The Marsam Mattar Gallery is a hidden gem in the heart of Dubai.
Situated in Al Hudaiba, it was founded by renowned Emirati artist Mattar Bin Lahej. Attached to the gallery is the recently opened Sketch Art Cafe and the More than Art Training Centre. The gallery’s tranquil setting and outdoor facilities invite the visitor to spend time there, taking in the art before sharing coffee and chatting with friends.
To nurture the creativity of the youth, the centre will provide training courses for children in all aspects of art, and has fully equipped presentation rooms as well as an art supplies store.
Noun Al Neswa is an annual exhibition held in the Marsam Mattar Gallery. It is for female artists and this year’s edition showcased the work of 22 participating artists from various fields.
As one of the participating artists, I was honored to be able to show five of my iPhoneography artworks on wood at the exhibition.
The opening evening on 11 May 2015 was a great success as artists and guests mingled, admiring works and sharing stories.
I had met the Saudi artist, Noor Hisham Al Saif, that morning in the gallery. New bonds of friendship were formed. The two of us were fortunate enough to have Mattar bin Lahej sit with us over coffee in the cafe, sharing stories of his career as an artist and giving us advice about the art world.
Opposite me in the gallery that evening was friend Farah Al Balooshi. It has been a pleasure to get to know Farah. The two of us were delighted when Khalil Abdul Wahid, head of Visual Arts at Dubai Culture and Arts Authority spent some time chatting to us. Khalil is responsible for promoting the culture and arts of Dubai internationally.
Khalil later posted this pic on Instagram which gives a lovely overview of the opening reception.
Beside family and friends from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, also present at the opening was a group of at least 20 instagrammers from the IgersDubai community. It meant a lot to me to have them come along to support the evening.
More photos of the evening can be seen in the album shared on my facebook page.
The exhibition has been extended until 5 June 2015. The Marsam Mattar Gallery is located at Villa 21, 4B Street, Al Hudaiba 322, Dubai.
A new series of events called "Viewings", dedicated to experiencing the dynamic relationship which occurs when art is vewed without the intellect of mind, has opened in the ARTROM Network artist presentation space in Rome, Italy.
When we stand in front of a work and simply see and feel, a personal dialogue begins ... an intimate relationship. After all art is communication. ~ Elizabeth Genovesi, Founding Director, Artrom Network.
As one of the participating artists with my #here2here series, I was privileged to be at the Vernissage Party of Viewings 1, and to also take part in the Artist Talk Series.
I am happy to share here, the talk I gave at this event:
My love of photography began as a small child. I had a tiny box camera and would line up my neighbourhood friends with their arms folded across their chests to take their photos. I also loved communicating - I probably spoke too much in class :) I set up a home telephone system - a little switch board with lots of wires and two other phones - that was a gift designed for children, throughout our house and would proudly call my Dad in the morning when I woke because I knew that that meant he would bring me tea in bed before I went to school. I loved technology. I once took my transistor radio to school, put it in my blazer pocket and then through a tiny hole in my pocket, (not sure where the hole came from!) had the wire of the earphone go up under my blazer into my ear under my one pony tail. Eventually I acquired a walkie talkie. When I learnt to drive I made sure I had a CB radio - a citizens band radio - in my car and at home and would spend evenings chatting to unknown people far away.
My curious nature meant that I read a lot, and my mother says she would often find me reading a book, with only one sock and shoe on when I was supposed to be getting ready for school.
When I started my website four years ago in April 2011, I had two topics I wanted to write about. The first was technology and in particular cyberspace -the mindspace we find ourselves in when we communicate online. The second was mindfulness - paying attention in a particular way - on purpose, in the moment, non-judgmentally. Finding a suitable name for a website which covered these two seemingly very different issues proved interesting. After much thought and discussion the website here2here was born.
It referred to a non-located space beyond normal time and space where people could chat and exchange info - the place where your here met my here - here2here; and it was also a call to come out of autopilot and be totally present in the now - here2here.
I began to write about mindfulness and especially about the need to be mindful when using technology.
I had embarked on a photography project for myself, called mobileart. When I arrived in the UAE I was inspired by the stories of the bedouins who were nomads. Always on the move, they knew as they wandered through the desert what it was like to have a centre that would always be changing.
Using only my mobile phone, I would take photos of that which I found beautiful and share each one immediately via twitter enabling the photos to become mobile. I hoped too that the project would be a sharing of a consciousness on the move. There’s a video of the project on youtube.
Shortly after that I got my first iphone, posted my first picture on the 11th day of the 11th month 2011, on the then one year old Instagram, and shortly after that discovered a whole new world - the world of apps.
I began to follow blogs about them, gather them but most importantly experiment with them. On a daily basis. I still do that - the world of apps is fast moving and fast changing.
Realizing that cyberspace was very much like Baroque art where scenes flow into each other and into the space of the viewer with the viewer determining the centre of the spectacle at any moment in time, I started my first series entitled Digital Archways. Your here and many other heres are brought to my here via the interface of a screen but I can choose what I pay attention to and also how I give it my attention.
I had also started photographing the skyscrapers of Dubai at the time, and so using photos of Dubai architecture, looked more at the architecture of cyberspace, and created the abstract series called Corridors of Cyberspace.
All of these visual expressions began to accompany and add to my writing.
Communicating and sharing visual outcomes online became a great source of encouragement.
The major turning pointin my work, came, I believe, when I began to experiment with slowshutter photography on my iphone. A flaneur by nature, I was often out walking and so I began taking photos of people whose energy somehow spoke to me. I don’t know how else to express that. Remember: The longer a camera’s shutter remains open the more light it takes in!
The capturing of these moments called for me to be very alert and aware, so this form of photographing not only flowed out of my mindfulness practice but also became a mindfulness practice in its own way.
Excited by the results I was getting, I began to take these images one step further and intuitively, using various apps, give them a painterly effect.
I edit the slowshutter image with apps. I create my own textures on an app. These are blended into aspects of the image on another app. I add atmosphere with other apps and I actually “paint” on my iphone screen with others. I have learnt to work on resolution using an app and I even have an app which is like a miniature laboratory telling me more about the megapixels and megabytes of each image. This became important when I realized I wanted to print large scale.
I have over a period of time come to realize that these artworks embody much that is important to me: Rootedness and Movement occurring simultaneously, Emptiness and Fullness, Essence and Presence. They are not only a visual portrayal of a non-located space, whether it be cyberspace or the space where everything comes into being, but also call one to be mindful, aware and present. In them my writing, my intentions, my love of photography, my love of art in all its forms, have all come together and found expression. For this reason, this series here to be viewed and experienced in Rome is a very special one for me.
When working with these images, I often feel as if the outcome is simply moving through me, and so I believe that each one will speak when and how it is meant to.
I have included the hashtag in the title of this series #here2here, as just as hashtags bring data from all over into one place, so the artworks in this series come together to acknowledge diversity on many levels, but at the same time call out for respect of the other, encouraging the knowledge that we are all more similar than we realize. The crossing over of the lines in the symbol for a hashtag are a reminder of our interconnectedness and interbeing.
The artworks are printed onto wood in Germany. On a visit there, while looking at different ways to present my work, I came across a young artist who had recently started out printing in this field and was also eager to support other artists. Our here2here collaboration has been a pleasure so far. The fact that the artworks are printed on wood is a reminder to me to stay grounded. What is more rooted than a tree? But despite its groundedness a tree has life flowing through it all the time in a myriad of ways.
The exhibition “Huna Al Emarat”, meaning Here UAE or This is UAE, opens to the public today in the Gallery of Light, DUCTAC, Mall of the Emirates.
It was a privilege, as one of the Mobipixuae members participating, to be present at the preview last night.
The exhibition, which will run from 10th-16th February 2015, takes the form of a collective memoir which reflects the past decade in the UAE and the evolution which has taken place in that period. Painting, photography, sculpture and video are featured. Artists taking part include Mattar bin Lahej, Ammar Al Attar, Khalil Abdulwahid, Camille Mallat, Nour Sokhon and Mobipixuae. The exhibition also showcases design works by Caravan, and presents publications including Brusselssprout and WTD.
The evening was a great success and Ductac can certainly be proud. There was a distinct sense of camaraderie as the artists mingled willingly with all the guests present, sharing information and stories about their works.
Two works in particular spoke very strongly to me.
The first was the installation, False Ceiling, from Caravan. It was originally installed in a traditional courtyard house in the heart of Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood in Dubai, being suspended by helium inflated balloons which enabled it to wave freely as it was exposed to the elements. The need for shelter, often seen as a basic need for human life, is brought into question, and the viewer is encouraged to embrace the challenges of life.
I have long been following the exquisite sculptures of Mattar bin Lahej, and the piece on show was a delight to behold. Ensihar or Fusion, is an installation made in stainless steel. It has a diameter of two meters and its form, spheres, curves and Arabic calligraphy depict the pearl. Light reflecting onto the verses from the Holy Quran at different angles add to the incredible movement present in the piece. Heritage and present day culture merge.
The concept and depiction of movement is very strong in all Mattar’s pieces and I resonate very strongly with this. One of the highlights of the evening for the Mobipixuae members was when he came over to our installation to discuss our images with us.
The exhibition, presented by CBRE to coincide with the firm’s 10th anniversary in the Middle East, is open daily from 9am to 10Pm, Gallery of Light, Ductac, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai, 04 341 4777, www.ductac.org
Because the hot, summer months are upon us in the UAE at the moment - this week’s forecast for Abu Dhabi read, “High temperatures and sticky weather are expected to remain in the coming days, with the mercury rising above 40°C” - indoor activities have been the order of the day in the last while.
It has been an opportunity for me to work on and publish my new website, LindART, which showcases my iphoneography art. With the website up and running, and many of my pieces on canvas now hanging in my home gallery, I have also been considering and investigating new media to have the images printed onto.
Last week I had the opportunity to visit Munich. The first thing I set out to do was go for a long walk. Without a specific destination in mind, I started off along the Isar River, got lost twice, but had a wonderful day.
At one point on my walk I suddenly entered the Englischer Garten. Larger than New York’s central park it is one of the world’s largest urban public parks.
The high, green trees and the open fields were striking. Feeling the need to reconnect with nature in a special way, at one point I stopped and mindfully touched a tree.
I passed many cyclists, walked through bicycle tunnels with wonderful graffiti, strolled next to ponds with ducks, and watched people walking their dogs.
The next morning, I set out to visit the studio of Malte Dinkela. I had read that he is able to print on various media and was eager to see this.
Malte is also an artist and his welcoming nature and professional attitude at all times, made it a pleasure to be there. I was immediately drawn to his wood printing and without any ado he set about printing some of my work for me to see. The results were astonishing.
Malte used reclaimed shuttering which is at least 20 years old. As he reached for the piece of wood which before had been used as a temporary structure to contain setting concrete, I looked at it and realized that it must hold many stories.
As Malte began to prepare the pieces we would use, I wondered about the wood. Who had held it? Which building sites had it visited? Did the walls it had contained still stand? Who inhabited the walls it had helped to build? Where had it been stored? Which little beetles or ants had crawled inside it?
The work created on my iphone was about to be presented on wood, and this in some way connected different cultures, times and places in a unique fashion. As each piece of wood is different, the resulting works were unique. The grains and texture added a dimension to the pieces we were working on that had not been there before.
I thought back to the tree I had touched the previous day. The wood in the stems and roots of a living tree perform a support function by nature. Trees are rooted but at the same time contain much movement. Their roots draw water, nutrients are sent throughout the system, foliage appears and disappears and fruit can be produced.
Rootedness and movement - one of the main themes in my art! I am happy to have chosen wood as a medium and look forward to seeing more of my work presented in this way.
Malte has posted a lovely article about my work on his website and I look forward to working with him in the future.
Saturday, May 23, 2015 at 6:44PM 
