Events/Openings

Panel Discussion ‘Emirati Identity, Emirati Creativity’ with featured artists Zeinab Al Hashemi and Amna Al Dabbagh, as well as the world’s first Emirati spoken word artist Afra Atiq. Moderated by Arsalan Mohammed.

The exhibition Portrait of a Nation offers a glimpse into the creative practices of 50 contemporary artists from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Visitors are invited to explore the country through the individual perspectives of the participating artists who call it home. The exhibition is divided into seven themed rooms: Nation & Unity, Geography & Nature, Architecture & Urbanism, Portraiture & Identity, Religion & Spirituality, Language & Calligraphy, and Tradition & Heritage.

Founded in 1971 the UAE is today home to some 200 nationalities. The exhibition offers a rare glimpse into its little-known history and diversity while considering significant contemporary questions of heritage and identity. Against a backdrop of rapid development and globalisation, the works explore complex ideas of modern nationhood, visiting urban and rural landscapes and examining major issues of unity, spirituality, and language.
Tracing the nation’s shifting identity, the exhibition includes 20 specially commissioned works by emerging and established artists. These new reflections are contextualised by seminal pieces dating back to the birth of the country. Three generations of renowned Emirati artists are
presented; from Hassan Sharif and his atelier students to younger artists.

The exhibition presents a variety of mediums: sculpture, photography, land art, painting, textiles, video, scenography, and new takes on traditional crafts.
One of the largest exhibitions of Emirati art, Portrait of a Nation opened in Abu Dhabi in 2016. Now staged abroad for the first time, it prompts urgent and globally relevant questions on identity and exchange in the 21st century.

The Exhibition is occuring from 13 September to 29 October 2017 and will be open for you from wednesdays to mondays from 12pm - 6pm.

30.09., 4-7 pm: Film Day ‘UAE on Screen’ with ‘Father’s Grant’ by Ahmed Zain, ‘Nearby Sky’ by Nujoom Al Ghanem, ‘The Art of Nature’, an ADMAF film to accompany the Abu Dhabi Festival’s 2017 Exhibition.

05.10., 7-8.30 pm: Panel Discussion ‘Emirati Identity, Emirati Creativity’ with featured artists Zeinab Al Hashemi and Amna Al Dabbagh, as well as the world’s first Emirati spoken word artist Afra Atiq. Moderated by Arsalan Mohammed.

18.10., 7-9.30 pm: Art & Dinner

19.10., 7-9 pm: Talk & Performance by the artist Karima Al Shomely, who speaks about her research into the Emirati burqa, followed by a live performance. Moderated by Arsalan Mohammed.

26.10., 7-8.30 pm: Talk ‘50 Years of Transformation’ with Dr Frauke Heard-Bey, author and historian, David Heard, petroleum engineer. Moderated by Monika Krauss.

Credits to: Portrait of a Nation: Contemporary Art from the United Arab Emirates, Featuring works from the ADMAF Art Collection, installation view at me Collectors Room Berlin, 2017
© ADMAF, Photo Bend Borchardt