Art Dubai Art Bar 2015: Yazan Khalili x Absolut
“I was inspired by the architecture of Dubai. The city’s skyline incites the questioning of imagined futures and of created pasts” – Yazan Khalili.
Art Dubai and Absolut have commissioned Palestinian artist Yazan Khalili to conceptualise and create the space of Art Bar 2015. Art Bar by Absolut is Art Dubai’s social hub and meeting point for visitors, artists, gallerists and collectors who gather to network and enjoy the art fair’s after-hours in an exclusive, cosmopolitan, nightlife setting. Each year Art Bar is transformed by artists and a unique space is created.
This year the artist set to transform Art Bar is Yazan Khalili.
Khalili who lives and works in and out of Palestine, is known for his purpose-driven, reflective, and detailed photography, which he combines with the written word to unfold historically, constructed landscapes. His images function as frames where viewers immerse themselves in the progression of time and narratives. In this manner, Khalili has assembled and constructed stories throughout his career that both question and pose paradoxes for the scenery as well as the act of staring. His artworks as such weaves together politics with poetics, focusing on the effect of geographical distance on the viewers’ image of territory and its ability to capture their political and sentimental affection.
Among his recent work is The Camp Series, which explores the idea of loss and trauma in the Al-Amari Refugee Camp of Ramallah City. Amending the camp’s colours, Khalili in a symbolic act aimed to fill in the losses that form the every day lives of the inhabitants, in the same way that a child fills the blanks in a colouring book. Through this artwork, Khalili re-infused the possibility of hope by transforming a landscape that reminds the viewer of tragedy, into a vision of desired future.
Khalili’s installation at Art Bar will, in a similar fashion, question ideas of constructed reality and the symbolic nature of Dubai’s architecture. The installation, titled The Island will carry the theme of past futures, questioning the artist’s ideas of constructed reality, belonging and theatrical nature. Adding an energetic twist to the installation, Khalili envisions engaging visitors through performance art including sound artists. To bring an authentic touch of Dubai into the Art Bar, Khalili is collaborating with local bands from across the UAE to form part of the Art Bar experience.
fluoro is a proud media partner of Art Dubai 2015, which is set to take place from Wednesday 15 – Saturday 21 March 2015. Stay tuned for further coverage of the largest international art fair in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia regions.
www.artdubai.ae
www.yazankhalili.com
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