The opening night enjoyed a packed attendance of local artists, art admirers and media persons.
Jeraibi who has extensively exhibited his works since 1989 in China, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, India, Spain and South Korea, showcased some of his older art installations which included Zincograph and his latest project The Circle.
The fact must be impressed that while the Zincograph collection which was first exhibited in 2003 may feel slightly repulsive, disquieting and mildly shocking for sensitive audiences, in which bodily hair collected from various sources lies sealed in wax moulds framed in wood, “The Circle” — a dilapidated French chair enclosed in a glass container, is a more amusing piece of conceptual art which according to the artist “transcends functionality, and makes it’s physical manifestation felt at a point where things come alive.”
Gethami who has been researching the medium of iron since 2007, exhibited Solid Maps, White Nail and Rusty Nails — all three installations observing the importance of iron as a fundamental element in the evolution and progress of technology. “I believe that everything serves a higher purpose even if it were technology. And it is my hope that this belief helps in the progress of the Muslim world”, said Gethami. Both Jeraibi and Gethami’s collections were recently exhibited at MENASART 2011 exhibition in Lebanon and at the Abu Dhabi art fair last year and their works are a testimony of the great potential the two artists share for the progress of conceptual art in the country.
