Interview: Khalil Abdul Wahid on “Place and Unity” at Maraya Art Centre
By Suzy Sikorski
Portrait of Khalil Abdul Wahid, 2013. Courtesy Ammar Al Attar.
Maraya Art Centre’s latest exhibition “Place and Unity” explores the transformative role of the landscape in the United Arab Emirates, narrating both older and younger generation’s physical and emotional connection to the shifting sands and transient populations. Fourteen artists explore this notion of place, eager to preserve and archive these memories reflected on what the UAE space means to them, whether in the physical objects, in the architectural layout or by the interactions with travelers and residents. While many of the younger artists pay homage to the UAE in digital and graphic design, manipulating UAE maps or simulated installations, the featured older artists recount their memories through more traditional mediums and techniques, whether in paint and assemblages featuring found objects and film photographs. Embodying the cultural and spatial transformation that took place between the 1980s and ’90s, these older artists exhibit work with techniques that harken nostalgic memories of time and place while also maintaining a single thread of the UAE’s globalized and commercialized scene.
