Second edition of the unique award, focusing on
contemporary art of the MENASA, features works by Kader Attia (Algeria), Hala
Elkoussy (Egypt), and Marwan Sahmarani
(Lebanon)
New York, NY (August 9, 2010) - The Museum of Arts and
Design presents the 2010 winners of the Abraaj Capital Art Prize. The
show will run from August 31 through October 10, 2010. Now in its second year,
this prize is unique among art awards; not only is it the world's most generous,
disbursing $1 million to its recipients, but it is also distinct in its
concentration and approach, focusing on work from the Middle East, North Africa,
and South Asia (MENASA) region and honoring proposals conceived by an artist and
curator pairing rather than individual realized works. This year's three winning
duos are the Algerian artist Abdel Kader Attia with Laurie Ann Farrell,
executive director of exhibitions for the Savannah College of Art and Design
(SCAD); the Egyptian artist Hala Elkoussy with Jelle Bouwhuis, a curator at the
Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam; and the Lebanese artist Marwan Sahmarani with the
Lebanese-Spanish curator Mahita El Bacha Urieta. Among the international panel
of jurors who selected the winners from nearly one hundred applicants was MAD's
Charles Bronfman International Curator, Lowery Stokes Sims.
Firmly established as the leading award for the
production of new work by artists from this dynamic and rapidly developing
region, this is the second time the Abraaj Capital Art Prize exhibits at the
Museum of Arts and Design. The works by the 2010 winners were unveiled at Art
Dubai in March, with 18,000 visitors marveling at their scale and complexity,
and many hundreds voting for their favorite in a People's Choice, which was
awarded to Marwan Sahmarani. The artists had six months to produce their pieces,
which now form part of the Abraaj Capital Art Collection. "The work presented in
the exhibition is truly some of the most important coming out of the MENASA
region today and I could not be happier that MAD is once again introducing these
winners to the U.S.," states Holly Hotchner, the Museum's Nanette L. Laitman
Director. "The Museum's partnership with Abraaj Capital continues the global
outlook represented in our permanent collection and in our presentation of the
work of artists from around the world."
On view in the MAD Projects gallery, the exhibition will
showcase works by the three winning
artists:
- Celebrated Algerian artist Kader Attia has a wide roster of
international
exhibitions including the Sydney Biennial, ICA, Boston and Palais de
Tokyo,
Paris. His Abraaj Capital Art Prize work - "History of a Myth: The
Small
Dome
of the Rock" - is a video installation, centering on the Dome of the Rock
in
Jerusalem, a structure of enormous historical and contemporary
significance..
A subtle combination of image and sound evokes the feelings the
artist
experienced when he visited the monument, creating a deep
impression
on the
viewer.
- Hala Elkoussy, co-founder of the Cairo-based Contemporary Image Collective,
is
an Egyptian artist for whom the archival history of modern Cairo is of
utmost
importance. She presents "The Myths and Legends Room: The Mural," an
epic
27-foot-by-9-foot work, that references commemorative-propaganda art, but
also
suggests an alternative perspective on the city by exploring multiple narratives
of
how people live and navigate life under consumerism, political apathy and
global
economic conditions. Working with Dutch curator Jelle Bouwhuis, this is a
new
and exciting development in Elkoussy's
career.
- Marwan Sahmarani from Beirut is best known for his vibrant,
highly-charged
paintings. Working with curator Mahita El Bacha Urieta
(Spain/Lebanon),
Sahmarani presents "The Feast of the Damned," an atmospheric
installation
integrating painting, drawing, ceramics and film. Inspired by Rubens's "Hell:
Fall
of the Condemned Ones" and Michelangelo's "The Last
Judgement,"
Sahmarani's interpretations of martyrdom and expiation resemble old
fresco
paintings but blended with contemporary media. The result is a poignant
and
intimately humane artwork of universal resonance and powerful visual
and
emotional
impact.
Frederic Sicre, Executive Director of Abraaj Capital,
comments: "In its second year,
the
Abraaj Capital Art Prize signifies not only our continued commitment to
supporting
the
creativity found in MENASA, but also reinforces Abraaj Capital's
unwavering
commitment to empower and support young artists across the region, and bring
their
talents to the forefront of both the local and international art
community."
Click
here to read the full
release.
