavilions, 87 local and international government entities, 13 author-publishers, 15 universities, and 8 initiatives dedicated to supporting the publishing industry.
Gulf Today
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial turns the capital into an open-air gallery
The second phase of the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial which has transformed Abu Dhabi emirate into an open-air gallery, runs till April 30. The Biennial has unveiled a series of new site-responsive installations, as part of a wider programme featuring works by more than 70 artists from the UAE, the region and the world. Set up at sites like the Corniche, public parks, the historical Hili Archaeological Site, the serene Al Ain Oasis, the vibrant Cultural Foundation, and the bustling Carpet Souq, the installations by local and international artists reflect on community, environment, and cultural heritage. Artworks include Migration Granary (2024), by Anga Art Collective, which is an architectural complex symbolising the resilience and hardship of historical and contemporary pressures of migration. Constructed from local materials, the granary in Hili Archaeological Park, Al Ain, offers an intimate space for reflection on migration. The space relating to migration's challenges connects with Al Ain's historical significance as a site of human settlement and movement. Anga Art Collective explores the cultural and geographic urgencies of Assam, India. The Cultural Foundation, Abu Dhabi. Urban Negotiation (2024), by Arquitectura Expandida, saw several of its members – Ana María López Ortego, Harold Guyaux, and Viviana Parada Camargo – participating in a nine-week residency (Jan. 10 – Mar. 12), transforming an existing shop in downtown Abu Dhabi into their studio. Together, they crafted a wooden ping pong table, which travelled through neighbourhoods across Abu Dhabi, sparking encounters and dialogues with communities. The shop, which was open from 8pm to 2am till March 12, was a place where the public could interact with the ping pong table, serving as a 'communication device'. Arquitectura Expandida is an activist collective based in Bogotá focused on urban peripheries, community organisation, and equitable public space management. Playful Traditions (2024) by Ayesha Hadhir is a public art park that combines cultural heritage with playful learning, creating an engaging space for children. The park features three traditional elements of the UAE: a dhow (sailing vessel) transformed into an interactive playground; a water fountain for playing where children can learn about local fish such as the hamour; and a gargour (traditional fishing trap), whose dome is reimagined as an area to spark creativity. Ayesha Hadhir is a visual artist specialising in immersive installations that incorporate textiles, human-made and natural materials, and the landscapes of the UAE. The bus terminal is one of the sites of the Biennial. Deep Spaces (2024) by Lúcia Koch, conceived for Abu Dhabi's urban environment, consists of a series of interventions where photographs are inserted into existing advertising panels rented for the Biennial's duration in densely populated areas in the city centre, including Hamdan Street and Electra Street. Apparently advertising no product or brand, the nature of the images or their raison d'etre, is ripe for questioning. Lúcia Koch is an interdisciplinary artist working across photography, video, architectural interventions, and large-scale installations. Crown by Rand Abdul Jabbar is situated parallel to Abu Dhabi's Corniche Road near Etihad Square - a formative site in the artist's childhood that is home to iconic sculptures such as the dalla (coffee pot) and medkhan (incense burner). Crown is an ode to 'making home' in Abu Dhabi, creating a space where contemporary representations of identity are linked to notions of collective learning and growth. Let's Not Wait to Fill Our Cups with Time (2024) by Nnenna Okore reflects on Abu Dhabi's unprecedented development over the past fifty years, exploring how time and space efficiency has transformed the arid desert into a vibrant metropolis. Sophia Balagamwala's artwork titled Other Maps and Guides. Hundreds of multicolour, circular hessian elements are integrated into a mesh system enveloping the façade of the heritage watch tower in Heritage Park, signalling that progress is possible when time is used wisely, while highlighting sociocultural diversity. Nnenna Okore is a contemporary artist whose practice intersects visual art, ecological research, and sustainable material use. In Other Maps and Guides (2024) by Sophia Balagamwala, the artist merges real and imagined events relating to nationhood, history, and mapping, drawing on archives, stories, myths, and the behaviours of flora and fauna. Other Maps and Guides presents four publications with images of charcoal drawings including linocut prints and digital illustrations reflecting on the migration of people, plants, birds, and fish that shape lives. Sophia Balagamwala is an artist and curator who explores the interplay between historical events, memories, and fiction. Nest (2024) by Tarik Kiswanson is his first public artwork, a white, cocoon-shaped sculpture that hovers weightlessly on a building façade in Abu Dhabi's city centre. The work takes up the artist's interest in levitation as both psychological metaphor and physical phenomenon. Its oblong form, a leitmotif in Kiswanson's practice, recalls transformative states in nature (egg, chrysalis, seed) and alludes to refuge and becoming, embodying a nascent state of possibility. Nest also underscores the need for reconstruction and renewal amid the ruptures of history. Al Mahatta by Atelier Aziz Al Qatami is part of the long-term refurbishment of the Abu Dhabi Bus Terminal by the Atelier; their project Al Mahatta transforms the mezzanine's former wedding hall into a space for talks, exhibitions, dining and gathering. Preserving the modernist aesthetic, the intervention retains much of the original floor plan. During the Biennial, an interim site-specific sound installation in the atrium evokes the atmosphere of twentieth-century public spaces, offering a preview ahead of the full renovation. Atelier Aziz Alqatami, a Kuwait City-based architecture office led by Aziz Al Qatami and Khalid Al Gharaballi, addresses Gulf architectural challenges, using local materials and forms.
