A few weeks ago a friend of mine from New York City arrived with the Trisha Brown Dance company in Abu Dhabi to present one of their dance installations: “In Plain Site”. A fantastic piece which is presented partly on a stage and partly outside on the roof or balconies of buildings.
During the time the dance company was in town we had a period of very unusual and unstable weather with alternating sun, wind and rain. The morning I attended the show it rained so much that I had to use the front and back wipers on our car. That meant puddles had formed outside and the dance company adjusted their show to the “rain” alternative, an all-indoors presentation.
The first part was danced in the black box theater and the audience was captivated. Especially, the little ones were intrigued and didn’t want to sit still, but participate. Keeping their parents busy with stopping them from running onto the stage or crying over the music. It was requested that we didn’t take photos inside the black box and all the pictures seen here are of the second part, danced on the floor right outside the theater.
The dancer’s simple clothes and their pared-down, rhythmic movements made it a true delight for the eyes. It looked even better in the black box where the black floor provided a great contrast to the white-clad dancers.
Another opportunity to explore art arrived with an invitation from one of my groups to visit the Art Hub Abu Dhabi on a guided tour. It is well-known and located in Mussafah, an industrial zone a few minutes of driving outside of Abu Dhabi island. Therefore, it is not as easily found or accessed as many of the other art galleries in town, but the more interesting. The Art Hub is privately owned by Mr Ahmed Al Yafei who created this first artist community in the UAE.
Artists from different countries of the world are invited to stay at the Art Hub Mussafah and/or Liwa for a few weeks to explore the country and let it inspire them to create from their new experiences. When we visited we just arrived at the end of the Macedonian exhibit with some of the sculptures still on display in the main hall…
.. and the four new artists in residence from Russia starting to prepare for their upcoming show premiere. They were still very busy putting their last finishes to their paintings while we were shown around and had a glimpse of their residence and studio.
We also visited the permanent exhibition of art from previous visiting and local artists, a two-story building with a great variety of styles and materials. Most pieces are for sale and can be found and purchased here.
And one wall of the main exhibition for current shows had been painted with an eye-catching image of the Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque giving the illusion that one was looking into the actual mosque.
This city and region continue to amaze and fascinate me. Thank you, for following me along my adventure! Until next time.
Yours, Maike
beecosydesign 