Abu Dhabi Art Moves into UAE Pavilion
Just in time: the UAE Pavilion is completed
As droves of journalists gather in the foyer of Al Manarat Al Saadiyat ahead of the opening press conference, the organisers of the third edition of Abu Dhabi Art beam with excitement, tinged by the occasional nervous glance at the gleaming golden pavilion just opposite the main entrance.
Men in coveralls are everywhere, some frantically polishing dust-encrusted surfaces. Designed by Norman Foster, the UAE Pavilion is the second building after Al Manarat to be completed on Saadiyat Island, the city’s future cultural district. Eventually, this fleck of land will be home to five cultural mega-venues designed by architectural royalty: Louvre Abu Dhabi (Jean Nouvel), Guggenheim Abu Dhabi (Frank Gehry), Zayed National Museum (Foster), a Performing Arts Centre (Zaha Hadid) and an Aquarium (Tadao Ando).
Shipped in from its original site at Shanghai’s World Expo, the Pavilion arrived in 24,000 pieces, which a cohort of workers and engineers worked day and night to assemble in time for Abu Dhabi Art.
The building is, of course, spectacular. Defined by the undulating lines and alternate surface structures of sand dunes, the facade is smooth on one side, textured on the other. The gleaming stainless steel skin, treated to appear golden, catches the eye from afar. Back in 2010, reports of long lines snaking around it in Shanghai were beamed back to the UAE.
Originally intended as a temporary structure, the decision to bring the pavilion “home” to Abu Dhabi caused a stir among the capital’s cultural squad. Speculation over whether a construction project will finish on deadline is something of a national sport here, after all.
In the case of the UAE Pavilion, the round goes to the optimists. The pavilion is completed, forming a stunning centre piece for the fair, which also encompasses spaces inside and around Manarat Al Saadiyat. Overall, ADA has expanded, making full use of its spacious new domicile. The third edition features more public programs, more family activities, more design elements, more educational initiatives – more of everything, it seems.
Abu Dhabi Art 2011 has grown: among other things, the program features more activities for children and teenagers than ever before.
“In previous years we were limited with the space, but now we are kind of at home, and when we saw the empty floor plan we kept on adding stuff and adding stuff. So it is much bigger than last year,” said TDIC’s Faisal Al Dhahri.
The only aspect of the fair that hasn’t expanded seems to be the number of participating galleries. The term “boutique-style art fair” peppers many conversations with the organisers. The concept has its critics (where are the Eastern Europeans?, asks one Russian journalist), but it serves the event and its public well. As in previous years, the selection of galleries at ADA is superb and the pieces they bring with them make up one of the region’s most exciting public displays of world-class art.
Walking into the pavilion, guests are greeted by the piercing smell of terpentine emanating from the Kamel Mennour booth. Artist Latifa Echakhch and curator Veronique Wiesinger didn’t get a lot of sleep the previous night. Echakhch worked into the early hours to finish her contribution to Wiesinger’s mini-exhibition A Sculpture is Not an Object, hence the smell.
Talking about the pavilion as a location for an art fair, Wiesinger smiles wryly: “Of course, it is beautiful. But for us, it was difficult. Especially when you come with an ambitious project you have to build up on site. We were supposed to spray two days ago. But I think people will enjoy it anyways and understand that it’s a work in progress.”
She is most certainly right. Once the fumes settle, guests will be able to discover an oasis of calm at Kamel Mennour’s cave-like booth, which rewards the visitor with displays by Alberto Giacometti, Anish Kappor and Tadashi Kawamata.
All four walls of the space are covered in dark hues of black and Yves Klein-ish blue, Echakhch’s work For Each Stencil a Revolution. Exhibited at the Tate Modern in 2007, the piece features mentholated spirits and pigment running down sheets of carbon paper, a device famously used by anti-establishment groups in the 1960s. The poignancy of showing this work in the context of recent regional events is, of course, lost on noone.
Latika Echakhch's For Each Stencil a Revolution is part of a mini-exhibition at Kamel Mennour's booth.
Today (Wednesday, November 16) sees the launch of a busy events schedule including guided tours, design workshops, children’s activities, conversations with artists and art experts, outdoor exhibitions and performances, book launches, film screenings and much more.
The complete line-up of events as well as detailed information about participating galleries and artists in attendance is on www.abudhabiartfair.ae. Remember where you are and check for changes before setting off to a specific event!
Images courtesy of TDIC.
