Jalal Luqman - Pan’s Labyrinth meets Hieronymus Bosch in Abu Dhabi
Perhaps more than a hundred people gathered around an ominously large object hidden under a black drape at Ghaf Gallery last night. It was the opening of Under a Thousand Masks, the new exhibition by Jalal Luqman - the local art scene’s wild man.
Since the rest of the gallery was cordoned off, the room quickly filled with guests and press photographers engaging in speculative banter and high-brow gossip. After a well-timed delay, Luqman revealed the centre piece of the show: The Invisible Giant, a sculpture made of welded-together sheaths of metal, towering more than two metres above its audience.
In Luqman’s own words, he wanted it to be a reminder of those who are gifted, but never discovered, forever waiting for their turn in the limelight. Somewhat alien, androgynous and feature-less, the sculpture seems to indicate that genius is easily overlooked, especially if the search for it is bound by conventions.
Under a Thousand Masks is a small, somewhat disconnected show of eight pieces, with the Gentle Giant being the only sculpture. The other works are examples of Luqman’s digital art, many of them are of a dark, nightmarish mood. Inhabited by contorted, scarred and disfigured subjects, his works don’t shirk difficult issues such as addiction, exploitation and oppression and are reminiscent of both Hieronymus Bosch and the eerie yet comical character design in Guillermo del Toro’s film Pan’s Labyrinth.
Luqman goes far in his rebuttal of the more ornamental traditions in Arabic art, but doesn’t negate them. His works are certainly not what you’d expect to find in an average living room in the Middle East - or anywhere else, for that matter. They are too angry, dark and personal to work as decoration - which is exactly what gives them their power.
PS: No, I’m not putting up a snapshot of The Invisible Giant - go check it out yourself! Under a Thousand Masks runs until 30 November 2009 at Ghaf Gallery, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
