CANVAS GUIDE

SPOTLIGHT ON:

Sheikha Alyazia Bint Nahyan Al-Nahyan

Emirati documentary filmmaker and painter Sheikha Alyazia Bint Nahyan Al-Nahyan creates art inspired by the history and heritage of her homeland. Canvas speaks with the artist about her recent body of work and thoughts on being a woman artist in the UAE.

Colourful narratives about Middle Eastern culture are central to Sheikha Alyazia's oeuvre comprising broken canvases and mixed media installations. Through unique...

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ARTIST INTERVIEW: AL BRAITHWAITE

Mirrors as well as portraits of Middle Eastern royalty are found in the works displayed in Transgressions, your current exhibition at XVA Gallery. What made you choose such a medium and technique for these new works?

The technique sheds light on my creative process and the way that I look at the different events and objects that surround me. I aim to create artworks that can hold many positions...

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ONE ON ONE

Nazif Topcuoglu's 'Innerscapes' running at Dubai's Green Art Gallery from 11 January - 5 March presents recent works by the Turkish photographer. Canvas speaks with the artist about his artistic process, inherent symbolism and creative influences.

Unlike your previous works which portray adolescent women in highly theatrical backdrops, the photographs on show in Innerscapes depict underplayed background and seemingly...

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REVIEW

Marwan Sahmarani: Marks of Being

Lebanese artist Marwan Sahmarani makes a departure from his socio-political oeuvre to focus on his personal experience of fatherhood in "Marie Marie, the devil in me has taken you for a ride", his show at Lawrie Shabibi Gallery running until 16 February.

Thick impasto coupled with bold and lurid colours cover the canvases of Marwan Sahmarani's recent work. His thick layers of paint exude a sense of rhythm and movement giving life...

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ART TALK

Exploring the Narrative

Children’s art charity START collaborated with the Park Hyatt to stage an exhibition of works by local and international artists. A panel discussion moderated by Myrna Ayad of Canvas addressed the creation of artistic narratives.

Myrna: Hi everybody, thank you for coming today. My name is Myrna Ayad and I am the Deputy Editor of Canvas Magazine and I just want to quickly introduce you to our panellists and...

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ONE TO WATCH

What Lies Beneath

The changing face of water in the works of Nicene Kossentini.

Water is a fundamental part of our existence, both life-giving and treacherous, and for Tunisian artist Nicene Kossentini, it has long played an integral part in her oeuvre, an...

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BEHIND THE SCENES

The 54th Venice Biennale’s UAE Interns

Twenty Emiratis and residents of the UAE were chosen to man the UAE National Pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale. Canvas Guide caught up with two of the Pavilion's interns, Hessa Ali Al-Joker and Manal Bin Obood, to learn about their experience.

Developed by the office of the UAE Pavilion and supported by the Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy, the Tourism Investment and Development Company (TDIC), and the Ministry...

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CANVAS GUIDE NEWS

ACAP 2012 WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Now in its fourth year, the Abraaj Capital Art Prize, aimed specifically at the MENASA region, announces its five winners in the lead-up to Art Dubai 2012.

After having submitting a detailed proposal for a work which can be realised with funding of $120,000 from private equity firm Abraaj Capital, the five artists, selected from a...

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THE SCENE

East Meets East

September saw the opening of 'Middle East, Middle Kingdom' at Dubai's Etemad Gallery featuring 20 works by eight Contemporary Chinese artists showing for the first time in the UAE.

As the doors of Etemad Gallery opened to the exhibition Middle East, Middle Kingdom on 19 September, the show's curator Pia Camilla Copper was apprehensive about audience...

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ONE TO WATCH

Sama Alshaibi: The Physicality of Exile

This Iraqi-Palestinian artist grapples with issues of displacement through visceral multi-media works. At her show vs. Him at Dubai’s Lawrie Shabibi Gallery running from 19 September–20 October, Rebecca Anne Proctor discussed her latest works.

Dressed up like a boxer and standing in a spotlight reminiscent of an old Hollywood stage set, a woman with pale skin and short curly black hair is filmed in stop-motion as she...

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