The Art season has commenced, and the first opening I attended was The Foundry, located in downtown Dubai. The Foundry has four exhibition spaces, each of which has been curated to highlight a different artist. The artworks ranged from site-specific murals applied directly on the gallery walls, to NFT artworks exhibited on large screens.
The opening was attended by a large audience as well as the artists themselves. I had the pleasure of speaking with all the artists, but one that struck me the most was Jose, also known as Studio Lenca.
Speaking with Jose brought a different perspective to the exhibition. Jose delved into his family history and how they migrated to America. Jose is reflecting his personal journey and layering it with various elements he found resonated through similarities during his residency in Dubai. Most notably are 2 large paintings exhibited that were painted onto material he purchased from the Souq in Deira. The highlight of my conversation with Jose was when he explained the title of the exhibition. “The Dreamers” is a dedication to the many migrants like himself that reside in the USA and remain without papers.
Artist: Studio Lenca
About: Studio Lenca exhibits portraits that depict the artist and his community proudly wearing hats and vibrant colors in noble defiance of the ‘western’ discourse around migration.
Artist: Debjani Bhardwaj
About: The exhibition showcases artworks depicting sleep stories and lucid dreams. Using fragile, hand-cut paper and object-human hybrid sculptures, she maps the fertile crosscurrents of speculative fiction, utopias, dystopias and fantasy.
Artist: Baber Afzal
About: The series of visuals in this collection has been over 10 years in the making that highlights iconic perspectives of Dubai’s cityscape and how it has evolved over time since 2010.
Artist: Stuart Lawson
About: An English photographer that captures the fluidity and staccato of movement in his exhibition.
