Al-Quoz, home to stark warehouses and a huge cement factory
in the shadow of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, is a far cry
from the glitz and glamour that has come to be associated with Dubai.
“It’s raw. It’s a clean plate that we can work on. This is a
growing cultural hub, a warehouse district where the ceilings are high and
rents are low,” said Rami Farook, founder of the Traffic gallery, where
Emirati, Iranian and Saudi artists show works ranging from graffiti art to
blaring video installations.
That’s a far cry from the art scene just a couple of years
ago, when upscale galleries hosted purchases that reflected big money and
status, like the Maseratis and Bentleys cruising along the emirate’s palm-lined
streets.
Now, affordability and artistic message seem to carry more
weight, and the seemingly underground vibe is drawing in a different crowd.
At Etemad Gallery, a former furniture warehouse in Al-Quoz,
a beige wax sculpture of a human torso riddled with bullets and shells stands
in the shadows. Nearby is a series comparing the iris of the human eye to
constellations of dying stars.
“There is a growing confidence in local contemporary artists
and also an increase in interest in women artists from the region,” said Rory
Miller, director of Middle East and Mediterranean Studies at Kings College in
London.
“Following the economic downturn which hit Dubai hard, there
is a move, especially among the younger age group, to look to art that is
grittier, more relevant and reflective of their own lives and recent
experiences.” Art houses
have taken note of shifting local tastes, even as the higher end of the art
market sees signs of a rebound on the back of Dubai’s economic recovery.
“We included a lot more younger artists who are more
affordable because we want to increase the depth of participation,” said
Michael Jeha, managing director of auction house Christie’s Middle East, which
recently held a sale focusing on contemporary artists from Saudi Arabia and
Iran.
A number of the pieces sold for less than $10,000, Jeha
said, with others available for between $2,000 and $3,000.
All of the works in the Traffic gallery priced between
$1,000 and $3,000 sold out. “This made me realize that people in Dubai had this
passion for the alternative,” said Traffic’s Farook. “This is the niche I am
trying to tap into.”
Raj Sehgal, managing director at Credit Suisse Private
Banking in the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent, said some of his clients
were looking for investments that could deliver future returns.
“A trend that is quite evident among many of our clients in
Dubai is that they have started buying street art due to its appreciation value
over time,” Sehgal said.
The political and social upheaval sweeping across the Arab
role also appears to be playing a role in the renewed interest in more
affordable and urban art.
At Art Dubai, the emirate’s annual contemporary art fair, a
number of politically-themed pieces were on display, including one painting
that portrayed ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak’s using icons from
Facebook, the social networking site that played a role in uniting street
protesters against him.
“Possessing a piece of art because of a certain name or
status is holding little relevance,” said Omer Alvie, creative director at
Villa No. 6, which showcases emerging artists from Pakistan and arranges
exhibitions of alternative art in Dubai.
“Now collectors are interested in the theme of the piece and
what the artist is saying. It’s a record of history.”
Urban art flourishes in Dubai’s dusty industrial zone
Publication Date:
Fri, 2011-05-06 00:25
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