Abu Dhabi · 05/02/2025
Intersections
Abu Dhabi
Intersections ushers in O Contemporary’s 2025 programme in Abu Dhabi, presenting a carefully selected roster of artists from the gallery’s international roster alongside prominent and emerging voices from the United Arab Emirates, under the curatorship of Mohammed Al Saqqa. Marking the inaugural collaboration between O Contemporary and Baró Galeria, the exhibition brings together internationally acclaimed practitioners with leading figures from the Middle East. The participating artists—Joana Vasconcelos, Gary Hill, Mohammed Kazem, Rasheed Araeen, Zainab Al Hashmi, assume vivid astro focus (AVAF), Elias Crespin, Abdus Salaam, Afra Al Suwaidi, and Christopher Benton—present works spanning painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, textile-based practices, and video. Together, they demonstrate a broad spectrum of artistic methodologies that emphasise the fluidity of creative exchange. Rooted in the premise that art has long functioned as a space of convergence, where histories, traditions, and creative processes intersect to expand perception and meaning, Intersections investigates transcultural dialogues within contemporary practice. It traces how artists dismantle established frameworks while forging novel connections between material, technique, and conceptual inquiry. At its core, the exhibition reflects upon how contemporary art operates beyond singular narratives, embracing the interwoven nature of artistic heritage and global influence. By challenging the rigidity of conventional mediums, the show positions artistic practice as a site of continuous experimentation, where form, history, and meaning are perpetually in flux. Joana Vasconcelos recontextualises crochet within contemporary painting, subverting traditional hierarchies between craft and fine art. By layering handwoven textiles across surfaces, she generates textured, sculptural compositions that intertwine personal and collective histories, effectively blurring the boundaries between the domestic and the monumental. This engagement with materiality resonates powerfully with Zainab Al Hashmi’s Dialogue with Nature (2024), an outdoor installation that allows rain to imprint itself upon the fabric, symbolising the dynamic interplay between humanity and the natural world. Gary Hill’s Place Holder transforms the simple act of flipping a coin into a meditation on chance, repetition, and sound, dissolving the boundaries between performance, moving image, and conceptual investigation. This focus on process and gesture aligns closely with Mohammed Kazem’s Kisses series, wherein chalk lines drawn between weathered, blackened chewing gum on pavements elevate mundane urban detritus into visual compositions. Kazem’s work highlights the hidden narratives of movement, presence, and memory embedded in everyday spaces. Rasheed Araeen approaches painting as an intellectual and mathematical exploration, extending abstraction beyond mere aesthetics to engage with logic, infinity, and symmetry. His structured, methodical methodology finds a compelling parallel in the kinetic sculptures of Elias Crespin, whose suspended works generate movement and transformation within architectural space, actively challenging the viewer’s perception of stability and fluidity. Abdus Salaam’s Mother, Child, Earth, a marble sculpture examining filial piety, contemplates intergenerational relationships through the depiction of a parental figure suspended above the earth by the presence of a child. The piece embodies universal principles of respect and responsibility, echoing themes found across sacred texts including the Quran, Torah, and New Testament. In stark contrast, Afra Al Suwaidi’s The Last State of Humanity (2023) envisions a future wherein artificial materials supplant organic existence. While Salaam carves enduring traditions into stone, Al Suwaidi constructs her speculative vision from ABS plastic, underscoring the fragile equilibrium between natural and synthetic realities. Through these diverse methodologies, Intersections illuminates the expanded potential of artistic mediums as vehicles for exploring temporality, materiality, and cultural hybridity. The exhibition stands as a metaphor for the partnership between O Contemporary and Baró Galeria, reinforcing the Middle East’s growing stature as a vital hub for contemporary artistic exchange, where global perspectives converge to forge new possibilities.
