INTERVIEW WITH KOUROSH NOURI OF CARBON 12, DUBAI UAE

Carbon 12, Installation view, Image Courtesy of carbon 12, Dubai
Carbon 12, Installation view, Image Courtesy of carbon 12, Dubai

What attracts us to this region, is the novelty... in a sense also a responsibility towards our region. As we’ve known for decades, our region has been way behind in the field of contemporary art. We didn't have enough galleries, museums, critics and universities. So, for me, as an Iranian, it was fairly logical to make the adventure happen in the country representing the best of the Middle East... The UAE is a peaceful country, full of tolerance and extremely cosmopolitan. For me as a gallerist, it is the country of the 21st century! I see the region in general as a very attractive pole for contemporary art. People are positively curious, appreciative of new things and very respectful towards hard work.

The artists we have chosen (along with our curators) are all extremely talented young people. Most of them internationally established, some of them even showed in Art Basel while some others have shown in other well-known fairs. 

Sara Rahbar, André Butzer, Katherine Bernhardt, Gil Heitor Cortesao, Ralf Ziervogel, Farzan Sadjadi and Florian Hafele are the artists we will be exhibiting at the fair. 
If by ‘doing well’  one means selling, I have no idea, but I am fairly certain that no art works will leave art lovers without feel some sort of emotion. For me, doing well is to meet curators and museums directors who would be interested in the artists we represent, or top collectors who "discover" an artist for the first time. I really hope that whoever pays a visit to our stand will enjoy their visit. I am fairly certain that Art Dubai 2010 will be a very successful fair for Carbon 12 and its artists.

Carbon 12, Installation view, Image Courtesy of carbon 12, Dubai
Carbon 12, Installation view, Image Courtesy of carbon 12, Dubai

I can count many artists from this region who are creating amazing works. One of the best examples is Sara Rahbar, the Iranian-born, US artist... without cutting away from her roots, she creates absolutely new and contemporary works. She will be exhibiting in 2010 at the centre Pompidou in Paris! I am glad to represent some great talents from the Middle East, and hopefully in the near future from other regions as well.

Ten years ago I was following the art market as a collector, so it is hard for me to judge the market then... everyone was much nicer to me! Now, Carbon 12 is a professional contemporary art gallery, so of course we have a different and an in-depth view of the market. Now the art market, from our perspective, is smarter, better informed, and more conservative in a sense... selling everything at any price is not really happening anymore, which is a good thing.   

With regards to the recession, I think we will see a lot "back to the old-school" in the positive sense, and less "15 minute attempts to fame"... contemporary art is not only about impressing the public with "gizmos" - there is much more depth to it. I really think we will have some time to reflect and be more realistic.

I believe the gallerists are also being more realistic... otherwise there is no "right" way to go against a recession. A good gallery is a gallery that organises amazing exhibitions. We all know that an exhibition has its costs and therefore, there is no way to counter an economic down-turn. We should make sure that the quality of the exhibitions and the works are so high that the buyers are delighted to own the works!   

Ralf Ziervogel, Endeneu, 2009, Ink on paper, 1.4 x 2.8
Ralf Ziervogel, Endeneu, 2009,
Ink on paper, 1.4m x 2.8m

Dubai has an incredible potential, it is only a question of exploring it the right way. Another very encouraging sign is the fact that more and more Emiratis are getting actively involved in collecting, curating and critique etc. This is an amazing beginning. 

Considering it was the first art fair of this importance in the entire region, I have an extremely high expectation from Art Dubai. I do believe that with hard work, consistency, expertise and commitment there are fair chances that Art Dubai will count among the most important fairs WORLDWIDE.

 


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