Sabrina Amrani Art Gallery, based in Madrid (Spain), will participate in the third edition of Beirut Art Fair (5th to 8th July, Beirut, Lebanon). Just a few weeks later after celebrating their first anniversary, the gallery packs their suitcases to be present for the first time in an artistic encounter in the Middle East. As the own gallerist recognizes, Beirut Art Fair fits them like a glove: the fair’s project is focused specially in artists and gazes from this area, but also from North Africa and South Asia, coinciding with the gallery line. In fact, in her participation in Beirut, Sabrina Amrani (French from Algerian origin) presents art from Morocco to Pakistan through United Arab Emirates. That is, the whole MENASA region.
The main body of Sabrina Amrani’s proposal for BAF comprises a reflection on the changes that are occurring in the Arab world by Zoulikha Bouabdellah (Algeria), photographies by Amina Benbouchta (Morocco), the mughul miniature painting update by Waqas Khan (Pakistan) and the conceptual and urban art by UBIK (India). But, furthermore, other of her represented artists will be present at BAF. This is the Tunisian artist Nicène Kossentini, that collaborates in the
fair’s Video Box program.
“With this selection, we are seeking to make come true one of BAF’s premises: to gather art that is being done from North Africa to South Asia. We sincerely think that this fair is summoned to be one of the reference art fairs on the area and that is why we placed a bet on it. We have a hunch that this will be the edition that confirms BAF in the international scene”, explains the gallerist Sabrina Amrani.
“Throughout this year, he have participated in an art fair in Europe, JustMad, and another in Africa, Casablanca Art Week. BAF is our first time in Middle East but it is a natural step for us because of the artists we represent. And we want it to make it last after the fair’s doors are closed: we are a young, dynamic and open gallery, looking forward to establish contact with Beirut’s cultural scene”, adds Sabrina Amrani.
Sabrina Amrani proposal for BAF includes a lot of in edit pieces. This is the case of the new compositions of the Mirage series by Zoulikha Bouabdellah, where she makes an urgent reflection about the Arab Spring, a process with so uncertain outcome as any other revolutionary process but that will legate -for sure- icons that will last. The artist has found one icon of her own: the silhouette of the first Mirage plane from Gaddafi’s air forces to be brought down by the Libyan rebels. Bouabdellah has placed this icon in a series of mosaics inspired by the geometric repertoire of Islamic art.
The Arab iconography, specially its vinculation with calligraphy, is the fountain where other of Zoulikha’s artworks drinks from. Two Lovers –La roue, is a piece showing the word love making love to the word love (hobb, in Arabic), a reflection about the term and how it has been poetically used in Arab arts through the centuries.
Love is also the main theme in the Hobb âla hobb series, where Bouabdellah makes use of the images from Kamasutra, veiled with a screen paper over which the word love is over laid to the lovers in the image, to send a reflection about the sexual freedom of women in the actual Arab world context.
This is also the case in the selection of photographies by Amina Benbouchta Lointains interieurs and Down in the rabbit hole, two triptychs where the artists shouts out about the condition of women, specially in the Arab world, with the aspiration that this collective will gain greater levels of individual rights without losing their identity.
Benbouchta’s photographies addresses this issues delicately, with a deep aesthetical sense but also a symbolic one. Sabrina Amrani’s booth also hosts the special universe of Waqas Khan, who gives a twist to the traditional miniaturist technique of South Asia. He uses a single instrument to draw his works: a Rotring accurate marker 0.1, to create freehand, point by point compositions seemingly abstract but that actually make the viewer to travel through the creative process of the Pakistani artist, a sort of dreamlike trance that requires maximum concentration from Waqas during days, weeks or months.
Khan’s works are created from conceptual ideas taken from the cultures, traditions and myths of South Asia, but also from the Muslim, Sufi and Hindu identities. He works small scale miniature in big scale format.
Inside the art fair’s cultural activities program, Sabrina Amrani will present the book launch of the first artist book to be published by the gallery: ‘Abstraction Contained’. With Waqas Khan’s works, it includes texts from prominent personalities of the Spanish art scene. Waqas Khan will be present in the book launch.
The gallery from Madrid will mirror the street art section of the fair bringing the latest works by UBIK, emergent artist who has a strong influence from urban art. These works are Rant 3# and #4, part of an ongoing series that takes the concept of an ‘anonymous saying’ as a departure point to explore the notions of catch-phrases. The aesthetics of the works are modeled deliberately as a ‘memorial plaque’ to lend some fake authoritative tone. The memorial plaque aesthetics are also UBIK’s way of exploring the idea of legacy for his words. The texts used are mainly open ended absurd statements or questions, and are derived from random snippets of writings from UBIK’s journal.
UBIK will also be present in a common area of the fair, right in front of the press lounge, with Gather yourselves together, made out of 250 helium inflated balloons attached to a crate. The balloons, that will eventually de-inflate along the duration of the fair, carry a message: “Tomorrow is Utopy”. With this piece UBIK describes how the yearning for a better world in contemporary societies evolves: at first, the voices of hope stand strong and united but -slowly and quietly-, they run out of steam, collapsing to the ground like the balloons, surrendered to the anchorage of established power. UBIK will be present in person at Sabrina Amrani’s booth during the fair.
Finally, Nicène Kossentini, another of the artists represented by Sabrina Amrani, presents the piece Schize in the fair’s section Video Box. It is a video that reflects on the means of oppression that women may suffer. Impairments that are both physical, such as the imposition to cover their body; and of the soul, prohibiting them to express themselves freely. Acts that may harbor forms of domination and control. With the sensitivity and delicacy that imprints all of his work, Kossentini reflects on the issue presenting a blank screen that reveals only the legs, hands and hair of the woman in the video. Nicène will be present in person at Sabrina’s booth during the fair.
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