Hour Eternal – Emirati Abstraction

An interesting show of works by 14 Emirati artists who have played a role in shaping contemporary art in the Emirates. Curated by Michaela Watrelot, it has loans from the Ministry of Culture, private collectors, and the artists themselves. The curator says the pieces on display all reflect on the duality of time: it is both fleeting and everlasting. In particular, the works deal with the relationship between time, tradition and contemporary identity, and by extension offer an insight into the wider cultural identity of the UAE.

The show does indeed include an impressive selection of big names from Emirati contemporary art. Among them are four of the ‘five’ – Hassan and Hussain Sharif, Mohammed Kazem and Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim (only Abdullah Al Saadi is missing from that group). They’re joined by work from Abdul Qader Al Rais, Mona Al Khaja, Salma Al Marri, Mohammed Al Qassab, Abdulrahim Salem, Noor Al Suwaidi, Najat Makki, Shaikha Al Mazrou, Khalid Al Banna and Ebtisam Abdulaziz.

To mid February.

Above: Najat Makki, Untitled (2006: courtesy UAE Ministry of Culture)