ISEA2014 Art Event Overview

A4 Space by Al Serkal Avenue offers an innovative space dedicated to product launches, brainstorming sessions, meetings, team-building activities and presentations. The Project Space and Screening Room is a unique space for public engagement, exhibitions and screenings. The Cultural Library and Workspace is open to writers, artists and researchers to create, connect and collobrate. STORiEs Concept store showcases the work and creative paths of selected artists and designers, offering an unusual selection of design products and artists creations.

Daniel Cermak-Sassenrath, Mathew Martin and Jenna Gavin and Lynn Heller & Jackie Calderwood present interactive projects that will engage participants. Maja Kalogera & Martina Mezak and Naz Shahrok explore nature and the environment. Rahul Malpure, Julia Townsend & Tim Wong and Levi Hammett play with patterns to comment on culture.

The artists exhibiting (videos) follow a common element of manipulating intangible data to create personalised everyday objects.

The American University in Dubai is a private, non-sectarian institution of higher learning founded in 1995, licensed by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. AUD, as an international institution of higher education, encourages global understanding by providing an atmosphere of cultural diversity and opportunities for international education. The Department of Visual Communication at AUD offers a BFA in the fields of Advertising, Digital Media, Graphic Design and Studio Art.

The Department of Visual Communication at the American University in Dubai is honored to be an Educational Partner with Zayed University for hosting ISEA2014. Exhibitions and installations are presented in AUD’s Rotunda Gallery and Glass Box.

Located in the heart of historic Dubai, Creekside provides a platform to support an active cultural community that caters its program to ensure historical continuity in a contemporary context. Whether someone is to attend a workshop, or simply indulge in our contemporary local cuisine, Creekside will always leave its visitors with food for thought. Creekside aims to make what’s foreign, familiar. Whether by embarking on an abraa for a vivid tour of the creek, or journeying through the entwined alleys of the old city to find its hidden gems or simply picking up a new skill such as Arabic typography, our programming will be sure carry you outside the walls of this establishment into a world of cultural discovery.

Founded in 2008, Cuadro Gallery, located in the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), has quickly become one of the UAE’s premier post-modern and contemporary art venues. Cuadro Gallery maintains four key areas of focus: exhibitions, education, residency and consultation. Cuadro’s curated exhibitions provide audiences with an opportunity to experience diverse approaches to and executions of art. These exhibitions are enhanced by the Education Program at Cuadro, comprised of lectures, workshops and panel discussions that present an academic avenue through which to understand and participate in the evolving art market.

The works at this location bring together nature and technology. These two seemingly opposite streams sit comfortably together in the art on display. In Ana Rewakowicz’s work, humans and technology unite to give life to nature. Mary Tsiongas’s video gives life to an animal that, subsequently, gives humans life. Hasnat Mehmood shows the growth and development of cities through using sand to build them. Sarah Lahti’s videos explore the pristine nature of El Nido in the Philippines; Stephen Hilyard’s waterfall offers just that in a video format; and Ben Bogart offers landscapes in unexpected ways. Meanwhile, Jane Tingley & Michal Seta’s installation is not necessarily about nature, but it evokes natural forms and responds to its environment.

Lobo Listone Gallery is a unique art and design space promoting artists and designers through grassroots initiatives and events. Located in Al Quoz district amongst a thriving community of art galleries, the warehouse is Dubai’s largest dedicated space for exhibitions and events of it’s kind. Lobo Listone Gallery is supported by Lobo & Listone.<br><br>

Two exhibitions happen at Lobo Listone gallery. On the ground level, there are a variety of artworks that were submitted for selection by ISEA. Ranging from videos to multimedia installations, the artists explore different concepts. Banu Colak, Scott Conard & Jodi Magi, Natalie Olanick, and Christian Rubino explore issues of consumerism and its impact on society, culture, and the environment. Michelle Gay addresses questions of reality. Law Alsbrook, Clay Ewing, Chloe Cheuk, and Josh Berson, Daniel Cermak-Sassenrath & Jacob Ringbo, and Byron Rich & Alex Derwick offer insights into debates on happiness, pleasure, and beauty.<br><br>

On the upper level of the gallery, ISEA2014 presents a special exhibition on the impact of technology on the making of art in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia region. “Locating the Local and the Global: Contemporary Art and Technology” highlights works that utilize various technologies. It is not meant to be a complete survey of what is happening in the region, but to offer a few insights into what technology means to artists here.

Established in 2008 by Lateefa bint Maktoum, Tashkeel is a contemporary art organisation based in Dubai committed to facilitating art and design practice, creative experimentation and cross-cultural dialogue. Placing the artist at the core, Tashkeel supports the UAE’s creative community through studio facilities, artists’ residencies, international fellowships, a programme of exhibitions, events and professional as well as recreational workshops.<br><br>

Tashkeel currently runs up to three residencies a year, along with 6 residencies in conjunction with our partner entities – Delfina Foundation London, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and Art Dubai. Encouraging the exchange of ideas between international and local practitioners, the non-prescriptive and process-based nature of the residencies allows visiting artists to develop projects in response to their new context, or to conduct research benefiting from Tashkeel’s resources. Residencies generally culminate in an exhibition, accompanied by activities such as talks and seminars, aiming to introduce the general public to international artists and their practice.

<br><br>Tashkeel’s exhibition space accommodates up to six main projects a year, as well as a series of small-scale events. The programme includes solo and thematic exhibitions, screenings, workshops and seminars, fulfilling Tashkeel’s commitment to bringing art and culture to a wider audience and engaging the local community.

The Empty Quarter – Fine Art Photography is the only gallery in Dubai devoted exclusively to fine art photography and serving a rapidly growing membership of artists and photo enthusiasts. Our goal is to expand the understanding and appreciation of photography as an artistic medium. The gallery deals with young emerging and established photographers. Discover and celebrate photography from all continents and various points of views: documentary, fine art, photojournalism, poetic, personal, abstract, human, and street photography. Read essays, analysis and criticism about photography and culture. Listen to audio interviews, view documentaries of photographers, as well as rare and special edition books.<br><br>

This gallery will host a video by Laura De Decker that explores the intersections of fundamentals in aesthetics of pattern, geometry, and movement through abstract video animation.

The Jamjar’s gallery has evolved into a contemporary project space responding to the needs of the local artistic community by fostering creative talent through an artist residency programme and accompanying public programme. Through an artist residency programme UAE based artists are given the opportunity to realise a new body of work through research, experimentation, and dialogue. An accompanying public programme allows for interaction and dialogue through workshops, talks and open days allowing audiences to understand and respond, feeding into the artistic practice.

Established in 2003, XVA is one of the leading galleries in the Middle East that specializes in contemporary art from the Arab world, Iran and the Subcontinent. Exhibitions focus on works by the regions foremost artists as well as those emerging onto the scene. The gallery’s artists express their different cultural identities and perspectives while challenging the viewer to drop prejudices and borders. XVA Gallery exhibits both locally and internationally; collaborating with galleries and participating in international art fairs, such as Art Basel Hong Kong, SH Contemporary, Singapore Art Fair and Abu Dhabi Art in 2014, in order to further expose Middle Eastern contemporary art. XVA Gallery and XVA Art Hotel are located in Dubai’s heritage district, now called Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood. XVA founded and organized the Bastakiya Art Fair from 2007- 2010 as part of its commitment to raising the profile of contemporary art practice in Dubai. For three years XVA was located in DIFC, and has now expanded itself in Al Fahidi.<br><br>

The Dubai Culture and Arts Authority was launched in March 2008 as a key initiative of the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015, by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Under the leadership of His Excellency Abdul Rahman Al Owais, Chairman; and Her Highness Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dubai Culture has played a crucial role in further establishing Dubai as a vibrant, global Arabian metropolis that shapes culture and the arts in the region.The area of Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood was built in 1859 and was famous for signature wind towers creating an iconic skyline for Dubai. Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood is now a tourist village with a museum, a cultural centre, restaurants and an art gallery.<br><br>

The Al Fahidi area includes a number of artists in multiple partner venues within the historic district of old Dubai. This location represents the origins of Dubai settlement as a trading hub welcoming people from every part of the world. It is with great honor that we present these contemporary works of electronic art within the spaces that helped shape the history and traditions of life in the UAE.

Using a wide variety of media and artistic practice, twenty four artist works will investigate the intersection of art and technology in works exhibited on the Dubai Campus of Zayed University. Ranging from large, interactive installations to video screenings, to sculpture and prints, the works share a common theme of exploring ways in which new media shape our interactions with the world around us. Some artists achieve this exploration by engaging the viewer actively and physically with the work of art, for example in installations by Zina Kaye, Martha Ladly, Jessica Thompson, Rodrigo Carvalho, Kevin Badni, Peter Hassall, Yulius Yulius and Omnia Amin. Other artists, including Tamas Waliczky; George Legrady, Marco Pinter and Danny Bazo; and Chris Coleman and Laleh Mehran, rely on machines themselves to engage with their environment and interpret data to produce changing aesthetic affects. Jiayi Young and Shih-Wen Young; Deborah and Richard Cornell; ETMCA Ukwuoma; Valeria Lamontagne; Sarah Nesbitt; Hind Demaithan and Maitha Demithan; Jennifer Willet and Jeanette Groenendaal Zoot Derks and Jennifer Willet; Ava Ansari and Marco Pinter; Andreas Guskos; Jaak Kaevats; Seth Ellis and Chris Cassidy; Ben Bogart and Philippe Pasquier; and Marcos Luytens round out the scope of the exhibits with a diverse set of works that combine elements of visitor interaction, data collection and manipulation, and traditional artistic practice to continue to push the boundaries of electronic art.

Art Hub is a Middle East-based artist community promoting cross-cultural exchange and artistic innovation. Abu Dhabi Art Hub was the first artist community to be established in the United Arab Emirates. A second location at the edge of the magnificent Empty Quarter in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi, Art Hub Liwa was inaugurated in March 2014. Focused on emerging and established visual artists from across the world, Art Hub residency programs provide a platform for interaction between national, regional and international visual artists. Through a program of annual art festivals the Liwa location is a gathering place for talents from across the globe representing all artistic disciplines and medium as well as film, team building, performance, yoga, creative writing and poetry. Festivals basically fall under the categories of art/science, art/culture and heritage and art/environment. Since welcoming the first artists in October 2012, more than 160 artists representing 45 countries have participated in residency programs at Art Hub.

NYU’s agreement with the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to create NYU Abu Dhabi is the outcome of a shared understanding of the essential roles and challenges of higher education in the 21st century: a common belief in the value of a liberal arts education, concurrence on the benefits a research university brings to the society that sustains it, a conviction that interaction with new ideas and people who are different is valuable and necessary, and a commitment to educating students who are true citizens of the world.<br><br>

NYUAD is hosting a showcase of electronic art on the theme of afterimages, traces, resonances, and reverberations, relating to the conference’s own general theme on “Location”. It is the inaugural show in the project space on the new Saadiyat campus.

A cultural venue in Abu Dhabi, The Space is the first specialized business and social hub of its kind dedicated to building a sense of a cultural and entrepreneurial environment in Abu Dhabi. The Space promotes a new perspective on entrepreneurship, one which fuels people with similar and dissimilar interests to find inspiration, a common ground and ultimately, to get involved with the community.

Faculty And Staff of the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises of Zayed University presented their work.

Maraya Art Park is a project that acts as a platform for regional and international outdoor art projects and will consist of a number of venues located at major focal points in Sharjah. Two sections of the Park are located at Al Majaz Waterfront. The first is the Sculpture Park, which showcases projects from local and international artists, designers and architects, while the second is the Children’s Art Park, which aims to introduce children to the world of art through sculptures, interactive games, and educational activities.<br><br>

In Maraya Art Park, the Isea2014 exhibition includes a body of works exploring contemporary themes through the medium of electronic art. From music-creating robots to interactive video installation, viewers will find themselves immersed in a variety of unique and creative explorations engaging the audience in meaningful dialogue.

Storytelling with images may be our first record of narratives, such as sand drawings and rock carvings in the western desert tradition through to interactive meta-narratives being produced today. Meta-narratives, the exhibition, will present works by artists who re-interpret the manner in which stories are told.

The exhibition includes an animation based on a bark by John Gwadbu, 1964, The Marrwakara Story, Mawng Language, Goulburn Island, Western Arnhem Land, NT.Ochre on stringy bark. RM and CH Berndt collection, 1964. Plus others…

Maraya Art Park is a project that acts as a platform for regional and international outdoor art projects and will consist of a number of venues located at major focal points in Sharjah. Two sections of the Park are located at Al Majaz Waterfront. The first is the Sculpture Park, which showcases projects from local and international artists, designers and architects, while the second is the Children’s Art Park, which aims to introduce children to the world of art through sculptures, interactive games, and educational activities.

In Maraya Art Park, the Isea2014 exhibition includes a body of works exploring contemporary themes through the medium of electronic art. From music-creating robots to interactive video installation, viewers will find themselves immersed in a variety of unique and creative explorations engaging the audience in meaningful dialogue.

The Nomadic Dolls was an initiative by the College of Art & Creative Enterprises (CACE), Zayed University graduates, Arwa Bukhash and Hind Bin Demaithan in 2009. The concept was to unite artists for a fundraising project through the Doll as a blank ‘canvas’, of sorts.
CACE’s Student Council, as a means of promoting the college and engaging the wider community, picked the idea up again earlier this year at Zayed University’s Carnival. The Nomadic Doll has become a mascot for CACE activities, as the Council became renown through the customization, and enabling individual creativity to thrive. The Nomadic Doll allowed non-art students to showcase their creativity.
We at CACE are pleased to explore the possibilities of the Nomadic Doll initiative. ISEA2014 has presented CACE with an ideal opportunity to share the Nomadic Dolls with the wider community, incorporating the Nomadic Doll into a collaborative student exhibition that spans the Middle East region. The exhibition was a part of ISEA2014, Oct 30-Nov 8.
The exhibition has gained interest from professional artists, art and design students and non- art students alike. This has begun to prove the playfulness of the initiative.
The participants explore idea generation, limitations and possibilities. Some have spent time exploring the character created into a narrative, character interaction and narrative options.
The Nomadic Doll project proves that it is a wonderful bridge between designers and artists and the wider community, as a means of creative play with the goal of fun and whimsy at its heart. It demonstrates the reason we begin to create and reminds us of our ability to surprise ourselves.

Collaborating institutes:
Virginia Commonwealth University of Qatar
American University of Dubai
Higher Colleges of Technology Abu Dhabi Men
Higher Colleges of Technology Abu Dhabi Women
Brighton College Abu Dhabi
Brighton College Al Ain
Ecole Superieure Des Arts Visuels Esav Marrakech
GEMS Wellington International School (Dubai)
Zayed University Abu Dhabi
Zayed University Dubai

Support: Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation

The Fridge is the region’s premiere artist, entertainment and music management company. Founded in 2007, it is dedicated to supporting and developing the music and performing arts platform in the UAE and wider region. Alongside this, it manages and promotes over 3, 000 performances annually, from many of the UAE’s most iconic events to private functions and daily hotel residencies. Based in Al Qouz and nestled amongst art galleries, The Fridge operates out of a converted warehouse in Alserkal Avenue which is split into the office and an urban event space, which provides the perfect platform to showcase fresh and exciting performers through curated programming such as The Fridge Concert Series. The space is also a unique venue for corporate and private hire with a number of exciting events already under its belt.

The tradition of storytelling in the region is an ancient as its sands and seas. Zayed University’s Al Kharareef Storytelling Club was created to enrich and contribute to the revival of the cultural heritage of the storytelling tradition within the United Arab Emirates.

Last year, the Club in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation launched a collection of original fairytales and fables featuring folkloric characters from the UAE. The stories were written and illustrated by Zayed University students from various disciplines and translated by ZOWD volunteers into the language of its characters, Emirati dialect.

The project has continued to grow and this collection of 50 illustrations is a compilation of some of the best art that has been developed for this endeavor. It consists of stories that were carefully crafted from the imagination of our visual artists to bring to life iconic characters from the rich oral tradition of Emirati folklore, while preserving other key aspects of Emirati culture The Story Mile art collection stands as a testament to the wealth of creativity and talent that lies in the Emirates and the success of the training provided by the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises.

Take a journey across the four corners of the Emirates with the characters of the Story Mile and re-discover the jinn from the bygone days of childhood as they honor the traditional heritage, culture and values of this land of many blessings. Step into a world crafted from the imaginations of our 26 Emirati visual storytellers as their characters guide you on a voyage of remembrance and celebration of the best of storytelling art in these sumptuous tales.

The exhibition consists of a series of new portraits staged in Dubai. Students were asked to think about locations and objects of personal and cultural significance to stimulate discussion about location, identity and the shifting relevance of cultural representation and cultural reference. In collaboration with CACE.

Hosted by The NewBridge Project, The 404th Wall is a satellite project of ISEA2014. Referencing both Denis Diderot’s term “breaking the fourth wall” in which the boundary between audience and performer is removed, and the dreaded 404 Internet Error Code, The 404th Wall presents a series of daily live-streamed events between Newcastle and Dubai in an evolving participatory installation. The NewBridge Project, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK

Satellite of the Abu Dhabi Art Hub at the Liwa oasis in the desert