Frieze from the East

For the Love of Flowers 2008 -
Acrylic and embroidery on canvas 46x66cm
Courtesy Massimo Minini

A Middle Eastern perspective of Frieze 2009
By Asmaa Al-Shabibi

This October, 164 international galleries jostled for attention under a sprawling tent in Regent's Park as the global art community gathered for a four-day binge on contemporary art. One of these participants was Dubai’s venerable gallery, The Third Line, making its debut as the first UAE gallery to exhibit at Frieze. Showcasing the works of Farhad Moshiri (four canvases in typical Moshiri Disney-Kitch style priced at US$180,000 each), The Third Line are certainly doing Dubai proud by positioning themselves amongst some of the world’s leading art galleries. However, I could not help but wonder why they chose to focus on a one-man show (especially since this was the remit of much younger galleries as part of Frame), rather than to exhibit a wider range of artists from their impressive pool of talent.

By contrast at the stand of Galerie Sfeir-Semler, a Beirut-Hamburg gallery, a much broader range of Middle Eastern artists, such as Marwan Rachmaoui and Timo Nasseri was showcased. More importantly for the kudos of Middle Eastern art was the purchase from Semler of Rachmaoui’s Monument for the Loving by Tate Modern. Such acquisitions by prestigious institutions like Tate Modern highlights one of the advantages of participation by Middle Eastern galleries in Frieze (and in any other leading art fair for that matter). Not only does the gallery benefit from the international super status such participation affords, but most importantly their works are also exposed to visiting curators, museum directors and other art professionals giving their artists the opportunity for international recognition that they so deserve.

However, a Middle Eastern presence does not necessarily have to be judged only by the number of the region’s galleries admitted to the fair. Taking a survey of the number of artworks by Middle Eastern artists at non-regional galleries, there were sporadic appearances of Arab and Iranian art such as works by Ramin Haerizadeh at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, and works by Ghada Amer and Mona Hatoum. But does this mean that Middle Eastern art is making its way into the international spotlight? In truth the Middle Eastern works were a drop in the ocean in comparison to the thousands of artworks on display, and arguably, Amer and Hatoum are in a different league since they are part of a Diaspora of artists who have integrated into the West as opposed to those who actually live and produce works in their native homes (such as Moshiri and Haerizadeh). Hence, I believe we are still a long way from being a contending force in the art fair market (consider, for example that out of 164 galleries only 2 were from the Middle East) but on a positive note at least the doors are opening in our favour.

Moving outside the confines of Regent’s Park, the knock-on effect of the excitement generated by Frieze can be felt throughout the whole of London and it is in this sphere that a Middle Eastern presence was extended. One of the largest events was the Magic of Persia Art Prize, which consisted of an exhibition of the finalists in the Royal College of Art (which incidentally also formed part of the Frieze VIP programme), culminating in a fabulous dinner party at Mr. & Mrs. Maleki’s stunning residence. This is the Middle Eastern art scene at its most glamorous and prestigious, and as to be expected, it attracted key collectors, galleries and supporters of contemporary Iranian art.

On the other hand, two shows also highlighted the ever-growing artist talent emerging out of Lebanon: Switzerland it Ain’t, Ayman Baalbaki’s first solo show at Rose Issa, and a group show entitled The Third Eye, curated by Costantino D’Orazio at Selma Feriani Gallery. Whilst we may hail these shows as a breakthrough for Middle Eastern art, we need to remind ourselves that these events took place within the bubble of the Middle Eastern artscene, rather than within an international context: ninety percent of the audience at these events were the usual supporters from and of the region, effectively meaning that these shows were nationalistic and spoke to the converted. However, add to these the Canvas talk "Gender Wars & Chadors”, the book launch of New Vision: Arab Contemporary Art in the 21st Century, at Christie's and the Middle Eastern art works that formed part of the contemporary art sales at Sotheby’s and De Pury’s, and it would indeed have been possible to go on a four day Middle Eastern art crawl.

This is precisely what many collectors and art lovers from the region could be seen doing. Spotted at the fair and its collateral events were collectors Tariq Al-Jaidah from Qatar, Abdulla Al-Turki from Saudi Arabia and Mohammed Afghami from Iran/Dubai as well as a delegation of Emirati women artists as part of the Sheikha Manal Art Exchange programme, founded by Sheikha Manal Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Women Establishment and wife of Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Professionals from two Middle Eastern art funds were also seen, as well gallerists Isabelle van den Eynde of Dubai’s B21 Gallery, Saleh Barakat of Agial Gallery, Beirut and artists Ayman Baalbaki, Reza Aramesh and Nadine Kanso. All in all, it is probably fair to say (no pun intended) that we are seeing more involvement by the players of the Middle Eastern art scene at international fairs and that these personalities have started to make small but significant steps towards playing a serious role in the international art markets, which, can only be a good thing.


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