Contemporary art from Korea comes to Abu Dhabi

Welcome back to Al-Monitor Dubai.

This week, we spotlight the first-ever comprehensive exhibition of contemporary Korean art to be staged in Abu Dhabi, a new fair in Cyprus that has lured galleries from Dubai and Beirut, and an upcoming talk on the forgotten histories of pearl merchants in the Gulf.

If you want to receive this newsletter or our other new weekly City Pulse newsletters — for Doha, Istanbul and Riyadh — sign up here.

Happy reading,

Rebecca

P.S. Have feedback or tips on Dubai's culture scene? Send them my way at contactus@al-monitor.com.

1. Leading the week: “Layered Medium: We Are in Open Circuits”

Nam June Paik. “Self-Portrait Dharma Wheel” 1998. Cariole, antique TV, 5-channel video, color, silent. 158.2 × 126.4 × 149.3 cm. (Courtesy of the Seoul Museum of Art Collection)

The first-ever comprehensive exhibition of contemporary Korean art in Abu Dhabi has opened. Exploring the evolution of Korea’s radical contemporary art scene and its legacy, the exhibition — co-curated by Seoul Museum of Art’s Kyung-hwan Yeo and Abu Dhabi Museum and Art Foundation curator Maya El Khalil — explores the medium of art as a system of communication, through 48 works by 28 Korean artists from the 1960s to today, including pieces by Nam June Paik and Park Hyunki to Lee Bul, Haegue Yang, Ayoung Kim and Moka Lee. On view at Manarat Al Saadiyat, the exhibition marks the largest Korean contemporary art exhibition to take place in the Gulf Cooperation Council region to date.

“We examine new forms of connection embedded within these artists and their works — not perfectly seamless but inherently partial and fragmented,” Yeo stated in the opening press release. 

Many of the works derived from SeMA’s collection are being shown in the United Arab Emirates for the first time. It also marks the first large-scale showcase of SeMA’s collection outside of Korea.

The title of the exhibition is derived from Nam June Paik's prescient 1966 statement, "We Are in Open Circuits," which foresaw decades ago our increasingly hyperconnected contemporary world.

The works on display demonstrate how art can function as a system of communication, exploring connections within our personal and collective realms that shape our social, cultural, and urban landscapes.

Date: Until 30 June

Location: Manarat Saadiyat

More details here.

2. Word on the street: Tazu by Art Lounge

An exterior view of Tazu by Art Lounge at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. (Courtesy of Louvre Abu Dhabi)

The Louvre Abu Dhabi’s scenic outdoor lounge, where visitors have traditionally enjoyed a refreshing drink, has now opened Tazu by Art Lounge, a new pan-Asian dining concept presenting culinary specialties, waterfront views and, of course, the art in the museum’s impressive galleries. What is unique about the new venue is that it offers a variety of delicacies from diverse Asian cuisines, including Japanese sushi and Vietnamese pho.

Location: Louvre Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

More details here.

3. Dubai diary

Nika Project Space, Dubai and Paris installation view at Vima Art Fair. (Photography by Daria Makurina)

• Inaugural Vima Art Fair lures galleries from the UAE

Around two years ago, Edgar Gadzhiev, Lara Kotreleva and Nadezhda Zinovskaya — all based in Cyprus — decided to unite in their love for art and launch the Vima Art Fair. After conducting their own research into the island’s diverse cultures and influences and witnessing the growth of galleries and collectors on the island — especially as foreigners with wealth flocked to Cyprus in recent years — they realized the potential that an art fair and creative art platform could bring to the island’s community and economy.

“The Mediterranean is a vast and historically complex region with shifting terminologies and geographical definitions over the centuries,” Zinovskaya told Al-Monitor. “For our purposes, we are focusing geographically on Cyprus and its neighboring countries, primarily in the Eastern Mediterranean. At the same time, we are inviting guests who have an interest in this land for various reasons.”

The picturesque coastal city of Limassol served as the fair’s inaugural location, where it presented 27 commercial and nonprofit galleries from 20 countries, two of which were from Dubai — The Third Line and Nika Project Space — and three from Beirut — Takeover, Galerie Tanit and Marfa’ — alongside many artists from the Arab world and North Africa.

Date: Through end of May

Location: Limassol, Cyprus

More details here.

• From Gulf to France: The Forgotten History of Pearl Merchants

L’ECOLE Middle East, School of Jewelry Arts, will host a talk in June exploring the history of pearl-diving merchants in the Arabian Gulf. Before oil and gas were found in the region, most Gulf Arab States relied on the risky business of diving into the ocean in search of pearls. Titled “From the Gulf to France, the Forgotten History of Pearl Merchants,” the session will look back at a time when Paris was the world capital for the natural pearl trade during the 1900s to around World War II, and how pearls sourced in the Gulf — then known as “the pearl coast” — would travel back to Paris. The talk will look at lesser-known stories of pearl merchants and their lives during this unique era.

Date: June 11

Location: L’ECOLE Middle East, School of Jewelry Arts

More details here.

• “Eternal Letters: Qur’an Manuscripts from the Abdulrahman Al Owais Collection”

A unique exhibition at the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization that focuses on the history and religious significance of Arabic calligraphy culminates next week. Presented are 81 Quranic manuscripts that have never been shown to the public before, hailing from across the Islamic world and showcasing the breadth of artistry and vision of calligraphic styles that emerged from China, Turkey, Iran and the Mediterranean over one millennium of history. The unique and impressive pieces on view are part of the private collection of UAE Minister of Health and Prevention and the Minister of State for FNC Affairs Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al Owais.

Date: Until May 25

Location: Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization

More details here.