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Over the last ten years, significant changes have taken place to the regional heritage and art scene in the Gulf region. In the United Arab Emirates, the art market has grown at a remarkable pace, now positioned as one of the international art market centres. The United Arab Emirates can now boast a competitive and vibrant art scene, from the museum projects on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, which includes the Louvre Abu Dhabi and Guggenheim, to the ever increasing number of galleries in Dubai. Emirati artists continue to thrive and grow, both in confidence and in numbers, spurred on by the pace in which the art scene has been developing around them. Further evidence of this growth can be seen with the rise of the art fairs in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, (two for the latter including the Creek art fair), as well as through the Sharjah Biennial, now in its 11th round. In 2009, the UAE established its first pavilion at the Venice Biennial, the oldest and most important international art biennial in the world, pointing to the increasing maturity of the art market in the UAE. Their participation marked the first time any country from the Gulf had participated in such a manifestation, with the work of the talented photographer Lamia Al-Gargash, featured in our sale (lot 194) In 2011, the UAE participated again for 'Second Time Around' with an expanded pavilion, exhibiting the works of three further artists, one of whom is the photographer Latifa Bint Maktoum, whose work is also presented in this sale (lot 192). The works of both young female artists is a bearing testament to how far the country's art scene has come over the last decade. Lamia Gargash's photographic work comes from her series entitled 'Maschera', which was part of her final BA project in 2009. It is based on a series of self portraits that she had created, intrigued by fantasy and myths. She used her friends to project theatrical figures where the main figural subjects carry in their hand a photographic image of a clown to cover their faces. Set in full bloom vibrant colours against a soft grayish neutral background, creating an intriguing contrast so irrelevant to the soft surrounding, as if they are taken from another place to play or act in their real lives. Meanwhile Latifa Bint Maktoum, who tackles the subjects of land, women and nomads, shoots through her camera soft pastel coloured scenes reminiscent of impressionist paintings. In the next few pages, we also present the works of Meera Huraiz, Noor A- Suwaidi, and Saeed Khalifa, all of which are strong contemporary works that tackle their own voices and portrayal of Emirati experiences.

Noor Al-Suwaidi (Emirati, b. 1981)

Bare with me

Details

Noor Al-Suwaidi (Emirati, b. 1981)
Bare with me
signed and dated in Arabic (on the reverse)
acrylic on canvas
35 3/8 x 35 3/8in. (90 x 90cm.)
Painted in 2011

Special notice

Lots are subject to 5% import Duty on the importation value (low estimate) levied at the time of collection shipment within UAE. For UAE buyers, please note that duty is paid at origin (Dubai) and not in the importing country. As such, duty paid in Dubai is treated as final duty payment. It is the buyer's responsibility to ascertain and pay all taxes due.

Sale room notice

Please note that this work should not be starred in the catalogue as it is not subject to the 5 import duty.

Lot Essay

'Over the past ten years, my work has consistently focused on the process of abstraction. That delicate distortion of the figure, which one sometimes experiences in real life, to me comes naturally and spontaneously as I study and sketch the subject of my paintings. In fact, the shapes and lines often relate--somewhat subconsciously--to my own handwriting in Arabic. Handwriting is the most human of abstractions. Each letter, every time, is slightly different and--notwithstanding those nuances--our minds discern key shapes, place them into pre-set moulds and make sense of the whole: a letter. My drawing is my own handwriting of portraiture and the framework for my palette, which to me, highlights the temperature of the shapes. Colour breathes life into the line. Not only does it shed light on the nature of the original bare abstraction of the figure, but gives it an emotional dimension and ultimately narrates the story captured on the canvas.' Noor Al- Suwaidi

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