Dubai

Hassan Hajjaj @ The Third Line, Mar 14 – Apr 16

14 March 2016

Hassan Hajjaj has a solo exhibition La Salle de Gym des Femmes Arabes at Dubai’s The Third Line, opening March 14 and running April 16.

The show title translates to ‘Gym For Arab Women’ and will contain photographs that have been taken over many years and in many locations of  women —mainly Hajjaj’s friends —dressed as fictional characters wearing various uniforms and athletic gear, with popular brand names pieced together with traditional textiles and shapes –all designed and composed by the artist himself.   

Hajjaj predominantly works with photography as his medium but incorporates elements and references from North African culture, fashion and recycled objects. The images in La Salle de Gym des Femmes Arabes are brought together for the first time in one show.

Whereas the artist has had easy access to fitness clubs for men in Morocco, he has never been inside a women-only sports facility or gym and he uses this as a trajectory to conceptualise such a space.

See The Third Line’s exhibition page for more details**

Hassan Hajjaj, 'Rider' (2010). Courtesy the artist.
Hassan Hajjaj, ‘Rider’ (2010). Courtesy the artist.

 

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Richard Allenby-Pratt, ‘Abandoned’ (2012)

17 June 2013

Recently, aqnb went to Dubai in search of its art scene and found the work of photographer Richard Allenby-Pratte. Exhibiting at Shelter in Alserkal Avenue, it features several eerie depictions where the animals have reclaimed the land after what feels like an inevitable apocalypse, accompanied by an unsettling sci-fi narrative with this evocative standfirst:

“In the year 2017 Dubai was abandoned by all but a small number of Bedouin origin families. Before leaving, the caretakers of the UAE’s zoos, wildlife parks and private animal collections opened the gates and cages of their facilities. Some of the animals refused to leave their accustomed accomodations and died there, but many escaped out on to the empty streets.” **

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