‘Mythological Love’ by Halim Al Karim & ‘MATAB’ by Al Braithwaite
Join us for the opening of ‘Mythological Love’ by Halim Al Karim & ‘MATAB’ by Al Braithwaite. Immerse yourself in Karim’s contemplation of ancient love & the human spirit, and encounter Al Braithwaite’s potent abstract dialogues in material abstraction (MATAB) under one roof.
About the Artists
HALIM AL KARIM:
“Inspired by the Sumerian myth and my archaeological excavations in our invisible life, the mythological love series invites us to contemplate the magical love relationship between human women and the Anunnaki who descended from the heavens to planet Earth. This series reflects the concept of the eternal need to tame the anxious self; it embodies the mystery surrounding our existence between two worlds and challenges the construction of historical narratives about the ideologies of immortal love.” — Halim Al Karim
Born in Iraq in 1963, Halim Al Karim has held many solo exhibitions in Dubai, Paris, Holland, Switzerland,Istanbul, USA, Jordan and Lebanon. The artist was nominated for the 2010 Sovereign Art Prize and wasawarded the jury prize in the International Cairo Biennale in Egypt. He is one of the six artists whosework was featured in the Iraqi Pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale – the first Iraqi Pavilion in 36 years. Hiswork is in the collections of major museums including the Arab Museum of Contemporary Art in Doha,the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Saatchi Collection in London, Darat Al Funun in Amman,L’Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, Artron Art Museum in China andYinchaun MoCA in China. He lives and works in Dubai and Colorado, USA.
“My photography embraces the full material possibilities of the medium. I use a range of techniquesspanning from antiquated darkroom production to digital manipulation as I explore the authenticity,appropriation, and the boundaries of photography as an art form; my interests align more withconceptual art than with documentary or staged photography, and my subjects span from my story,cinema, archeology, modern science research, literature, to portraiture.
The sentimental and mythological aspects of my subjects take inspiration from the Sumerian’s embraceof epics in their own artwork, and from the chaos of our reality”
AL BRAITHWAITE:
The Material Abstraction (MATAB) of Al Braithwaite is seen in the context of his works on a plane. Dubai has seen and been familiar with his meeting-points of different styles since 2002, but for this XVA show he presents audiences with confluences of textured panels arrayed as physical sculptures. Their weight and conceptual terrain is contained within a language where flatness of form and potency of industrial energy is paramount. The artist asks questions by intersectioning materials: what happens when this touches that, when one idea divides another, when this angle reaches for another angle, or when that thing becomes empowered as an abstract entity? Against that backdrop of abstraction, these freedoms can be exalted and freshly glimpsed, a miracle of sorts. The crowd feeds, depending on emotion and absence. Off a wind tower, a bird riffles its feathers and flies.
Al Braithwaite is a contemporary artist from London, who works across a variety of disciplines including sculpture, assemblage, found material and installation. His work fits into a tradition of conceptual art, recalling Dada, Surrealism, Fluxus, and aspects of Orphism.
Al co-founded The Offscreen Group with writer Henry Hemming in 2002. The group worked in a number of countries on a low-budget model like the Beat poets, the Black Audio Film Collective or the Russian group AES+F. During its time the group was joined by feminist filmmaker Georgie Weedon and curator Stephen A. Stapleton, co-founder of Edge of Arabia. From 2005 Al pursued more solo work, continuing the same low-budget model but for his own purposes. An interest in considering different contexts led him to places like Ground Zero, United States, and Trinidad in the West Indies, which have both impacted his work. Hybrid textures play a significant role in his practice.
About XVA Gallery
XVA Gallery is one of the leading galleries in the Middle East that specializes in contemporary art from the Arab world, Iran, and the Subcontinent. Exhibitions focus on works by the region’s
foremost artists as well as those emerging onto the scene. The gallery’s artists express their different cultural identities and perspectives while challenging the viewer to drop prejudices and borders. XVA Gallery and XVA Art Hotel are located in Dubai’s heritage district, now called Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood. XVA founded and organized the Bastakiya Art Fair from 2007-2010 as part of its commitment to raising the profile of contemporary art practice in Dubai.
For more information:
Carina Vicente
Gallery Co-ordinator
Email: carina@xvagallery.com
T: 04 353 5383 M: +971 56 959 8268