Events/Openings

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.

For all events please register under: event[at]me-berlin.com
Admission free.
Events held in English.
Our me-Café is open until the start of the events.

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 me Collctors Room will be open for you from wednesdays to mondays, from 12pm to 6pm.

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