Supermarket

A great idea from Foundry Downtown – a group exhibition featuring artists based in the UAE who are not (currently) represented by galleries. The organisers describe it as “for the first time, a selling exhibition structured around accessibility, discovery, and dialogue. The project seeks to encourage a broader public to engage with contemporary art with greater confidence and curiosity, while offering artists an opportunity to present their work in a context that is both visible and commercially supportive …”

In that context, the title represents a quite deliberate borrowing from retail – though the curators are keen to emphasise that doesn’t mean crudely reducing art to merchandise rather than “critically asking what it means to ‘shop’ for art at a moment when value is shaped not only by artistic quality, but also by visibility, narrative, and systems of legitimacy”. Still, it is a selling exhibition, with works at “an accessible price point” …

We count 36 artists on the list, which should guarantee some variety – there must be something for everyone here …

Ahmad Makary
Camila Schubert
Afrorabian
Juhayda Bittar
Isaac Sullivan
Don
Adele Bea Cipste
Fink 22
Preschelle Ann Biqueras
Jalal Mashhadi Fard
Fats Patrol
Saif Chilmiran
Ron John
Anita Shishani
Karim Tamerji
Elisa Arienti
Laura Puscasu
Faxon
Rabab Tantawy
Raghe Farah
Asareh Ebrahimpour
Jumairy
Farah Soltani
Ghalia Kalaji
Antoine Deeb
Alina El Assadi
Jude Maharmeh
⁠Rania Kamal
Elizaveta Pugacheva
Sandra Fadayel
Bayan Dahdah
Aysha Al Shamsi
Maha Zeibak
Nessma Djouhri
Karim El Atrache
Mr Sharks

We’re told that the exhibition will be accompanied by a programme of talks and guided tours in collaboration with Nadine Khoury.

To 7 June.