Alserkal Art Week: Meaning Behind the Artworks

by Sophie She

Alserkal Art Week: Meaning Behind the Artworks

28 Feb 2024

Interconnected with Art Dubai, Alserkal Art Week has presented its annual “Lates”, with all galleries open until 10 pm, gathering artists, curators, and spectators together. Hereby enjoy a BTS of artists’ lives and their pieces.

What to improve (oh, yes, again!)

As we have already written, on February 27th, Alserkal Art Week was filled with a lot of events. So, we attended it with a certain purpose — to discover the hidden meanings in the exhibitors’ artworks.

Our first challenge arose from the schedule and programme. It was a bit chaotic in many aspects from timing to the week’s participants.

What could be improved? Adding structure to the event's organisation to make it more clear to guests — especially those interested in writing about it. Alserkal Art Week is a valuable event featuring fascinating artists, curators, and speakers. Therefore, we firmly believe it will continue developing and improving each passing year.

However, we were still able to ask several speakers for their comments, and we are really grateful to them for agreeing to share.

Solo Exhibition by André Butzer (Carbon 12, Warehouse 37)

Instagram: @carbon12gallery

Speaker: Yasmeen, the gallery assistant

— What was the inspiration to have Butzer to be exhibited here? What was the main idea and the kick?

— The directors of the gallery were looking for an artist who was well-known in the art world and had a distinctive style. As the gallery represented the institutional base, Butzer was an obvious choice. He is highly regarded not only commercially, but his work also carries a deeper meaning once you understand it. It has a playful quality, which makes it unique. Most of the works in the gallery are painterly, and you can see how the artists have managed to convey complex ideas in a simple and easy-to-understand way. Therefore, the directors picked Butzer as his work is both humorous and profound, and there is a lot of meaning behind it.

— Could you like summarise the whole collection in three words?

— Three words? So I would say… bright colours, pop culture and finding yourself.

— How do you think his works make people feel?

— His work is often appealing to the Asian demographic, with its kawaii aesthetic. It brings joy to people, like cartoons such as Mickey Mouse, by lightening up their moods. Even though the colours and characters have a deeper meaning and logic in the artist's world, people perceive it as childlike and naive, which brightens up the atmosphere. Despite the small amount of artwork in the room, it looks full and complete.

“How to Disappear” by Ana Mazzei (Green Art Gallery, Warehouse 28)

Speakers: Ekaterina, Associate Director of Green Art Gallery, and Ana Mazzei

Instagram: @greenartgallerydubai

— What was the main idea behind bringing this collection in? What was the kick? What was the motivation?

Ekaterina: We have decided to hold a solo show featuring our artists. This is the third iteration of the series of the shows. The first was in Paris, the second in Sao Paulo and the third one we are having here in Dubai. It is all about the disappearance of a ballerina who writes a detective story in her shows. The objects you can see here are half-human and half-animal and are set against a backdrop of different paintings creating an imaginary world. So, here you have the real world with a crime scene and an imaginary dream world.

— Basically, what do you think one will feel when looking at the two different worlds depicted?

Ekaterina: We hope they will be inspired by more than 50 very colourful paintings and petite sculptures.

Ana, the artist, is also very theatrical in her practice and is inspired by the theatre a lot. We hope that the visitors will get inspired by these fantasy creatures and join Ana in her dream world.

— Last but not least! Ana, could you please encapsulate the essence of the collection in three different words?

Ana: Fiction, reality and materiality. I think it is the materialisation of the idea of creating a story and also fictionalising everything. So, I think these three words are a good start.

How did you come around the defectiveness of everything?

Ana: Because it is something that I am crazy about, this love and crime stories. This is basically what I read and see. I am very interested in this kind of relationship and how it connects with our own lives. For this show, I was thinking about a lot of stuff, but the whole story I am trying to create with my ongoing project is basically about creating a fictional character. That is somewhat related to me.

— Why ballerina?

Ana: As I was creating a story, I was searching for a character that could embody the concepts that I was looking for in my work. I wanted the character to represent the traditional history of ballet and feminity and how the body works with space. I was not looking for an actress, but someone who could perform and dance. Choreography is a concept that interests me, and I wanted the character to be a ballerina who can be a dancer and a performer.

Ballet is a vital part of many cultures, and I wanted to represent that through my character. I am thinking about all kinds of dancers and how they can perform. The character represents a professional ballerina, but not necessarily a Russian ballerina.

As the granddaughter of a detective who adored Cuban ballet, this concept was a hit for me.

“Carpets of Eden, Gardens of Fantasy.” Curated by Behrang Samadzadega (Leila Heller Gallery, Warehouse 86/87)

Speaker: Behrang Samadzadega, the curator

Instagram: @leilahellergallery

— Could we just start with the name of the exhibition?

— The name has its roots in European art history, specifically in the Venice school of the 15th century or Flemish art. But then, in the 18th and 19th centuries, it became associated only with orientalist art in the Western world.

It is important to mention that carpets are not only flat ornamental surfaces in the corner of our houses. The carpet is a language. It is a kind of tool for storytelling, a medium, and a concept.

I thought: “What if I create a collection of artists from around the world who have worked with carpets or used carpets as a medium, not as an ornament?” So, I was looking for something more transcendental.

— If you could describe the collection in just three different words, what would they be?

— Concept, story, and medium. The thing is that artists are storytellers; they tell a story about either beauty or history. Art is an abstract language.

— What do you think the spectator will feel looking at your exhibition?

— The only thing I always like to challenge is the established ideas of art history. I am always very eager about rethinking art history, and changing it. I like to put a combination to make people rethink the cliches, stereotypes, and common sense that art history often presents.

by Sophie She